t down! If she could
only rest for a moment! Then a sudden wave of strength came to her,
the blood flowed once more in her veins--blood that was hot with
anger, that stained her cheeks with a spot of red. It was the man
she loved, this, being made to suffer falsely. It was the fulfilment
of their threat--a deliberate plot against him. The murderer of
Crooked Friars' Alley--she knew who that was!--she knew! Perhaps
she might help!

She had not the slightest recollection of the remainder of that
walk, but she found herself presently sitting in a quiet corner of
the theatre with the paper spread out before her. She read that
Stephen Laverick had been brought before Mr. Rawson, the magistrate
of Bow Street Police Court, on a warrant charging him with having
been concerned with the murder of a person unknown, and that he had
pleaded "Not Guilty!" Her eyes glittered as she read that the
first witness called was Mr. Arthur Morrison, late partner of the
accused. She read his deposition--that he had left Laverick at
their offices at eleven o'clock on the night in question, that they
were at that time absolutely without means, and had no prospect
of meeting their engagements on the morrow. She read the evidence
of Mr. Fenwick, bank manager, to the effect that Mr. Laverick had,
on the following morning, deposited with him the sum of twenty
thousand pounds in Bank of England notes, by means of which the
engagements of the firm were duly met, that those notes had since
been redeemed, and that he had no idea of their present whereabouts.
She read, too, the evidence of Adolf Kahn, an Austrian visiting
this country upon private business, who deposed that he was in the
vicinity just before midnight, that he saw a person, whom he
identified as the accused, walking down the street and, after
disappearing for a few minutes down the entry, return and re-enter
the offices from which he had issued. He explained his presence
there by the fact that he was waiting for a clerk employed by the
Goldfields' Corporation, Limited, whose offices were close by.
Further formal evidence was given, and a remand asked for. The
accused's solicitor was on the point of addressing the court when
Mr. Rawson was unfortunately taken ill. After waiting for some
time, the case was adjourned until the next day, and the accused
man was removed in custody.

Zoe laid down the paper and rose to her feet. She made her way to
where the stage-manager was s