The fashionable ladies had heard all they had hoped to hear, and it was noticed that they were not so eager to get seats in the court from this time on, though the room was still crowded.
The cross-examination of Miss Travers was at least as interesting to the student of human nature as the examination in chief had been, for in her story of what took place on that 14th of October, weaknesses and discrepancies of memory were discovered and at length improbabilities and contradictions in the narrative itself.
First of all it was elicited that she could not be certain of the day; it might have been the 15th or the 16th: it was Friday the 14th, she thought....

It was a great event to her; the most awful event in her whole life; yet she could not remember the day for certain.
"Did you tell anyone of what had taken place ?" "No." "Not even your father ?" "No." "Why not ?" "I did not wish to give him pain." "But you went back to Dr.Wilde's study after the awful assault ?" "Yes." "You went again and again, did you not ?" "Yes." "Did he ever attempt to repeat the offence ?" "Yes." The audience was thunderstruck; the plot was deepening.

Miss Travers went on to say that the Doctor was rude to her again; she did not know his intention; he took hold of her and tried to fondle her; but she would not have it.
"After the second offence you went back ?" "Yes." "Did he ever repeat it again ?" "Yes." Miss Travers said that once again Dr.Wilde had been rude to her.
"Yet you returned again ?" "Yes." "And you took money from this man who had violated you against your will ?" "Yes." "You asked him for money ?" "Yes." "This is the first time you have told about this second and third assault, is it not ?" "Yes," the witness admitted.
So far all that Miss Travers had said hung together and seemed eminently credible; but when she was questioned about the chloroform and the handkerchief she became confused.

At the outset she admitted that the handkerchief might have been a rag.

She was not certain it was a rag.