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“Be careful, Miss Cutler—you will only make trouble for yourself by withholding the truth. You were seen—seen, bending down over the body of Mrs. Barham! Do you still deny it?”

Partly to intimidate his witness, and partly to hide his own disinclination to pursue this subject, Babcock frowned, sternly and spoke with severity.

But to his surprise, Pearl Jane threw up her head defiantly, and said: “Who saw me?”

“I see no reason to refuse an answer to that question,” Babcock returned; “it was the Chinaman, Charley.”

“Where was he?” said Pearl Jane, speaking almost conversationally and looking sharply at the Chinese boy.

Hutchins regarded the girl with surprise. What had so changed her attitude? Also, what revelations were about to be made?

“Where were you, Charley?” and Babcock turned to the servant.

“Light behind Missee Cutler,” he replied, stolidly staring straight ahead of him.

“And where was Miss Cutler?”

“In smokee loom—lookee allee time at dead lady.”

It was characteristic of the boy to use the broken English in time of embarrassment or emotion—and to use almost perfect English when calm and unperturbed.

“Was Miss Cutler alone in that room?”

“Gentleman at door. Lookee out on studio.”

“I will tell,” said Pearl Jane, speaking clearly and steadily. “I was in the small hall back of the smoking room—where the back stairs come up.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Only fixing my cap which had become disarranged—and assuring myself that my costume was all in order. There is a mirror there and a light.”