yes! I know you are called the Duke of Hereward; and no doubt you are
the Duke of Hereward; but I knew you as Mr. John Scott, and nobody else;
and I knew a deal too much of you as _him_. But as to wanting your
pardon--that's a good one!"

"Will you be good enough to tell me where my wife, the Duchess of
Hereward, has gone?" demanded the duke, putting a strong curb upon his
anger.

"_You_ know where _she_ is well enough. _She_ is in the _trap_ you set
for her!" spitefully answered the woman.

In truth, the duke needed all his powers of self-control to enable him to
reply calmly:

"I ask you to tell me where is the Lady of Lone, to whom you went on
Tuesday afternoon, with a story which has driven her from her home, and
driven her, perhaps, to madness, or to death. I charge you to tell me,
where is she?"

"Ah! where is Miss Salome Levison, the heiress of Lone, you ask! Exactly!
That is what you would give a great deal to know, wouldn't you! You want
to follow and join her, and live with her abroad, because you have got a
wife living in England. You're a noble duke, so you are! Well, if
_this_ is what the nobility are a coming to, the sooner them
Republicans have it all their own way the better, I say!" exclaimed Mrs.
Brown, throwing herself back in her chair and folding her arms.

Detective Setter here joined the Duke of Hereward, and deferentially drew
him away to the other end of the room, and whispered:

"I beg your grace not to remain here, subjected to the insolence of this
mad woman, whose every second word is treason or blasphemy, or worse, if
anything can be worse. Leave me to deal with her. A very little more, and
I shall arrest her on the grave charge of conspiracy."

"No, Setter, do nothing of the sort. Use no violence; utter no threats.
_Now_, if ever--here, if anywhere--is a crisis, at which we must be
not only 'wise as serpents, but _harmless_ as doves,' if we would
gain any information from this woman," answered Salome's husband, as he
walked back and rejoined Mrs. Brown.

"Will you tell me, _on any terms_, where the Lady of Lone is to be
found?" he inquired.

"Humph! I like that! Aren't you a sharp? You _can't_ call her the
duchess, and you _won't_ call her Miss Levison, so you call her the
Lady of Lone, anyway!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown, with a chuckling laugh.

"But, will you, _for any price_, tell me where she has gone?"
repeated the duke.

"As to where Miss Salome Levison has gone, I would no