“Mrs. Dillingham,” said Mr. Balfour, “have you been on friendly terms with the defendant in this case?”

“I have, sir,” she answered.  “He has been a frequent visitor at my house, and I have visited his family at his own.”

“Was he aware that the plaintiff was your brother?”

“He was not.”

“Has he, from the first, made a confidant of you?”

“In some things—­yes.”

“Do you know Harry Benedict—­the plaintiff’s son?”

“I do, sir.”

“How long have you known him?”

“I made his acquaintance soon after he came to reside with you, sir, in the city.”

“Did you seek his acquaintance?”

“I did, sir.”

“From what motive?”

“Mr. Belcher wished me to do it, in order to ascertain of him whether his father were living or dead.”

“You did not then know that the lad was your nephew?”

“I did not, sir.’

“Have you ever told Mr. Belcher that your brother was alive?”

“I told him that Paul Benedict was alive, at the last interview but one that I ever had with him.”

“Did he give you at this interview any reason for his great anxiety to ascertain the facts as to Mr. Benedict’s life or death?”

“He did, sir.”

“Was there any special occasion for the visit you allude to?”

“I think there was, sir.  He had just lost heavily in International Mail, and evidently came in to talk about business.  At any rate, he did talk about it, as he had never done before.”

“Can you give us the drift or substance of his conversation and statements?”

“Well, sir, he assured me that he had not been shaken by his losses, said that he kept his manufacturing business entirely separate from his speculations, gave me a history of the manner in which my brother’s inventions had come into his hands, and, finally, showed me a little account book, in which he had recorded his profits from manufactures under what he called the Benedict Patents.”

“Did you read this book, Mrs. Dillingham?”

“I did, sir.”

“Every word?”

“Every word.”

“Did you hear me serve a notice on the defendant’s counsel to produce this book in Court?”

“I did, sir.”

“In that notice did I give the title of the book correctly?”

“You did, sir.”

“Was this book left in your hands for a considerable length of time?”

“It was, sir, for several hours.”

“Did you copy it?”

“I did, sir, every word of it.”

“Are you sure that you made a correct copy?”

“I verified it, sir, item by item, again and again.”

“Can you give me any proof corroborative of your statement that this book has been in your hands?”

“I can, sir.”

“What is it?”

“A letter from Mr. Belcher, asking me to deliver the book to his man Phipps.”