quite on the square I thought it
right to tell you."

"Thank you; yes; I cannot complain of you. And what form do you think
that your proceedings will take?"

"Joseph Mason talks of indicting her for--forgery," said the
attorney, pausing a moment before he dared to pronounce the dread
word.

"Indict her for forgery!" said Furnival, with a start. And yet the
idea was one which had been for some days present to his mind's eye.

"I do not say so," said Round. "I have as yet seen none of the
witnesses myself. If they are prepared to prove that they did sign
two separate documents on that day, the thing must pass off." It was
clear to Mr. Furnival that even Mr. Round junior would be glad that
it should pass off. And then he also sat thinking. Might it not be
probable that, with a little judicious exercise of their memory,
those two witnesses would remember that they had signed two
documents; or at any rate, looking to the lapse of the time, that
they might be induced to forget altogether whether they had signed
one, two, or three? Or even if they could be mystified so that
nothing could be proved, it would still be well with his client.
Indeed no magistrate would commit such a person as Lady Mason,
especially after so long an interval, and no grand jury would find a
bill against her, except upon evidence that was clear, well defined,
and almost indubitable. If any point of doubt could be shown, she
might be brought off without a trial, if only she would be true
to herself. At the former trial there was the existing codicil,
and the fact also that the two surviving reputed witnesses would
not deny their signatures. These signatures--if they were genuine
signatures--had been attached with all proper formality, and the form
used went to state that the testator had signed the instrument in the
presence of them all, they all being present together at the same
time. The survivors had both asserted that when they did affix their
names the three were then present, as was also Sir Joseph; but
there had been a terrible doubt even then as to the identity of the
document; and a doubt also as to there having been any signature made
by one of the reputed witnesses--by that one, namely, who at the
time of that trial was dead. Now another document was forthcoming,
purporting to have been witnessed, on the same day, by these two
surviving witnesses! If that document were genuine, and if these
two survivors should be clear that they had