Magistrate.  Yes, but did you know that it was taken?

Mrs. Jones.  No, your Worship.  And, of course, to what my husband says, your Worship, I can’t speak of my own knowledge.  Of course, I know that he came home very late on the Monday night.  It was past one o’clock when he came in, and he was not himself at all.

Magistrate.  Had he been drinking?

Mrs. Jones.  Yes, your Worship.

Magistrate.  And was he drunk?

Mrs. Jones.  Yes, your Worship, he was almost quite drunk.

Magistrate.  And did he say anything to you?

Mrs. Jones.  No, your Worship, only to call me names.  And of course in the morning when I got up and went to work he was asleep.  And I don’t know anything more about it until I came home again.  Except that Mr. Barthwick—­that ’s my employer, your Worship—­told me the box was missing.

Magistrate.  Yes, yes.

Mrs. Jones.  But of course when I was shaking out my husband’s coat the cigarette-box fell out and all the cigarettes were scattered on the bed.

Magistrate.  You say all the cigarettes were scattered on the bed? [To snow.] Did you see the cigarettes scattered on the bed?

Snow.  No, your Worship, I did not.

Magistrate.  You see he says he did n’t see them.

Jones.  Well, they were there for all that.

Snow.  I can’t say, your Worship, that I had the opportunity of going round the room; I had all my work cut out with the male prisoner.

Magistrate. [To Mrs. Jones.] Well, what more have you to say?

Mrs. Jones.  Of course when I saw the box, your Worship, I was dreadfully upset, and I could n’t think why he had done such a thing; when the officer came we were having words about it, because it is ruin to me, your Worship, in my profession, and I have three little children dependent on me.

Magistrate. [Protruding his neck].  Yes—­yes—­but what did he say to you?

Mrs. Jones.  I asked him whatever came over him to do such a thing —­and he said it was the drink.  He said he had had too much to drink, and something came over him.  And of course, your Worship, he had had very little to eat all day, and the drink does go to the head when you have not had enough to eat.  Your Worship may not know, but it is the truth.  And I would like to say that all through his married life, I have never known him to do such a thing before, though we have passed through great hardships and [speaking with soft emphasis] I am quite sure he would not have done it if he had been himself at the time.

Magistrate.  Yes, yes.  But don’t you know that that is no excuse?

Mrs. Jones.  Yes, your Worship.  I know that it is no excuse.