sudden and violent push from behind and sent me into the
water."

At this a murmur of horror and indignation passed through the
court-room. And on this occasion no one attempted to enforce silence.

But soon the deep interest of the audience in the story of the witness
closed their lips and opened their ears again, and they became silent
and attentive.

"Do you mean to say that Mrs. Grey pushed you into the water purposely?"
inquired Mr. Denham.

"Yes, sir. She could not have done it accidentally. She waited until I
had leaned so far over that the least jar might have made me lose my
balance; and then suddenly, with all her strength, she pushed me, and I
dropped into the water and sunk like so much lead. I could not swim at
all. Twice, in my struggles for life, I rose to the surface and cried
for help. Both times I saw her boat whirling round and round from the
impetus given it by the violence with which she had pushed me over. The
second time I sank I lost my senses. When I recovered them I found
myself stretched out on the deck of a collier, with several people
rubbing and rolling me. But I was weak in all my limbs and sorely
confused in my head."

"Witness, can you not shorten this?" inquired the judge.

"Yes, your honor, I can shorten it, if they will permit me. The schooner
that picked me up was the 'Sally Ann,' trading from Havre-de-Grace, and
other coal depots, to Washington and Georgetown. They were outward bound
then, and, as I could give no account of myself, being so nearly dead,
they took me along with them. They carried me to Washington, where I lay
ill in the free ward of the Samaritan Hospital, under the care of the
good Sisters of Mercy, for two months. When I recovered sufficiently to
know where I was I found out that I had been registered there under the
name of Albert Little. I don't know how that happened, but I suppose
somebody must have found in my pocket the card with Alden Lytton written
upon it, and perhaps blotted with the river water, and had misread it
Albert Little. But that is only a conjecture."

"Confine yourself to facts, witness, and leave conjectures," said the
judge.

"Well, your honor, the fact then was that my name was registered Albert
Little, however it came to be done. I did not care to set the good
Sisters right about my name, and so I let the matter go. As soon as I
was able to write, and before I was able to walk, I wrote to my senior
partner, Mr. Bastiennello, a pr