it, Robert."

"Then I withdraw it now."

"But you can't, Robert. You must go further. Something has happened
to-day, something very serious."

"Oh?" said Pettifer.

"Yes," replied Mr. Hazlewood. "Margaret really has more insight than I
credited her with. They propose to get married."

Pettifer sat upright in the car.

"You mean Dick and Stella Ballantyne?"

"Yes."

And for a little while there was silence in the car. Then Mr. Hazlewood
continued to bleat.

"I never suspected anything of the kind. It places me, Robert, in a very
difficult position."

"I can quite see that," answered Pettifer with a grim smile. "It's really
the only consoling element in the whole business. You can't refuse your
consent without looking a fool and you can't give it while you are in any
doubt as to Mrs. Ballantyne's innocence."

Mr. Hazlewood was not, however, quite prepared to accept that definition
of his position.

"You don't exhaust the possibilities, Robert," he said. "I can quite
well refuse my consent and publicly refuse it if there are reasonable
grounds for believing that there was in that trial a grave miscarriage
of justice."

Mr. Pettifer looked sharply at his companion. The voice no less than the
words fixed his attention. This was not the Mr. Hazlewood of yesterday.
The champion had dwindled into a figure of meanness. Harold Hazlewood
would be glad to discover those reasonable grounds; and he would be very
much obliged if Robert Pettifer would take upon himself the
responsibility of discovering them.

"Yes, I see," said Pettifer slowly. He was half inclined to leave Harold
Hazlewood to find his way out of his trouble by himself. It was all his
making after all. But other and wider considerations began to press upon
Pettifer. He forced himself to omit altogether the subject of Hazlewood's
vanities and entanglements.

"Very well. Give the cuttings to me! I will read them through and I will
let you know my opinion. Their intention to marry may alter
everything--my point of view as much as yours."

Mr. Pettifer took the envelope in his hand and got out of the car as
soon as Hazlewood had stopped it.

"You have raised no objections to the engagement?" he asked.

"A word to Richard this morning. Of not much effect I am afraid."

Mr. Pettifer nodded.

"Right. I should say nothing to anybody. You can't take a decided line
against it at present and to snarl would be the worst policy imaginable.
To-day's Thurs