if you'd kept her out of this--still,
she'd have had to hear it sooner or later in a court of justice----"

"It strikes me we shall have to hear a good deal in a court of
justice--as you say, sooner or later," interrupted Mr. Halfpenny, dryly.
"So I don't think you need spare Miss Wynne. I should advise you to go
on, and let us become acquainted with what you've got to tell us."

"Barthorpe!" said Peggie, "I do not mind what pain you give me--you
can't give me much more than I've already been given this morning. But I
wish"--she turned appealingly to Mr. Halfpenny and again began to draw
the sealed packet from her muff--"I do wish, Mr. Halfpenny, you'd let me
say something before----"

"Say nothing, my dear, at present," commanded Mr. Halfpenny, firmly.
"Allow Mr. Barthorpe Herapath to have his say. Now, sir!" he went on,
with a motion of his hand towards the younger solicitor. "Pray let us
hear you."

"In my own fashion," retorted Barthorpe. "You're not a judge, you know.
Very good--if I give pain to you, Peggie, it's not my fault. Now, Mr.
Halfpenny," he continued, turning and pointing contemptuously to Mr.
Tertius, "as this is wholly informal, I'll begin with an informal yet
pertinent question, to you. Do you know who that man really is?"

"I believe that gentleman, sir, to be Mr. John Christopher Tertius, and
my very good and much-esteemed friend," replied Mr. Halfpenny, with
asperity.

"Pshaw!" sneered Barthorpe. He turned to Professor Cox-Raythwaite. "I'll
put the same question to you?" he said. "Do you know who he is?"

"And I give you the same answer, sir," answered the professor.

"No doubt!" said Barthorpe, still sneeringly. "The fact is, neither of
you know who he is. So I'll tell you. He's an ex-convict. He served a
term of penal servitude for forgery--forgery, do you hear? And his real
name is not Tertius. What it is, and who he really is, and all about
him, I'm going to tell you. Forger--ex-convict--get that into your
minds, all of you. For it's true!"

Mr. Tertius, who had started visibly as Barthorpe rapped out the first
of his accusations, and had grown paler as they went on, quietly rose
from his chair.

"Before this goes further, Halfpenny," he said, "I should like to have a
word in private with Miss Wynne. Afterwards--and I shan't detain her
more than a moment--I shall have no objection to hearing anything that
Mr. Barthorpe Herapath has to say. My dear!--step this way with me a
moment,