ruth the identical garment
which Mr. Meager had brought home with him on the morning of the
murder. This man was Mr. Wickerby's clerk, Mr. Scruby, and he put on
the coat,--which seemed to fit him well. Mr. Chaffanbrass then asked
permission to examine Mr. Scruby, explaining that much time might be
saved, and declaring that he had but one question to ask him. After
some difficulty this permission was given him, and Mr. Scruby was
asked his height. Mr. Scruby was five feet eight inches, and had
been accurately measured on the previous day with reference to the
question. Then the examination of Lord Fawn was resumed, and Mr.
Chaffanbrass referred to that very irregular interview to which he
had so improperly enticed the witness in Mr. Wickerby's chambers. For
a long time Sir Gregory Grogram declared that he would not permit any
allusion to what had taken place at a most improper conference,--a
conference which he could not stigmatize in sufficiently strong
language. But Mr. Chaffanbrass, smiling blandly,--smiling very
blandly for him,--suggested that the impropriety of the conference,
let it have been ever so abominable, did not prevent the fact of the
conference, and that he was manifestly within his right in alluding
to it. "Suppose, my lord, that Lord Fawn had confessed in Mr.
Wickerby's chambers that he had murdered Mr. Finn himself, and had
since repented of that confession, would Mr. Camperdown and Mr.
Wickerby, who were present, and would I, be now debarred from stating
that confession in evidence, because, in deference to some fanciful
rules of etiquette, Lord Fawn should not have been there?" Mr.
Chaffanbrass at last prevailed, and the evidence was resumed.

"You saw Mr. Scruby wear that coat in Mr. Wickerby's chambers." Lord
Fawn said that he could not identify the coat.

"We'll take care to have it identified. We shall get a great deal out
of that coat yet. You saw that man wear a coat like that."

"Yes; I did."

"And you see him now."

"Yes, I do."

"Does he remind you of the figure of the man you saw come out of the
mews?" Lord Fawn paused. "We can't make him move about here as we did
in Mr. Wickerby's room; but remembering that as you must do, does he
look like the man?"

"I don't remember what the man looked like."

"Did you not tell us in Mr. Wickerby's room that Mr. Scruby with the
grey coat on was like the figure of the man?"

Questions of this nature were prolonged for near half an hour, duri