daughters opposite wondered how he could utter it in that steady
matter-of-fact way; but they knew him to be sustained by hopes of the
cross-examination; and he soon had the opportunity of declaring that
he had known Leonard Ward from infancy, without being aware of any
imputation against him; but had always seen him highly principled and
trustworthy, truthful and honourable, kind-hearted and humane--the
last person to injure the infirm or aged.

Perhaps the good Doctor, less afraid of the sound of his own voice,
and not so much in awe as some of the other witnesses, here in his
eagerness overstepped the bounds of prudence. His words indeed
brought a tremulous flicker of grateful emotion over the prisoner's
face; but by carrying the inquiry into the region of character and
opinion, he opened the door to a dangerous re-examination by the
Crown lawyer, who required the exact meaning of his unqualified
commendation, especially in the matter of humanity, demanding whether
he had never known of any act of violence on the prisoner's part.
The colour flushed suddenly into Leonard's face, though he moved
neither eye nor lip; but his counsel appealed to the judge, and the
pursuit of this branch of the subject was quashed as irrelevant; but
the Doctor went down in very low spirits, feeling that his evidence
had been damaging, and his hopes of any ray of light becoming
fainter.

After this, the village policeman repeated the former statements, as
to the state of the various rooms, the desk, locked and untouched,
the rifle, boat, &c., further explaining that the distance from the
mill to Blewer Station, by the road was an hour and half's walk, by
the fields, not more than half an hour's.