e turned her face on me
with the deep-red flush of shame in it, and the big tears glistening in
her eyes.

"No more of him!" she said, sternly. "If he is not a murderer, what
else is he? A liar and a coward! In which of his characters does he
disgrace me most? I have done with him forever! I will never speak to
him again!" She pushed me furiously away from her; advanced a few steps
toward her own door; stopped, and came back to me. The generous nature
of the girl spoke in her next words. "I am not ungrateful to _you_,
friend Lefrank. A woman in my place is only a woman; and, when she is
shamed as I am, she feels it very bitterly. Give me your hand! God
bless you!"

She put my hand to her lips before I was aware of her, and kissed it,
and ran back into her room.

I sat down on the place which she had occupied. She had looked at me
for one moment when she kissed my hand. I forgot Ambrose and his
confession; I forgot the coming trial; I forgot my professional duties
and my English friends. There I sat, in a fool's elysium of my own
making, with absolutely nothing in my mind but the picture of Naomi's
face at the moment when she had last looked at me!

I have already mentioned that I was in love with her. I merely add this
to satisfy you that I tell the truth.

CHAPTER XI. THE PEBBLE AND THE WINDOW.

MISS MEADOWCROFT and I were the only representatives of the family at
the farm who attended the trial. We went separately to Narrabee.
Excepting the ordinary greetings at morning and night, Miss Meadowcroft
had not said one word to me since the time when I had told her that I
did _not_ believe John Jago to be a living man.

I have purposely abstained from encumbering my narrative with legal
details. I now propose to state the nature of the defense in the
briefest outline only.

We insisted on making both the prisoners plead not guilty. This done,
we took an objection to the legality of the proceedings at starting. We
appealed to the old English law, that there should be no conviction for
murder until the body of the murdered person was found, or proof of its
destruction obtained beyond a doubt. We denied that sufficient proof
had been obtained in the case now before the court.

The judges consulted, and decided that the trial should go on.

We took our next objection when the confessions were produced in
evidence. We declared that they had been extorted by terror, or by
undue influence; and we pointed out certain