is usual confident tones,
he desired that a new witness might be called, namely Lady Merivale.

At the name Adrien started forward, but it was too late. A lady in
black, pale but composed, entered the witness box, and was duly sworn.
Calmly she gave her evidence, stating that she had visited her aunt,
Lady Rose Challoner, at Hampton Court on the twenty-second of the
previous month, and while there had met Mr. Adrien Leroy. He had rowed
her up the river, and as an additional witness she could produce one of
the boatmen to whom she had spoken while at Hampton, and who had watched
them start.

After this there was little more to be said. The miracle had indeed
happened! It was clearly a case of perjury on the part of Harker's
clerk, for whose arrest the judge ordered a warrant to be issued.

On the delivery of the verdict in Adrien's favour, Lady Merivale left
the court. She did not glance at Leroy, nor indeed anyone present, but
walked blindly out. She knew that not only had she restored the man she
loved to freedom and to honour, but in all probability ruined her own
social position. For Jasper Vermont's veiled threats at the Barminster
fancy dress ball could not be ignored, and now that she had deliberately
gone contrary to his wishes in disclosing where Adrien had spent the
fateful twenty-second of May, she could not but doubt that Vermont would
make use of the mysterious power which he had hinted he held over her.
What this power was she could only surmise, for, of course, she was in
ignorance of Jasper's connection with "Harker's Ltd." But she had an
uncomfortable feeling that Adrien's freedom had been purchased at
considerable danger to herself, and the thought haunted her
unpleasantly.

CHAPTER XXIV

Mr. Harker, having arranged things to his liking at Lawrence Lane,
returned to Miss Lester and reminded her of her promise to assist him to
unmask Jasper Vermont. He found her more than willing to accompany him
to Barminster, and accordingly it was arranged that they should travel
down together on the following day, accompanied also by Jessica. Upon
the rare occasions that Vermont and Harker had met during the past week
the latter had made no sign of his recently acquired emancipation from
Jasper's rule, and that gentleman was in blissful unconsciousness of the
sword hanging over him.

Arrived at Windleham, the nearest station to Barminster, Mr. Harker left
the two women at