ow why now."

Hearing this, I told them both unreservedly what I had said to Eustace,
and how he had received it. To my unspeakable disappointment, they both
sided with my husband, treating my view of his position as a mere dream.
They said it, as he had said it, "You have not read the Trial."

I was really enraged with them. "The facts are enough for _me,_" I said.
"We know he is innocent. Why is his innocence not proved? It ought to
be, it must be, it shall be! If the Trial tell me it can't be done, I
refuse to believe the Trial. Where is the book, Major? Let me see for
myself if his lawyers have left nothing for his wife to do. Did they
love him as I love him? Give me the book!"

Major Fitz-David looked at Benjamin.

"It will only additionally shock and distress her if I give her the
book," he said. "Don't you agree with me?"

I interposed before Benjamin could answer.

"If you refuse my request," I said, "you will oblige me, Major, to go
to the nearest bookseller and tell him to buy the Trial for me. I am
determined to read it."

This time Benjamin sided with me.

"Nothing can make matters worse than they are, sir," he said. "If I may
be permitted to advise, let her have her own way."

The Major rose and took the book out of the Italian cabinet, to which he
had consigned it for safe-keeping.

"My young friend tells me that she informed you of her regrettable
outbreak of temper a few days since," he said as he handed me the
volume. "I was not aware at the time what book she had in her hand when
she so far forgot herself as to destroy the vase. When I left you in the
study, I supposed the Report of the Trial to be in its customary place
on the top shelf of the book-case, and I own I felt some curiosity
to know whether you would think of examining that shelf. The broken
vase--it is needless to conceal it from you now--was one of a pair
presented to me by your husband and his first wife only a week before
the poor woman's terrible death. I felt my first presentiment that
you were on the brink of discovery when I found you looking at the
fragments, and I fancy I betrayed to you that something of the sort was
disturbing me. You looked as if you noticed it."

"I did notice it, Major. And I too had a vague idea that I was on the
way to discovery. Will you look at your watch? Have we waited half an
hour yet?"

My impatience had misled me. The ordeal of the half-hour was not yet at
an end.

Slowly and more sl