Page:That Royle Girl (Balmer).pdf/243

 of the court-room. First, he had brought on the mother to found the defense upon powerful emotions over which Elmen now would play pleasanter and prettier sensations. His witness upon the stand was pretty and pleasant to look upon and appealing—oh, yes, appealing!

She was wearing a dress which Calvin had not seen before; undoubtedly it had been selected and purchased for the uses of this day. It was blue and opened like a coat with wide revers down the front; over the breast was a vestee of white, set just low enough to show the lovely white of her smooth throat and to suggest, without actually displaying, the rounding of her bosom. It was a plain dress and inexpensive, as any one could see, but the girl was charming in it.

The sleeves clung to her slender, lovely arms which were upon the arms of the big witness chair and her white, pretty hands clasped and unclasped the oaken support nervously.

Calvin watched her hands; as frequently as he dared he gazed into her face. Her head, her lovely head with white brow and the beautiful shaping behind it, she held up with the little tilt characteristic of her. She was frightened and confused; her own lawyer had confused her and intentionally; and she did not understand it. But to Calvin, Elmen's purpose was become plain.

Elmen, having drilled and rehearsed her in a long series of questions and answers, was confronted by the necessity of making question and answer appear original and natural to the jury, and the best way to accomplish this was to throw in a surprise question and require an unprepared answer. Only with a witness of exceptional intelligence and spirit would he venture on such a course, confident that she could resume her rehearsed answers when he resumed his prepared questions.

"You have lived all your life with your parents, you