第8章

Richard,notknowingwhomighthavebetrayedhimandtowhatextent,wasveryfearful—havingthroughhisconnectionwiththeCauseeveryreasonsotobe。Blake,ontheotherhand,consciousofhisinnocenceofanyplotting,wasimpatientofhisposition,andathoughtcontemptuous。Itwashewho,uponbeingusheredbytheconstableandhismenintotheaugustpresenceoftheLord—Lieutenant,clamouredtoknowpreciselyofwhathewasaccusedthathemightstraightwayclearhimself。

Albemarlerearedhisgreatmassivehead,smotheredinamightyblackperuke,andscowleduponthefloridLondonbeau。Ablack—visagedgentlemanwasChristopherMonk。Hispendulouscheeks,itistrue,wereofasallowpallor,butwhatwithhisblackwig,blackeyebrows,darkeyes,andtheblue—blacktintofshavenbeardonhisgreatjawandupperlip,hepresentedanappearancesombrelysinister。Hisnetherlipwasthickandveryprominent;deepcreasesranfromthecornersofhismouthadownhisheavychin;hiseyesweredullandlack—lustre,withgreatpouchesunderthem。Inthemain,theairofthissonofthegreatParliamentariangeneralwasstupid,dull,unprepossessing。

ThecreasesofhismouthdeepenedasBlakeprotestedagainstwhathetermedthisoutragethathadbeendonehim;hesneeredponderously,thrustingfurtherforwardhisheavilyundershotjowl。

"Weareinformed,sir,ofyourantecedents,"hestaggeredBlakebyanswering。"WehavelearntthereasonwhyyouleftLondonandyourcreditors,andinallmylife,sir,Ihaveneverknownamanmorereadytoturnhishandtotreasonthanabrokengamester。Yourkindturnsbyinstincttosuchworkasthis,asalastresourceforthemendingofbatteredfortunes。"

Blakecrimsonedfromchintobrow。"I"mforejudged,it,seems,"hemadeanswerhaughtily,tossinghisfairlocks,hisblueeyesglaringuponhisjudges。"MayI,atleast,knowthenameofmyaccuser？"

"Youshallreceiveimpartialjusticeatourhands,"putinPhelips,whosemannerwasofadangerousmildness。"Dependonthat。Notonlyshallyouknowthenameofyouraccuser,butyoushallbeconfrontedbyhim。Meanwhile,sirs"—andhisglancestrayed￡romBlake"sflushedandangrycountenancetoRichard"s,paleandtimid—"meanwhile,arewetounderstandthatyoudenythecharge？"

"Ihaveheardnoneasyet,"saidSirRowlandinsolently。

Albemarleturnedtooneofthesecretaries。"Readthemtheindictment,"

saidhe,andsankbackinhischair,hisdullglanceupontheprisoners,whilsttheclerkinadroningvoicereadfromadocumentwhichhetookup。ItimpeachedSirRowlandBlakeandMr。RichardWestmacottofholdingtreasonablecommunicationwithJamesScott,DukeofMonmouth,andofplottingagainstHisMajesty"slifeandthroneandthepeaceofHisMajesty"srealms。

Blakelistenedwithunconcealedimpatiencetothefarragooflegalphrases,andsnortedcontemptuouslywhenthereadingcametoanend。

Albemarlelookedathimdarkly。"IdothankGod,"saidhe,"thatthroughMr。Westmacott"sfollyhasthishideousplot,thisblackanddamnabletreason,beenbroughttolightintimetoenableustostampoutthisfireereitiswellkindled。Haveyouaughttosay,sir？"

"Ihavetosaythatthewholechargeafoulandunfoundedlie,"saidSirRowlandbluntly:"Ineverplottedinmylifeagainstanythingbutmyownprosperity,noragainstanymanbutmyself。"

Albemarlesmiledcoldlyathiscolleagues,thenturnedtoWestmacott。

"Andyou,sir？"hesaid。"Areyouasstubbornasyourfriend？"

"Iincontinentlydenythecharge,"saidRichard,andhecontrivedthathisvoiceshouldringboldandresolute。

"Achargebuiltonair,"sneeredBlake,"whichthefirstbreathoftruthshouldutterlydispel。Wehaveheardtheimpeachment。WillYourGracewiththesameconsiderationpermitustoseetheproofsthatwemaylaybaretheirfalseness？Itshouldnotbedifficult。"

"Doyousaythereisnosuchplotasisherealleged？"quoththeDuke,andsmoteapapersharply。

Blakeshruggedhisshoulders。"HowshouldIknow？"heasked。"IsayIhavenoshareinany,thatIamacquaintedwithnone。"

"CallMr。Trenchard,"saidtheDukequietly,andanusherwhohadstoodtamelybythedooratthefarendoftheroomdepartedontheerrand。

Richardstartedatthementionofthatname。HehadasingulardreadofMr。Trenchard。

ColonelLuttrell—leanandwiry—nowaddressedtheprisoners,Blakemoreparticularly。"Still,"saidhe,"youwilladmitthatsuchaplotmay,indeed,exist？"

"Itmay,indeed,foraughtIknow—orcare,"headdedincautiously。

Albemarlesmotethetablewithaheavyhand。"ByGod！"hecriedinthatdeepboomingvoiceofhis,"therespokeatraitor！Youdonotcare,yousay,whatplotsmaybehatchedagainstHisMajesty"slifeandcrown！Yetyouaskmetobelieveyouatrueandloyalsubject。"

Blakewasangered;hewasatbestashort—temperedman。Deliberatelyheflounderedfurtherintothemire。

"IhavenotaskedYourGracetobelievemeanything,"heansweredhotly。"ItisallonetomewhatYourGracebelievesme。ItakeitIhavenotbeenfetchedhithertobeconfrontedwithwhatYourGracebelieves。Youhavepreferredalyingchargeagainstme;Iaskforproofs,notYourGrace"sbeliefsandopinions。"

"ByGod,sir,youareadaringrogue！"criedAlbemarle。

SirRowland"seyesblazed。"Anon,YourGrace,when,havingfailedofyourproofs,youshallbeconstrainedtorestoremetoliberty,IshallaskYourGracetounsaythatword。"

Albemarlestared,confounded,andinthatmomentthedooropened,andTrenchardsaunteredin,caneinhand,hishatunderhisarm,awickedsmileonhiswizenedface。

LeavingBlake"sveiledthreatunanswered,theDuketurnedtotheoldrake。"Theserogues,"saidhe,pointingtotheprisoners,"demandproofseretheywilladmitthetruthoftheimpeachment。"

"Thoseproofs,"saidTrenchard,"arealreadyinYourGrace"shands。"

"Aye,buttheyhaveaskedtobeconfrontedwiththeiraccuser。

Trenchardbowed。"Isityourwish,then,thatIreciteforthemthecountsonwhichIhavebasedtheaccusationIlaidbeforeYourGrace？"

"Ifyouwillcondescendsofar,"saidAlbemarle。

"Blisterme……！"roaredBlake,whentheDukeinterruptedhim。

"ByGod,sir！"hecried,"I"llhavenosuchdisrespectfullanguagehere。You"llobservethedecencyofspeechandforbearfromprofanities,youdamnedrogue,orbyGod！I"llcommityouforthwith。"

"Iwillendeavour,"saidBlake,withasarcasmlostonAlbemarle,"tofollowYourGrace"sloftyexample。"

"Youwilldowell,sir,"saidtheDuke,andwasshockedthatTrenchardshouldlaughatsuchamoment。

"Iwasabouttoprotest,sir,"saidBlake,"thatitismonstrousI

shouldbeaccusedbyMr。Trenchard。Hehasbuttheslightestacquaintancewithme。"

Trenchardbowedtohimacrossthechamber。"Admitted,sir,"saidhe。

"WhatshouldIbedoinginbadcompany？"AnanswerthisthatsetAlbemarlebawlingwithlaughter。TrenchardturnedtotheDuke。"Iwillbegin,anitpleaseYourGrace,withtheexpressionsusedlastnightinmypresenceattheBellInnatBridgwaterbyMr。RichardWestmacott,andIwillconfinemyselfstrictlytothosemattersonwhichmytestimonycanbecorroboratedbythatofotherwitnesses。

ColonelLuttrellinterruptedhimtoturntoRichard。"Doyourecallthoseexpressions,sir？"heaskedhim。

Richardwincedunderthequestion。Nevertheless,hebracedhimselftomakethebestdefencehecould。"Ihavenotyetheard,"saidhe,"whatthoseexpressionswere;norwhenIhearthemmustitfollowthatIrecognizethemasmyown。Imustadmittohavingtakenmorewine,perhaps,than……than……"WhilsthesoughttheexpressionthatheneededTrenchardcutinwithalaugh。"Invinoveritas,gentlemen,"andHisGraceandSirEdwardnoddedsagely;Luttrellpreservedastolidexterior。Heseemedlesspronethanhiscolleaguestoforejudging。

"WillyourepeattheexpressionsusedbyMr。Westmacott？"SirEdwardbegged。

"Iwillrepeattheonethat,tomymind,mattersmost。Mr。Westmacott,gettingtohisfeetandinaloudvoice,exclaimed,"GodsavetheProtestantDuke！"

"Doyouadmitit,sir？"thunderedAlbemarle,hiseyesgloweringuponRichardhesitatedamoment,paleandtrembling。

"Youwillwastebreathindenyingit,"saidTrenchardsuavely,"forIhaveadrawerfromtheBellInn,andtwogentlemenwhooverheardyouwaitingoutside。"

"I"faith,sir,"criedBlake,"whattreasonwasthereinthat？Ifhe……"

"Silence！"thunderedAlbemarle。"LetMr。Westmacottspeakforhimself。"

Richard,inspiredbythedefenceBlakehadbegun,tookthesamelineofargument。"IadmitthatintheheatofwineImayhaveusedsuchwords,"saidhe。"ButIdenytheirintenttobetreasonable。TherearemanymenwhodrinktotheprosperityofthelateKingssson……"

"Naturalson,sir;naturalson,"Albemarleamended。"Itistreasontospeakofhimotherwise。"

"Itwillbeatreasonpresentlytodrawbreath,"sneeredBlake。

"Ifitbe,"saidTrenchard,"itisatreasonyou"llnotbelongcommitting。"

"Faith,youareright,Mr。Trenchard,"saidtheDukewithalaugh。

Indeed,hefoundMr。Trenchardamostpleasantandfacetiousgentleman。

"Still,"insistedRichard,endeavouringinspiteoftheseirrelevanciestomakegoodhispoint,"therebemanymenwhodrinkdailytotheprosperityofthelateKing"snaturalson。"

"Aye,sir,"answeredAlbemarle;"butnothisprosperityinhorridplotsagainstthelifeofourbelovedsovereign。"

"True,YourGrace;verytrue,"purredSirEdward。"ItwasnotsoI

meanttotoasthim,"criedRichard。Albemarlemadeanimpatientgesture,andtookupasheetofpaper。"How,then,"heasked,"comesthisletter—thisletterwhichmakesplainthetreasonuponwhichtheDukeofMonmouthisembarked,justasitmakesplainyourparticipationinit—howcomesthislettertobefoundinyourpossession？"Andhewavedtheletterintheair。

Richardwentthecolourofashes。Hefalteredamoment,thentookrefugeinthetruth,forallthatheknewbeforehandthatthetruthwasboundtoringmorefalsethananyliehecouldinvent。

"Thatletterwasnotaddressedtome,"hestammered。

Albemarlereadthesubscription,"TomygoodfriendW。,atBridgwater。"

Helookedup,aheavysneerthrustinghisheavylipstillfurtherout。

"Whatdoyousaytothat？Doesnot`W"standforWestmacott？"

"Itdoesnot。"

"Ofcoursenot,"saidAlbemarlewithheavysarcasm。"ItstandsforWilkins,orWilliams,or……or……What—not。"

"Indeed,Icanbearwitnessthatitdoesnot,"exclaimedSirRowland。

"Besilent,sir,Itellyou！"bawledtheDukeathimagain。"Youshallbearwitnesssoonenough,Ipromiseyou。Towhom,then,"heresumed,turningagaintoRichard,"doyousaythatthisletterwasaddressed？"

"ToMr。Wilding—Mr。AnthonyWilding,"Richardanswered。

"IwouldhaveYourGracetoobserve,"putinTrenchardquietly,"thatMr。Wilding,properlyspeaking,doesnotresideinBridgwater。"

"Tush！"criedAlbemarle;"theroguebutmentionsthefirstnamewitha"W"thatoccurstohim。He"snotevenaningeniousliar。Andhow,sir,"heaskedRichard,"doesitcometobeinyourpossession,havingbeenaddressed,asyousay,toMr。Wilding？"

"Aye,sir,"saidSirEdward,blinkinghisweakeyes。"Tellusthat。"

Richardhesitatedagain,andlookedatBlake。Blake,whobynowhadcometorealizethathisfriend"saffairswerenotmendedbyhisinterruptions,moodilyshruggedhisshoulders,scowling。

"Come,sir,"saidColonelLuttrell,engagingly,answerthequestion。"

"Aye,"roaredAlbemarle;"letyourinventionhavefreerein。"

AgainpoorRichardsoughtrefugeinthetruth。"We—SirRowlandhereandI—hadreasontosuspectthathewasawaitingsuchaletter。"

"Tellusyourreasons,sir,ifwearetocredityou,"saidtheDuke,anditwasplainhemockedtheprisoner。Itwas,moreover,arequestthatstaggeredRichard。Still,hesoughttofindareasonthatshouldsoundplausible。

"WeinferreditfromcertainremarksthatMr。Wildingletfallinourpresence。"

"Tellustheremarks,sir,"theDukeinsisted。

"Indeed,Idonotcallhisprecisewordstomind,YourGrace。Buttheyweresuchthatwesuspicionedhim。"

"Andyouwouldhavemebelievethathearingwordswhichawokeinyousuchgravesuspicions,youkeptyoursuspicionsandstraightwayforgotthewords。You"rebutanindifferentliar。"

Trenchard,whowasstandingbythelongtable,leanedforwardnow。

"Itmightbewell,anitpleaseYourGrace,"saidhe,"towaivethepoint,andletuscometothosematterswhichareofgreatermoment。

LethimtellYourGracehowhecamebytheletter。"

"Aye,"saidAlbemarle。"Wedobutwastetime。Tellus,then,howcametheletterintoyourhands？"

"WithSirRowland,here,IrobbedthecourierashewasridingfromTauntontoBridgwater。"

Albemarlelaughed,andSirEdwardsmiled。"Yourobbedhim,eh？"saidHisGrace。"Verywell。Buthowdidithappenthatyouknewhehadtheletteruponhim,orwasitthatyouwereplayingthehightobymen,andthatinrobbinghimyouhopedtofindothermatters？"

"Notso,sir,"answeredRichard。"Isoughtbuttheletter。"

"Andhowknewyouthathecarriedit？Didyoulearnthat,too,fromMr。Wilding"sindiscretion？"

"YourGracehassaidit。"

"`Slife！Whatanimpudentroguehavewehere！"criedtheangryDuke,whoconceivedthatRichardwaspurposelydealingineffrontery。"Mr。

Trenchard,Idothinkwearewastingtime。Besogoodastoconfoundthembothwiththetruthofthismatter。"

"Thatletter,"saidTrenchard,"wasdeliveredtothemattheHareandHounds,hereatTaunton,byagentlemanwhoputupattheinn,andwastherejoinedbyMr。WestmacottandSirRowlandBlake。Theyopenedtheconversationwithcertaincantphrasesveryclearlyintendedaspasswords。Thus:theprisonerssaidtothemessenger,astheyseatedthemselvesatthetableheoccupied,`Youhavetheair,sir,ofbeingfromoverseas,"towhichthecourieranswered,`Indeed,yes。IamfromHolland。"FromthelandofOrange,"saysoneoftheprisoners。`Aye,andotherthings,"repliesthemessenger。`Thereisafairwindblowing,"headds;towhichoneoftheprisoners,IbelieveitwasSirRowland,makesanswer,`MayitprospertheProtestantDukeandblowPoperytohell。"Thereuponthelandlordcaughtsomementionofaletter,buttheseplotters,perceivingthattheywereperhapsbeingoverheard,senthimawaytofetchthemwine。Ahalf—hourlaterthemessengertookhisleave,andtheprisonersfollowedaveryfewminutesafterwards。"

Albemarleturnedtotheprisoners。"YouhaveheardMr。Trenchard"sstory。Howdoyousay—isittrueoruntrue？"

"Youwillwastebreathindenyingit,"Trenchardtookitagainuponhimselftoadmonishthem。"ForIhavewithmethelandlordoftheHareandHounds,whowillcorroborate,uponoath,whatIhavesaid。"

"Wedonotdenyit,"putinBlake。"Butwesubmitthatthematterissusceptibletoexplanation。"

"Youcankeepyourexplanationstillyourtrial,then,"snappedAlbemarle。"Ihaveheardmorethanenoughtocommitthepairofyoutogaol。"

"But,YourGrace,"criedSirRowland,sofiercelythatoneofthetything—mensetarestraininghanduponhisshoulder,"IamreadytoswearthatwhatIdid,andwhatmyfriendMr。Westmacottdid,wasdoneintheinterestsofHisMajesty。Wewereworkingtodiscoverthisplot。"

"Which,nodoubt,"putinTrenchardslyly,"isthereasonwhy,havinggottheletter,yourfriendMr。Westmacottlockeditinadesk,andyoukeptsilenceonthematter。"

"Yousee,"exclaimedAlbemarle,"howyourliesdobutservefurthertobindyouinthetoils。Itiseverthuswithtraitors。"

"Idothinkyouareadamnedtraitor,Trenchard,"beganBlake;"afoul……"

ButwhatmorehewouldhavesaidwascheckedbyAlbemarle,whothunderedforthanorderfortheirremoval,andthen,scarcewerethewordsutteredthanthedooratthefarendofthehallwasopened,andthroughitcameasoundofwomen"svoices。Richardstarted,foronewasthevoiceofRuth。

Anusheradvanced。"MayitpleaseYourGrace,therearetwoladiesherebegthatyouwillheartheirevidenceinthematterofMr。

WestmacottandSirRowlandBlake。"

Albemarleconsideredamoment。Trenchardstoodverythoughtful。

"Indeed,"saidtheDuke,atlast,"IhaveheardasmuchasIneedhear,"

andSirPhelipsnoddedintokenofconcurrence。

Notso,however,ColonelLuttrell。"Still,"saidhe,"intheinterestsofHisMajesty,perhaps,weshouldbedoingwelltoreceivethem。"

Albemarleblewouthischeekslikeamanwearied,andstaredaninstantatLuttrell。Thenheshruggedhisshoulders。

"Admitthem,then,"hecommandedalmostpeevishly,andRuthandDianawereusheredintothehall。Bothwerepale,butwhilstDianawasflutteredwithexcitement,Ruthwascalmandcool,anditwasshewhospokeinanswertotheDuke"sinvitation。Theburdenofherspeechwasaclear,succinctrecitation—inwhichshesparedneitherWildingnorherself—ofhowthelettercametohaveremainedinherhandsandsilencetohavebeenpreservedregardingit。Albemarleheardherverypatiently。

"Ifwhatyousayistrue,mistress,"saidhe,"andGodforbidthatI

shouldbesoungallantastothrowdoubtuponalady"sword,itcertainlyexplains—althoughmoststrangely—howtheletterwasnotbroughttousatoncebyyourbrotherandhisfriendSirRowland。YouarepreparedtoswearthatthisletterwasintendedforMr。Wilding？"

"Iampreparedtoswearit,"shereplied。

"Thisisveryserious,"saidtheDuke。

"Veryserious,"assentedSirEdwardPhelips。

Albemarle,alittleflustered,turnedtohiscolleagues。"Whatdoyousaytothis？WereitperhapswelltoorderMr。Wilding"sapprehension,andtohavehimbroughthither？"

"Itweretogiveyourselvesuselesstrouble,gentlemen,"saidTrenchard,withsomuchassurancethatitwasplainAlbemarlehesitated。

"BewareofMr。Trenchard,YourGrace,"criedRuth。"HeisMr。Wilding"sfriend,andifthereisaplotheissuretobeinit。"

Albemarle,startled,lookedatTrenchard。HadtheaccusationcomefromeitherofthementheDukewouldhavesilencedhimandabusedhim;butcomingfromawoman,andsocomelyawoman,itseemedtoHisGraceworthyatleastofconsideration。ButnimbleMr。Trenchardwaseasilymasterofthesituation。

"Which,ofcourse,"heanswered,withfinesarcasm,"isthereasonwhyIhavebeenatworkforthepastfour—and—twentyhourstolayproofsofthisplotbeforeYourGrace。"

Albemarlewasashamedofhismomentaryhesitation。

"Fortherest,"saidTrenchard,"itisperfectlytruethatIamMr。Wilding"sfriend。Buttheladyisevenmoreintimatelyconnectedwithhim。Ithappensthatsheishiswife。"

"His……hiswife！"gaspedtheDuke,whilstPhelipschuckled,andColonelLuttrell"sfacegrewdark。

Trenchard"swickedsmileflickereduponhismobilefeatures。"TherearerumourscurrentofcourtpaidherbySirRowland,there。Whoknows？"hequestionedmostsuggestively,archinghisbrowsandtighteninghislips。"Wivesarestrangekittle—kattle,andhusbandshavebeenknownbeforetogrowinconvenient。Uponreflection,YourGracewillnodoubtdiscerntheprecisedegreeoffaithtoattachtowhatthisladymaytellyouagainstMr。Wilding。"

"Oh！"exclaimedRuth,hercheeksflamingcrimson。"Butthisismonstrous！"

"TishowIshouldmyselfdescribeit,"answeredTrenchardwithoutshame。

Spurredtoitthus,Ruthpouredouttheentirestoryofhermarriage,andsoclearandlucidwasherstatementthatitthrewupontheaffairafloodoflight,whilstsofrankandtruthfulwashertone,hernarrativehungsowelltogether,thattheBenchbegantorecoverfromtheshocktoitsfaith,andwasagainindangerofbelievingher。

Trenchardsawthisandtrembled。TosaveWildingfortheCausehehadresortedtothisdesperateexpedientofbetrayingthatCause。Itmustbeobserved,however,thathehadnotdonesosaveundertheconvictionthatbetrayeditwasboundtobe,andthatsincethatwasinevitablethethinghadbettercomefromhim—forWilding"ssake—thanfromRichardWestmacott。HehadtakenthebullbythehornsinamostdesperatefashionwhenhehaddeterminedtohoistRichardandBlakewiththeirownpetard,hopingthat,afterall,theharmwouldreachnofurtherthanthedestructionofthesetwo—apurelydefensivemeasure。Butnowthisgirlthreatenedtowreckhisschemejustasitwasbeingsafelysteeredtoharbour。Suddenlyheswunground,interruptingher。

"Lies,lies,lies！"heclamoured,andhisinterruptioncomingatsuchatimeservedtoimpresstheDukemostunfavourably—aswellitmight。

"Itisourwishtohearthisladyout,Mr。Trenchard,"theDukereprovedhim。

ButMr。Trenchardwasundismayed。Indeed,hehadjustdiscoveredahithertoneglectedcard,whichshouldputanendtothisdangerousgame。

"IdoabhortohearYourGrace"spatiencethusabused,"heexclaimedwithsomeshowofheat。"Thisladymakesamockofyou。Ifyou"llallowmetoasktwoquestions—orperhapsthree—I"llpromisefinallytoprickthisbubbleforyou。HaveIYourGrace"sleave？"

"Well,well,"saidAlbemarle。"Letushearyourquestions。"Andhiscolleaguesnodded。

TrenchardturnedairilytoRuth。BehindherDianasat—anattendanthadfetchedachairforher—infearandwonderatwhatshesawandheard,hereyeseverandanonstrayingtoSirRowland"sback,whichwastowardsher。

"Thisletter,madam,"saidhe,"forthepossessionofwhichyouhaveaccountedinso……so……picturesqueamanner,wasintendedforandaddressedtoMr。Wilding,yousay。Andyouarepreparedtosweartoit？"

RuthturnedindignantlytotheBench。"MustIanswerthisman"squestions？"shedemanded。

"Ithink,perhaps,itwerebestyoudid,"saidtheDuke,stillshowingheralldeference。

SheturnedtoTrenchard,herheadhigh,hereyesfulluponhiswrinkled,cynicalface。"Iswear,then……"shebegan,buthe—consummateactorthathewasandversedintricksthatimpressanaudience—interruptedher,raisingoneofhisgnarled,yellowhands。

"Nay,nay,"saidhe。"Iwouldnothaveperjuryprovedagainstyou。

Idonotaskyoutoswear。Itwillbesufficientifyoupronounceyourselfpreparedtoswear。

Shepoutedherlipatrifle,herwholeexpressionmanifestinghercontemptofhim。"Iaminnofearofperjuringmyself,"sheansweredfearlessly。"AndIswearthattheletterinquestionwasaddressedtoMr。Wilding。"

"Asyouwill,"saidTrenchard,andwascarefulnottoaskherhowshecamebyherknowledge。"Theletter,nodoubt,wasinanouterwrapper,onwhichtherewouldbeasuperscription—thenameofthepersontowhomtheletterwasaddressed？"hehalfquestioned,andLuttrell,whosawthedriftofthequestion,noddedgravely。

"Nodoubt,"saidRuth。

"Nowyouwillacknowledge,Iamsure,madam,thatsuchawrapperwouldbeadocumentofthegreatestimportance,asimportant,indeed,astheletteritself,sincewecoulddependuponitfinallytoclearupthispointonwhichwediffer。Youwilladmitsomuch,Ithink？"

"Why,yes,"sheanswered,buthervoicefalteredalittle,andherglancewasnotquitesofearless。She,too,sawatlastthepithehaddugforher。Heleanedforward,smilingquietly,hisvoiceimpressivelysubdued,andlaunchedtheboltthatwastoannihilatethecredibilityofthestoryshehadtold。