On the evening when the prisoner had paid his visit to the lady, she was in that lady's service as housemaid.

The day after, she had been permitted (by previous arrangement with her mistress) to take a week's holiday, and to go on a visit to her parents, in the west of Cornwall.

While there, she had fallen ill, and had not been strong enough since to return to her employment.

Having given this preliminary account of herself, the housemaid then stated the following extraordinary particulars in relation to her mistress's clock.
On the morning of the day when Mr.Dubourg had called at the house, she had been cleaning the mantelpiece.

She had rubbed the part of it which was under the clock with her duster, had accidentally struck the pendulum, and had stopped it.