Public interest in the Druce case has been fully main-
tained during the week. On Monday and Tuesday Miss Robinson, a lady from New Zealand, on whose evidence special reliance is placed by the prosecution, was under examination. The diary kept by her during her visit to England being alleged to have been stolen, Mr. Plowden decided that it was his duty to disallow the use of the copy. Miss Robinson stated that she was taken by Dickens—who was in the secret—to Welbeck, where she was employed as "correspondent" by Druce, who told her that he was the Duke, that he had been twice married in that name, and that he had children by both wives. At the close of her examination-in-chief Mr. Avory stated that he had grave doubts as to whether he ought to occupy the time of the Court in cross-examining the witness at all. As a matter 1 of fact, the cross-examination lasted the whole of Thursday's sitting, during which Mr. Avory elicited some remarkable statements relating to Miss Robinson's residence at Worksop in 1868 under the alias of Madame Tassaud.
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