d you had to have them in order to handle
this--this situation properly. Now that you know them, I'm sure you'll
feel safe in devoting all your time to proving Russell's guilt." She
moved her head forward, to study him more closely. "You know he's
guilty, don't you?"

"I'm certain Mrs. Brace figured in her daughter's murder," he said. "She
was concerned in it somehow. If that's true, and if your father
approached neither her nor her daughter yesterday, it does seem highly
possible that Russell's guilty."

He turned from her and stood at the window, his back to her a few long
moments. When he faced her again, he looked old.

"But the facts--if we could only break down Russell's alibi!"

"Oh!" she whispered, in new alarm. "I'd forgotten that!"

All the tenseness went out of her limbs. She sank into her chair, and
sat there, looking up to him, her eyes frankly confessing a panic fear.

"I think I'm sorry I told you," she said, desperately. "I can't make you
understand!" Another consideration forced itself upon her. "You won't
have to tell anybody--anybody at all--about this, will you--now?"

He was prepared for that.

"I'll have to ask Judge Wilton why he acted on Mr. Webster's advice--and
what that advice was, what they whispered to each other when you saw
them."

"Why, that's perfectly fair," she assented, relieved. "That will stop
all the secrecy between them and me. It's the very thing I want. If
that's assured, everything else will work itself out."

Her faith surprised him. He had not realized how unqualified it was.

"Did you ask the judge about it?" he inquired.

"Yes; just before I came in here--after Berne's collapse. I felt so
helpless! But he tried to persuade me my imagination had deceived me; he
said they had had no such scene. You know how gruff and hard Judge
Wilton can be at times. I shouldn't choose him for a confidant."

"No; I reckon not. But we'll ask him now--if you don't mind."

Willis, the butler, answered the bell, and gave information: Judge
Wilton had left Sloanehurst half an hour ago and had gone to the
Randalls'. He had asked for Miss Sloane, but, learning that she was
engaged, had left his regrets, saying he would come in tomorrow, after
the adjournment of court.

"He's on the bench tomorrow at the county-seat," Lucille explained the
message. "He always divides his time between us and the Randalls when
he comes down from Fairfax for his court terms. He told me this morning
he