lackadder--no,
no, do not misunderstand me--not on account of the divorce, but I
never was Lady Blackadder. She was Henriette Standish. I am Claire,
her sister Claire."

"What a fool I've been!" I cried. "I might have guessed."

"How should you? But let me go on. I shall never forget that
detestable trial, those awful days in the Divorce Court, when the
lawyers fought and wrangled over my darling sister, like dogs over a
bone, tearing and snarling at each other, while the judge sat above
like a solemn old owl, never moving or making a sign.

"Henriette positively refused to appear in the case, although she was
pressed and entreated by her legal advisers. She could have thrown so
much light on the worst and darkest part. She could have repudiated
the cowardly charges made, and cast back the lies drawn round her to
ruin her. If the jury had but seen her pretty, pathetic face, and
heard from her own sweet lips all she had endured, they would have
come to a very different verdict.

"But she would not come forward on her own behalf. She would not
defend the action; she did not want to win it, but waited till it was
all over, hiding herself away in a far-off corner of the Apennines,
where I was to join her with the child, little Ralph.

"There had been no question of that; the possibility of her losing it
had never been raised, or she would have nerved herself to fight
sooner than give up what she valued more than her very life.

"It fell upon me with crushing effect, although towards the end of the
trial I had had my forebodings. Lord Blackadder was to have the
custody of his heir, and my dear sweet Henriette was to be robbed for
ever of her chiefest joy and treasure. The infant child was to be
abandoned to strangers, paid by its unnatural and unfeeling father.

"I had braced myself to listen to all that came out in court, a whole
tissue of lies told by perjured wretches whose evidence was accepted
as gospel--one of them was the same Falfani whom you know, and who had
acted the loathsome part of spy on several occasions.

"Directly the judge had issued his cruel fiat, I slipped out, hurried
down-stairs into the Strand, jumped into a hansom, and was driven at
top speed to Hamilton Terrace, bent upon giving instant effect to a
scheme I had long since devised.

"I found my faithful Philpotts awaiting me with everything prepared as
I had arranged. The dear baby was dressed quickly--he was as good as
gold--the baggage,