what's right," said Bridget.

"You had better not. Now look at these two signatures;" and he handed
to her two deeds, or rather made one of the servants of the court
hold them for him; "which of those signatures is the one which you
did not sign?"

"I can't say, sir."

"Did you write that further one,--that with your hand on it?"

"I can't say, sir."

"Look at it, woman, before you answer me."

Bridget looked at it, and then repeated the same words--

"I can't say, sir."

"And now look at the other." And she again looked down for a moment.
"Did you write that?"

"I can't say, sir."

"Will you swear that you wrote either?"

"I did write one once."

"Don't prevaricate with me, woman. Were either of those signatures
there written by you?"

"I suppose that one was."

"Will you swear that you wrote either the one or the other?"

"I'll swear I did write one, once."

"Will you swear you wrote one of those you have before you? You can
read, can't you?"

"Oh yes, I can read."

"Then look at them." Again she turned her eyes on them for half a
moment. "Will you swear that you wrote either of those?"

"Not if there's another anywhere else," said Bridget, at last.

"Another anywhere else," said Chaffanbrass, repeating her words;
"what do you mean by another?"

"If you've got another that anybody else has done, I won't say which
of the three is mine. But I did one, and I didn't do no more."

Mr. Chaffanbrass continued at it for a long time, but with very
indifferent success. That affair of the signatures, which was
indeed the only point on which evidence was worth anything, he then
abandoned, and tried to make her contradict herself about old Usbech.
But on this subject she could say nothing. That Usbech was present
she remembered well, but as to his signing the deed, or not signing
it, she would not pretend to say anything.

"I know he was cram full of gout," she said; "but I don't remember
nothing more."

But it may be explained that Mr. Chaffanbrass had altogether altered
his intention and the very plan of his campaign with reference to
this witness, as soon as he saw what was her nature and disposition.
He discovered very early in the affair that he could not force her
to contradict herself and reduce her own evidence to nothing, as
Furnival had done with the man. Nothing would flurry this woman,
or force her to utter words of which she herself did not know the
meaning. The more he might perseve