any foundation for Mr. Blake's
story, it may mean that if you don't settle you lose everything."

From him Mary Grant turned to the old lady.

"Mrs. Gordon," she said, "do you advise me to pay this money?"

"My dear, I don't advise at all. Don't consider us in the matter at all.
It is for you to say."

"Then I will pay nothing. It is a cruel, infamous, wicked slander. These
poor, ignorant people don't know what they are doing. Sooner than pay
one penny in compromise, I will walk off this station a pauper. God will
not let such villainy win. Mrs. Gordon, surely you don't think that I
ought to blacken my father's and mother's name by paying money to keep
this claim quiet?"

Here Pinnock broke in on her speech. "But if they should manage to
produce evidence--"

"Let them produce it, and let the judge believe it if he likes. You and
I and everybody know that it is a lie; even if they win the case, it is
still a lie. I will pay nothing--not one halfpenny. My mother's name
is more than all the money in the world, and I will not blacken it by
compromises. Mr. Pinnock, the case is to be fought out, and if we lose
we shall still know that justice is on our side; but if we pay money--"

Mrs. Gordon took her hand, and lifted it to her lips.

"I think you are quite right, my dear. You put us all to shame for even
thinking of it."

"I am very sorry, Mr. Blake," the girl went on, "very sorry indeed that
you should have come here on such an errand. You saved my life, and if I
could pay you for that I would; but this offer is an insult, and I hope
that you will never come here again. Whether I am turned out of the old
station or not, I hope that you will never come here again." And with
that the two ladies walked out, leaving the lawyers looking at each
other.

"I am afraid, Mr. Blake" said Pinnock at last, "that we have lost any
hope we might ever have had of settling this case."

But Blake, as he rode homewards, felt that he had lost for ever a much
higher hope. He had played for a high stake on two chances. One of them
had failed him. There remained only the chance of pulling Peggy's
case through; and he swore that if hard work, skill, and utter
unscrupulousness could win that case, it should be won.

CHAPTER XXII. A NURSE AND HER ASSISTANT.

While they were waiting for the great case to come on a sort of
depression seemed to spread itself over the station. The owner was
mostly shut up in her room with her