the
first to tell me about it.'

'Then you wrote to Mr. Seely? You have heard of Mr. Seely?'

'The governor,--that's my father,--he had heard of Mr. Seely. I wrote
first as he told me. They knew all about it at Pollington as well as you
do.'

'You were surprised, then, when you heard the story?'

'Knocked off my pins, sir. I never was so much taken aback in my life.
To be told that John Caldigate had married Euphemia Smith after all that
I had seen,--and that he had been married to her in May '73! I knew of
course that it was all a got-up thing. And he's in prison?'

'He is in prison, certainly.'

'For bigamy?'

'Indeed he is, Mr. Shand.'

'And how about his real wife?'

'His real wife, as you call her----'

'She is, as sure as my name is Richard Shand.'

'It is on behalf of that lady that we are almost more anxious than for
Mr. Caldigate himself. In this matter she has been perfectly innocent;
and whoever may have been the culprit,--or culprits,--she has been
cruelly ill-used.'

'She'll have her husband back again, of course,' said Dick.

'That will depend in part upon what faith the judge who tried the case
may place in your story. Your deposition shall be taken, and it will be
my duty to submit it to the Secretary of State. He will probably be
actuated by the weight which this further evidence will have upon the
judge who heard the former evidence. You will understand, Mr. Shand,
that your word will be opposed to the words of four other persons.'

'Four perjured scoundrels,' said Dick, with energy.

'Just so,--if your story be true.'

'It is true, sir,' said Dick, with much anger in his tone.

'I hope so,--with all my heart. You are on the same side with us, you
know. I only want to make you understand how much ground there may be
for doubt. It is not easy to upset a verdict. And, I fear, many
righteous verdicts would be upset if the testimony of one man could do
it. Perhaps you will be able to prove that you only arrived at Liverpool
on Saturday night.'

'Certainly I can.'

'You cannot prove that you had not heard of the case before.'

'Certainly I can. I can swear it.' Sir John smiled. 'They all knew that
at Pollington. They told me of it. The governor told me about Mr. Seely,
and made me write the letter.'

'That would not be evidence,' said Sir John.

'Heavens on earth! I tell you I was struck all on a heap when I heard
it, just as much as if they had said he'd been hung for murder.