er own senses had
militated against him, and now she steeled herself in an armour of
unbelief. But, in spite of herself, the dictates of her heart were
struggling hard to find the joints of her armour. Nor were the
struggles lessened now that she stood confronting him. His coolness,
though maddening to her, was not without effect. The moral influence
he wielded was great.

She backed to the table; then she plunged into the subject of her
mission without further preamble. Her eyes stared straight into his,
and her tones sounded incisively in the stillness of the room.

"I little knew the man whom I was listening to when he offered me his
life, nor had I an idea of how near I was to the man who inspired the
words which have appeared in the paper--the words which were the last
Leslie Grey ever uttered. What must have been your feelings when I
told you that I knew their author to be a murderer?" Then, with
scathing bitterness: "But your feelings must have long since been
dead--dead as the poor creature you so wantonly sent to his reckoning.
The time has come for you to defend yourself; that is, if defence you
can offer. No flimsy excuse or extenuation will cover you. Even the
Scriptures teach us that the penalty is 'a life for a life.' Yours is
the hand that struck Leslie down, and now you must face the
consequences of your wanton act."

Iredale's quiet eyes never attempted to avoid the girl's direct
gaze, nor did he flinch as the accusation fell from her lips.
Never was he more alert, never more gently disposed towards this
half-demented creature than at that moment. He recognized the hand
that had been at work, and he laid no blame upon her. His feelings
were of sorrow--sorrow for the woman he loved, and sorrow for
himself. But his thoughts were chiefly for her. He knew, as she had
said, that his time had come.

"So Hervey has been to you to sell the discovery which I rejected at
the price he asked. He told you that I was a smuggler; that the
announcement in the paper was mine. And did he tell you that I was the
murderer of Leslie Grey? Or did your heart prompt you to that
conclusion?"

The girl supported herself against the table with one hand, and the
other was still in the pocket behind her. Iredale noted these things
without moving his eyes from her face.

"Hervey told me the facts and the inevitable proof they bore. Nor was
his statement exaggerated. My own reason told me that."

The man sighed. He had hope