in a village near to
Prague a key had been made such as would open Mr. Meager's door in
Northumberland Street, and it was also proved that it was made from
a mould supplied by Mealyus. This was done by the joint evidence of
Mr. Meager and of the blacksmith. "And if I lose my key," said the
reverend gentleman, "why should I not have another made? Did I ever
deny it? This, I think, is very strange." But Mr. Emilius was very
quickly walked back out of the Court between the two policemen, as
his presence would not be required in regard to the further evidence
regarding the bludgeon.

Mr. Chaffanbrass, having finished his business with the key, at once
began with the bludgeon. The bludgeon was produced, and was handed
up to the bench, and inspected by the Chief Justice. The instrument
excited great interest. Men rose on tiptoe to look at it even from a
distance, and the Prime Minister was envied because for a moment it
was placed in his hands. As the large-eyed little boy who had found
it was not yet six years old, there was a difficulty in perfecting
the thread of the evidence. It was not held to be proper to
administer an oath to an infant. But in a roundabout way it was
proved that the identical bludgeon had been picked up in the garden.
There was an elaborate surveyor's plan produced of the passage, the
garden, and the wall,--with the steps on which it was supposed that
the blow had been struck; and the spot was indicated on which the
child had said that he had found the weapon. Then certain workers
in leather were questioned, who agreed in asserting that no such
instrument as that handed to them had ever been made in England.
After that, two scientific chemists told the jury that they had
minutely examined the knob of the instrument with reference to the
discovery of human blood,--but in vain. They were, however, of
opinion that the man might very readily have been killed by the
instrument without any effusion of blood at the moment of the blows.
This seemed to the jury to be the less necessary, as three or four
surgeons who had examined the murdered man's head had already told
them that in all probability there had been no such effusion. When
the judges went out to lunch at two o'clock the jury were trembling
as to their fate for another night.

The fresh evidence, however, had been completed, and on the return of
the Court Mr. Chaffanbrass said that he should only speak a very few
words. For a few words he must as