_Witness_.--"No, I did not--but that was not my fault--I could not; the furnace was not hot enough."
_Albert_.--"How long do you think it was, from the time it was left upon the tray, till you put it into the furnace?"
_Witness_.--"I don't know--I can't be positive: it might be a quarter of an hour, or twenty minutes; or it might be half an hour. I cannot be positive, sir; I cannot be positive."
_Albert_.--"You need not be positive. Nobody wants you to be positive. Nobody wants to entrap you, my good friend. During this quarter of an hour, or twenty minutes, or half an hour, that you speak of, did you ever lose sight of this vase?"
_Witness_.--"To be sure I did. I did not stand watching it all the while. Why should I? It was safe enough."
_Albert_.--"Do you recollect where you found the vase when you took it to put it into the furnace?"
_Witness_.--"Yes: it was standing as it might be here, in the middle of the table."
_Albert_.--"Do you recollect whether it was standing _upon_ the tray or not?"
_Witness_.--"It was not _upon_ the tray, as I recollect: no, I'm sure it was not, for I carried to the furnace first the tray and all that was on it, and then I remember, I came back for this, which was standing, as I said before, as it might be here, in the middle of the table."
_Albert_.--"Was any body, except yourself, at the furnace, or in the room, from the time that this vase was brought to you, till you put it into the furnace?"
_Witness_.--"Not as I remember. It was our dinner-time. All the men, except myself, were gone to dinner: I stayed to mind the furnace."
_Albert_.--"It was you, then, that took this vase off the tray, was it?"
_Witness_.--"No, it was not. I never took it off the tray. I told you it was not upon the tray with the others; I told you it was upon the table, as it might be here."
_Albert_.--"Yes, when you were going to put it into the furnace, you said that you saw it standing in the middle of the table; but you recollect that you saw the workman who brought it put it upon the tray. You told us you remembered that circumstance perfectly."
_Albert_.--"The vase could not have got off the tray of itself. You did not take it off. How came it off, do you think?"
_Witness_.--"I don't know. I can't tell. Somebody, to be sure, must have taken it off. I was minding the furnace. My back was to the door. I don't recollect seeing any body come in; but many might have come in and out, without my heeding them."