the scale in our favor. Thank Heaven there are some fools left in the world yet! Keep cool, we may come out all right after all. Lord! what a fool that woman made of her self in the box." The first witness called, by Mr. Smoothly next morning was Brooks, who testified to the instructions given to him for the prepara tion of "will No. 4." (the due execution of which had been admitted) and he spoke of the old man having made to him many complaints of his wife's want of affection, and of his con viction that she did not care for him, and had only married him to get his money, and of his determination that she should not have it. Brooks was literally turned inside out on cross-examination by Mr. Gripper, who elicted from him that, in all his years of intimate acquaintance with him, the old man had never once entered a place of worship except on his wedding day ("so much for his piety and zeal for religious charities! " said Mr. Gripper), and that, notwithstanding his bequests in former wills to charities of legacies amount ing to .£30,000, he did not leave behind him more than ¿£5,000 all told. In fact Brooks left the .witness box in chastened humility. And now came the crowning event of the trial. Into the witness box tripped lightly the diminutive Annie Gurr, as perky as a young dragonfly, with an air of precocious sagacity, and tossing a sarcastic scowl in the direction of where her former mistress sat. She of course swore by the card, that she had never left the house for a minute on the 1 8th of February, and that neither of the two attesting witnesses had been to the house on that day or night. "My lord, I rise most unwillingly at this point," said Mr. Gripper, " to ask your lord ship to give me leave to call the three wit nesses whose names I have written down on the paper which I now hand to your lordship, to contradict that evidence flatly." "I never like to shut out evidence, Mr. Gripper," said the judge. " Let us hear the evidence through first, and renew your ap
plication when it is closed. Do you crossexamine the witness, Mr. Gripper?" "Most certainly I do, my lord. Now, Annie Gurr," said Mr. Gripper, softly, " I implore you to be very careful how you an swer this question," here his voice sank to an eloquent whisper, " Are you fond of pan cakes, Annie Gurr?" "Yes, sir, when I can get them." "Do you ever remember having pancakes whilst you were in Mrs. Harbottle's service, Annie Gurr?" "Yes, sir, but only once." "Now, Annie Gurr, I want to ask you, do you know Mr. Thomas Atkins, a soldier, a nephew, I think, of Mrs. Harbottle?" "Oh yes, sir; I know him quite well; he came to stay with missus while I was there." "Now, Annie Gurr, do be very careful how you answer this question; does Mr. Thomas Atkins like pancakes?" "Oh yes, sir; that he do." "Really, Mr. Gripper," said the judge, sternly, " I am always most unwilling to interfere with any counsel during his crossexamination of a witness, but there are lim its to the patience even of a judge." "My lord, I most humbly crave your lord ship's indulgence for one moment longer. I pledge myself not to ask this witness one irrelevant question," said Mr. Gripper. "Now, Annie Gurr, you were telling us that you had pancakes once while you were at Mrs. Harbottle's house; can you tell us when that was? Do be careful, Annie Gurr." "Well, you see, sir, it were on Pancake day, and Mr. Atkins he were staying with Missus, and Missus says to him, ' Tom/ says she, ' do you know what day this is? ' ' No,' says he. ' Why, its Pancake day,' says she. ' Let us have some, auntie,' says he. ' Annie, go out and buy a shilling's worth of eggs,' says she." "Well, Annie Gurr, go on," said Mr. Gripper. " You went out, bought the eggs, and you and your mistress made some pan cakes; is that so? "
