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The Trail of the Serpent.

counsel, "that at the time of your first seeing the prisoner, his hair was of a different colour from what it is now. Supposing that he had dyed his hair, as is not an uncommon practice, can you swear that you have seen him before to-day?"

"I can."

"On what occasion?" asked the counsel.

"Three days before the murder of my mistress's poor brother. I opened the gate for him. He was very civil-spoken, and admired the garden very much, and asked me if he might look about it a little."

"He asked you to allow him to look about the garden? Pray was this as he went in, or as he went out?"

"It was when I let him out."

"And how long did he stay with Mr. Harding?"

"Not more than ten minutes. Mr. Harding was in his bedroom; he had a cabinet in his bedroom in which he kept papers and money, and he used to transact all his business there, and sometimes would be there till dinner-time."

"Did the prisoner see him in his bedroom?"

"He did. I showed him upstairs myself."

"Was anybody in the bedroom with Mr. Harding when he saw the prisoner?"

"Only his coloured servant: he was always with him."

"And when you showed the prisoner out, he asked to be allowed to look at the garden? Was he long looking about?"

"Not more than five minutes. He looked more at the house than the garden. I noticed him looking at Mr. Harding's window, which is on the first floor; he took particular notice of a very fine creeper that grows under the window."

"Was the window, on the night of the murder, fastened, or not?"

"It never was fastened. Mr. Harding always slept with his window a little way open."

After Martha had been dismissed from the witness-box, the old servant of Mr. Harding, the Lascar, who had been found living with a gentleman in London, was duly sworn, prior to being examined.

He remembered the prisoner at the bar, but made the same remark as Martha had done, about the change in colour of his hair,

"You were in the room with your late master when the prisoner called upon him?" asked the counsel.

"I was."

"Will you state what passed between the prisoner and your master?"

"It is scarcely in my power to do so. At that time I understood no English. My master was seated at his cabinet, looking over papers and accounts. I fancy the prisoner asked him for