my client. Was there anybody else
in the room?"

"I believe that Phipps, Mr. Belcher's man, was coming and going."

"Why, your memory is excellent, is it not? And you remember the date of
this event too! Suppose you tell us what it was."

"It was the 4th of May, 1860."

"How confused you must have been!" said Mr. Cavendish.

"These are things that were burnt into my memory," responded the
witness. "There were other occurrences that day, of which I have been
informed, but of which I have no memory."

"Ah, there are! Well, I shall have occasion to refresh your mind upon
still another, before I get through with you. Now, if I should show you
an assignment, signed by yourself on the very day you have designated,
and also signed by Johnson, Ramsey and Phipps as witnesses, what should
you say to it?"

"I object to the question. The counsel should show the document to the
witness, and then ask his opinion of it," said Mr. Balfour.

The Court coincided with Mr. Balfour's view, and ruled accordingly.

"Very well," said Mr. Cavendish, "we shall get at that in good time.
Now, witness, will you be kind enough to tell me how you remember that
all this occurred on the 4th of May, 1860?"

"It happened to be the first anniversary of my wife's death. I went
from her grave to Mr. Belcher's house. The day war associated with the
saddest and most precious memories of my life."

"What an excellent memory!" said Mr. Cavendish; rubbing his white hands
together. "Are you familiar with the signatures of Nicholas Johnson and
James Ramsey?"

"I have seen them many times."

"Would you recognize them, if I were to show them to you?"

"I don't know sir."

"Oh! your memory begins to fail now, does it? How is it that you cannot
remember things with which you were familiar during a series of years,
when you were perfectly sane, and yet can remember things so well that
happened when your mind was confused?"

Mr. Benedict's mind was getting confused again, and he began to stammer.
Mr. Cavendish wondered that, in some way, Mr. Balfour did not come to
the relief of his witness, but he sat perfectly quiet, and apparently
unconcerned. Mr. Cavendish rummaged among his papers, and withdrew two
letters. These he handed to the witness. "Now," said he, "will the
witness examine these letters, and tell us whether he recognizes the
signatures as genuine?"

Mr. Benedict took the two letters, of which he had already heard through
Sam Yates, and