“That will do.  You may now stand down,” said Mr. Guthrie.

The shock-headed apprentice, who had done such good service to his Grace the Duke of Hereward, and such damage to the false witness against him, now left the stand and made his way through the crowd to his distant seat.

Mr. Guthrie once more got upon his feet to address the Bench, and said: 

“May it please the Court, I move that the testimony of the Crown’s witness, Rose Cameron, alias Rose Scott, be set aside as totally unreliable; and, further, that she be indicted for perjury.”

Upon this motion of Mr. Guthrie there followed some discussion among the lawyers.

Finally it was decided to put the duke’s valet, the hotel waiter, and other witnesses, on the stand, who would be able to corroborate or rebut the evidence given by the lad Ferguson, and thereby break down or establish the testimony offered by Rose Cameron.

James Kerr was, therefore, called to the witness-stand, sworn and examined.

He said that he had been in the service of the duke’s family ever since he was nine years of age, first as page to the late duchess, but for the last three years as valet to the present duke; that he was with his master at the “Arondelle Arms” on the night of the murder; that the duke, who was then the Marquis of Arondelle, left the inn at half-past eight o’clock, to walk over the bridge to Castle Lone; that he returned at half-past nine, accompanied to his room by the boy Ferguson, who brought a handsome Russia leather travelling-case; that the marquis sat down to his writing-table, wrote a note and gave it to the boy, who immediately left the house.

“At what hour was this?” inquired Mr. Guthrie.

“It was a few minutes before ten.  The clock struck very soon after the boy left.  I remember it well, because his lordship’s supper had been ordered for ten, and the waiter just entered to lay the cloth when the lad left, and his lordship sat down to supper at ten precisely.  After the supper-service had been removed, his lordship went to his writing-desk and wrote for an hour, and then sealed and dispatched a packet directed to the Liberal Statesman.  I took it myself to the Post-Office, to ensure its being in time for the midnight mail.  It was then about half-past eleven o’clock.  I was gone on my message for about five minutes.  On my return I found my master where I had left him, sitting at his writing-desk, arranging his papers.  But when I entered he locked his desk and said he would go to bed.  I waited on him at his night toilet.  And then, as the inn was very much crowded, I slept on a lounge in my master’s bed-room.  The house was full of noise; so many of the Scots were present, making merry over the approaching marriage of their chieftain’s son.  Neither my master nor myself rested well that night.  I arose early to see my master’s bath.  The marquis arose at eight o’clock.”