He was about to whisper his convictions on this
point to Melky, when a door was opened and Zillah was escorted in by
Ayscough, and led to the witness-box.
Zillah had already assumed the garments of mourning for her grandfather.
She was obviously distressed at being called to give evidence, and the
Coroner made her task as brief as possible. It was--at that stage--little
that he wanted to know. And Zillah told little. She had gone out to do
some shopping, at half-past-four on the previous afternoon. She left her
grandfather alone. He was then quite well. He was in the front shop, doing
nothing in particular. She was away about an hour, when she returned to
find Detective-Sergeant Ayscough, whom she knew, and Mr. Lauriston, whom
she also knew, in the shop, and her grandfather dead in the parlour
behind. At this stage of her evidence, the Coroner remarked that he did
not wish to ask Zillah any further questions just then, but he asked her
to remain in court. Mrs. Goldmark had followed her, and she and Zillah sat
down near Melky and Lauriston--and Lauriston half believed that his own
turn would now come.
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