Those witnesses who had given evidence at the police court were called and repeated their statements.  Inspector Seldon was closely cross-examined by Mr. Lethbridge as to the way in which the dead body was dressed when he discovered it.  He declared that Sir Horace had been wearing a light lounge suit of grey colour, a silk shirt, wing collar and black bow tie.  Dr. Slingsby’s cross-examination was directed to ascertaining as near as possible the time when the murder was committed, but this was a point on which the witness allowed himself to be irritatingly indefinite.  The murder might have taken place three or four hours before midnight on the 18th of August, and on the other hand it might have taken place any time up to three or four hours after midnight.

Hill, who had not been available as a witness at the police court—­being then on the way back from America in response to a cablegram from Crewe—­reappeared as a witness.  He looked much more at ease in the witness-box than on the occasion when he gave evidence against Birchill.  He had fully recovered from his terror of being arrested for the murder, and obviously had much satisfaction in giving evidence against the man who, according to his impression, had tried to bring the crime home to him.

He gave evidence as to the unexpected return of his master from Scotland on the 18th of August, and also in regard to the relations between his master and Mrs. Holymead.  On several occasions he had seen his master kiss Mrs. Holymead, and once he had heard the door of the room in which they were together being locked.

Two new witnesses were called to testify to the suggestion of the prosecution that illicit relations had existed between Sir Horace Fewbanks and Mrs. Holymead.  These were Philip Williams, who had been the dead man’s chauffeur, and Dorothy Mason, who had been housemaid at Riversbrook.  The chauffeur gave evidence as to meeting Mrs. Holymead’s car at various places in the country.  He formed the opinion from the first that these meetings between Sir Horace and the lady were not accidental.

The last of the prosecution’s witnesses was the legal shorthand writer who had taken the official report of the trial of Birchill.  In response to the request of Mr. Walters, he read from his notebook the final passage in the opening address delivered by the prisoner at that trial as defending Counsel:  “’It is my duty to convince you that my client is not guilty, or, in other words, to convince you that the murder was committed before he reached the house.  It is only with the greatest reluctance that I take upon myself the responsibility of pointing an accusing finger at another man.  In crimes of this kind you cannot expect to get anything but circumstantial evidence.  But there are degrees of circumstantial evidence, and my duty to my client lays upon me the obligation of pointing out to you that there is one person against whom the existing circumstantial evidence is stronger than it is against my client.’”