“Yes, she was.”
“Had anything in their relationship changed that you could observe?”
“No, they still seemed to be the same happy couple I had seen a couple of days before.”
“Were you present when they left the harbor?”
“Yes, I was standing on the quay, watching them.”
“Did they still seem to be a happy couple?”
“Yes, they were laughing as they sailed past the quay. They waved and called out a good-bye.”
“Did anyone but Allison Manning ever see Paul Manning after that?”
“No. I believe I was the last to see him.”
“You have interviewed Mrs. Manning extensively about their experiences after leaving Puerto Rico, have you not?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Did you question her closely about the events that occurred on the occasion of Paul Manning’s death?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did Allison Manning say anything to you about those events that you found to be inconsistent with the impression you had formed of the couple in the Canary Islands?”
“No, she did not. Everything she told me had the absolute ring of truth.”
“Thank you, Mr. Forrester; no further questions.”
“Sir Winston?” the judge said.
“Thank you, Your Lordship. Mr. Forrester, do you consider yourself to be an expert on marriage?”
“No, hardly.”
“Are you not presently involved in a divorce from your own wife?”
“Yes, I am.”
“So do you think that, on the basis of two brief meetings, you could pronounce their marriage a happy and successful one?”
“That was my impression.”
“I ask you again, do you think you are qualified to judge the Mannings’ marriage, one way or the other, after meeting them for only a few hours?”
“Well, I’m certainly no marriage counselor, but…”
“Mr. Forrester, I ask you again: are you qualified to judge the state of their marriage?”
“Well, I’m certainly no marriage counselor.”
“Answer the question: are you qualified? Yes or no?”
“No,” Forrester admitted.
“Did you ever see the couple again after they sailed from the Canaries?”