“Yes, sir; but it did not occur to me when I woke up.  I thought, if the dream had been true, that I should have heard Mr. Wilkeson moving around in the room, or going out of the door.  I listened for a long time, as I have already said, and, hearing nobody, I thought the dream was nothing but a nightmare, as father used to call it.”

“One more question, miss, which may or may not be of some consekence.  Haven’t you no idee about what time it was when you was waked up by this noise of somethin’ fallin’?”

“No, sir; not the least.  It might have been about midnight, I should guess.”

“Think a minute, miss, if you didn’t hear any sound outside that could give you some idee of the time.”  The foreman fixed his eyes piercingly on the witness.

She reflected a moment.  “Yes—­yes; I do remember, that when I jumped out of bed—­which I did the very second that I woke up—­and listened at the door, I heard the fire bells striking.  Now, if anybody could tell what time that happened.”

“At precisely twenty-five minutes of twelve,” said the foreman, in a solemn voice.  “It was for the seventh district—­the only ’larm that night.  It was a false ’larm, and only three or four rounds was sounded.  Did you hear the bell many times?”

“Only two or three, and then it stopped.  The sound was very plain, sir, because the bell tower is only a short distance from here, you know.”

“Exactly,” said the foreman.  “You woke up just as Uncle Ith was givin’ off the last round.”

There was a deep, awestruck silence in the room; for all understood the object of these inquiries.

“Now, gentlemen,” continued the foreman, in a trembling voice, “let the prisoner only prove that he was a half, or a quarter, or an eighth of a mile from here when that ’larm was sounded, and I rather think he will clear himself.  Where are the policemen that the prisoner saw that night?”

A noise, as of heavy official boots, was heard on the stairs, sending a strange thrill through the hearts of all present.

“God be praised,” said Fayette Overtop, “if the lieutenant has found them.”  It was the first time that the model young lawyer had shown any signs of emotion.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE BENEFICENCE OF FIRE BELLS.

The door opened, and the tall form of the police lieutenant appeared, attended by two patrolmen.  The patrolmen, on entering, looked directly at the prisoner, and seemed to recognize him.  The police lieutenant appeared to be pleased with his success in finding the witnesses, after a hunt through several station houses; but he was not aware what importance the testimony which they could give had suddenly acquired.  The witnesses had been searched for at the suggestion of Fayette Overtop, with the vague hope of making them useful in some way.

The coroner scowled at the witnesses, for he feared that they would prove the man innocent, who, in his opinion, was the murderer.  Having adopted this theory at the outset, and staked the whole issue upon it, he felt a natural reluctance to give it up.