H.—2l

H M-

105. Did you ask the Matron how she knew or had heard that you had had men in the house? —She told me Mrs. M told her so. 106. Do you believe the Matron thought you had had these men in the house? —I do not know. Ido not think Mrs. M said it. 107. Why should you think the Matron would want to take you back from service if she was trying to do the best for you ?—She told me she had a letter from one of the service girls, and she told me several points in the letter which I did not think were true. I have since asked the girls who were with me about these things, and they said they were not true. They were with me at the time the Matron said I did these things. 108. Do you not think the Matron had reasonable grounds to believe it if any of the girls saw you with some of these boys, and Mrs. M told her?-—I do not think Mrs. M said it. 109. The Matron put you to service? —-Yes. 110. Why should she want to withdraw you?—l think it was disobeying her that caused her to bring me back. 111. Do you remember one Sunday night in September being in Cathedral Square?— Yes. 112. Were you with boys?— Yes, I was with a young man with E S , and two or three other service girls. 113. What was his name?—l do not know. 114. How did you come to meet him?— Going down from the Home in the car. This young fellow was on the car, and he spoke to E , and he asked her if he could take her home, and she said Yes. After a little we left him, and when we were going back she promised to meet him, and as I was going past the lamp-post just in front of the Cathedral a young boy named BA was there, whom I knew before I came here. He spoke to me, and he walked down as far as the Supply Stores with me, in Sydenham. I then left E , and she went home with the young man she was with, and I went home in the car by myself. 115. Do you know a girl named N ? —Yes. 116. Do you remember meeting her one Sunday night? —I remember leaving here with her. 117. I will read this letter, and you can tell me whether it is true or not. This is a letter written by a girl to the Matron while you were at M 's : " Dear Matron, —I went to the Hills yesterday afternoon, and returned to town about eighteen minutes after 6. We thought we would like to go to church, but as we met H we stopped to ask how things were getting along " : Do you remember meeting her? —Yes. 118. "'She told N and I she had an appointment for half past 6, and we thought we would watch her " : Do you remember telling her of an appointment for 6.3o?—Yes. 119. Then the first part of the letter is true?— Yes. 120. Were you over near Chancery Lane?— Yes. 121. " There she was over by Chancery Lane with a young fellow " : Is that true?— Yes. 122. "At half past 7 she was standing in front of the Cathedral with another boy. At a quarter to 8 she went back to meet some fellows at Chancery Lane again, and at 8 o'clock went round the river towards Armagh Street Bridge again with them " : Is that true?— That is not true. 123. How long have you been in Christchurch?—Since I was ten. 124. '' I thought I watched her long enough, so came home, wondering how she was getting along. I thought it disgusting to see a girl like H laughing and roaring in the street as she behaved " : Were you laughing and roaring in the street?— No. 125. You say that letter is only partially true?—lt is only partly true, because I arranged with N by telephone to meet her in town. We had arranged to meet each other at the tram. 126. "Well, I hope you will excuse writing and mistakes, as I am in a great hurry, for if H — comes to grief you will blame us girls. So now you know how H goes to church, and I believe she roams the town Saturday nights, for what I don't know." Were you ever in town on Saturday nights?— Yes, one Saturday night. As it happens the girl who wrote that letter was the girl who played truant wdth me on Sunday night. 127. Do you remember that while you were at M 's anything happened there — any impropriety with men, that you could blame yourself about?—No, not with men. One night N and E came down to Mrs. M 's to tea, and after we had tea we went out, and I came half-way into town with N and a young boy I had kept company with until Matron disapproved of it, and when she disapproved of it I kept company no longer. His name is P C . I never spoke to him after that.. That is the only occasion the girls came down to tea and disobeyed Matron. 128. When you came back, did you use these- words to the Matron : "I wondered how long you were going to allow me to carry on as I was doing. lam ashamed of myself "?—No. The Matron said Mrs. M told her she was glad to get me out of her sight. 1 am sure Mrs. M did not say that, because she was very sorry that I was leaving. The Matron said, "Do you expect me to leave you out under these circumstances? " and I said " No"; and I told the Matron that the girls who had complained had been doing exactly the same themselves. That is what I said to the Matron. 129. Do you think Mrs. M never said these things?—-No. 130. I will read what Mrs. M says, in writing to the Matron, "I have just engaged a general who is coming to me on Friday afternoon. I would like II to leave the house before she comes, so will you please send for her about midday on that day." Are you surprised Mrs. M——wrote that?— Yes. 131. Are you surprised at this: "I am very much deceived in II , and she will not willingly return to the Home. This lam sure about." Why should she write she was very much deceived about you ?—I do not know, except because I had girls in to tea and I played truant from church, and I certainly told lies about that. I deceived her several times.

19