den!" bawled his colleague, opening the door of the Court.

Anthony, who was pacing the hall, came quickly. A moment later he had
entered the box.

His footman's overcoat accentuated at once his height and his breeding.
It suited the figure admirably, but not the man. The handsome,
clean-cut face, the excellence of his speech--above all, the
personality of the witness--gave the lie to his garb. Moreover, he
displayed a quiet dignity of manner which was as different from that of
the most exquisite lackey as is sable from civet. From resting upon
him the eyes of the Court began to stare...

Lest their owners be thought unmannerly, it is fair to record that the
last witness, whilst swearing that he was a chauffeur, had resembled
one of the landed gentry of the Edwardian Age, and that the last but
one--to wit, the chauffeur's employer--had sworn that he was a retired
grocer, and looked exactly like one.

Anthony took the oath and glanced about him.

From the dock Mr. Morgan was regarding him with a malevolent glare.
Farther back sat George Alison, upon his face an expression of profound
resignation, which was plainly intended to indicate to his colleague
the unpleasant nature of his late ordeal. And there, between the High
Sheriff and Lady Touchstone, sat Miss Valerie French....

With narrowed eyes and a face impassive as a mask she met the footman's
look. By her side her aunt was smiling recognition, but Anthony never
saw that. Gazing upon the beauty of that face which he had once
transfigured, he found it frozen. That proud red bow of a mouth, that
had been his for the taking, might have been graven of precious stone.
Here was no vestige of Love. Tenderness was clean gone. Even as he
looked, the blue eyes shifted casually to wander around the Court....
The cold wind of Indifference made Anthony's heart shiver within him.

Small wonder that he replied to counsel's questions mechanically, like
a man in a dream.

He had, of course, known that he was out of favour.

One perfect Wednesday she had worshipped him to his face: upon the
following Sabbath he had been turned away from her doors. For this
mysterious fall from grace no reason had been vouchsafed. Moreover, so
high was the favour, so eminent the grace, that Anthony had been
desperately bruised. For a little he had been stunned. More than
once, as he had walked dazedly home, he had tripped and stumbled. And,
on reaching the house, he had done wh