You had to pass through the little
boudoir in order to reach it."
The juryman sank back, evidently satisfied with her replies, but we
who marked the visible excitement with which the witness had answered
this seemingly unimportant question, wondered what special interest
surrounded that room and the pistol to warrant the heightened color
with which the girl answered this new interlocutor. We were not
destined to know at this time, for the coroner, when he spoke again,
pursued a different subject.
"How long was this before Mr. Jeffrey came in."
"Only a few minutes. I was terribly frightened at being left there
alone and was on my way to ask one of the other girls to come up and
stay with me, when I heard his key in the lock and came back. He had
entered the house and was standing near the door talking to an
officer, who had evidently come in with him. It was a different
officer from the one who had gone away with Miss Tuttle. Mr. Jeffrey
was saying, 'What's that? My wife hurt!' 'Dead, sir!' blurted out
the man. I had expected to see Mr. Jeffrey terribly shocked, but
not in so awful a way. It really frightened me to see him and I
turned to run, but found that I couldn't and that I had to stand
still and look whether I wanted to or not. Yet he didn't say a word
or ask a question.
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