"But how? It has no marks."

"I don't care. I know it is mine. I SWEAR IT IS!"

The good lady supposed that, unless she swore to the fact, she
might lose her jewel, which was, of course, not the case at
all, as the sworn testimony founded upon nothing but inference
left her in no better position than she was in before.

The writer regrets to say that observation would lead him to
believe that women as a rule have somewhat less regard for the
spirit of their oaths than men, and that they are more ready,
if it be necessary, to commit perjury. This may arise from
the fact that women are fully aware that their sex protects
them from the same severity of cross-examination to which men
would be subjected under similar circumstances. It is today
fatal to a lawyer's case if he be not invariably gentle and
courteous with a female witness, and this is true even if she
be a veritable Sapphira.

In spite of these limitations, which, of course, affect the
testimony of almost every person, irrespective of sex, women,
with the possible exception of children, make the most
remarkable witnesses to be found in the courts. They are
almost invariably quick and positive in their answers, keenly
alive to the dramatic possibilities of the situation, and with
an unerring instinct for a trap or compromising admission.

A woman will inevitably couple with a categorical answer to a
question, if in truth she can be induced to give one at all, a