court, looked vexed and
impatient. Those who had occasionally glanced at him while Mrs. Mallett
was giving her evidence had observed that he showed signs of being by no
means pleased at the turn things had taken since her sudden
intervention--sometimes he had frowned; once or twice he had muttered to
himself. And he now looked blackly at Meeking as the barrister once more
confronted him.

"You have heard the evidence of the last witness?" asked Meeking
abruptly.

"All of it," replied Wellesley.

"Is it correct as to details of time?"

"So far as I recollect, quite!"

"When Mrs. Mallett went by the private door between your drawing-room
and the Moot Hall to see the Mayor, what did you do?"

"Waited for her in my drawing-room."

"How long was she away?"

"Five minutes perhaps."

"Had you made any appointment with the Mayor on her behalf?"

"No. I had not."

"You sent her to see him on the chance of her finding him there--in the
Mayor's Parlour?"

"There was no chance about it. I knew--as a good many other people
did--that just then Wallingford spent almost every evening in the
Mayor's Parlour."

"Had you ever visited him in the Mayor's Parlour during these evening
attendances of his?"

"Oh, yes--several times!"

"By this communicating door?"

"Certainly. And he had made use of it in coming to see me."

"Do you know what the Mayor was doing on these occasions--I mean, do you
know why he spent so much time at the Mayor's Parlour of an evening?"

"Yes. He was going as thoroughly as he could into the financial affairs
of the Corporation."

"Now I want to put a very particular question to you--with the object of
getting at some solution of this mystery. What was Mrs. Mallett's
business with you and the Mayor?"

"I cannot reply to that."

"You won't give me an answer?"

"I won't!"

"Do you base your refusal on professional privilege, doctor?"

"No! Not at all. Mrs. Mallett's business was of an absolutely private
nature. It had nothing whatever to do with the subject of this
inquiry--I tell you that on my honour, on my oath. Nothing whatever!"

"You mean--directly?"

Meeking threw a good deal of significance into this question, which he
put slowly, and with a peculiarly meaning glance at his witness. But
Wellesley either did not see or affected not to see any significance,
and his answer came promptly:

"I mean precisely what I say--as I always do."

Meeking leaned across the table, eyein