he spoke, it was
after a vehement movement of her hand as though she had silenced a
warning voice.

"My lords and ladies," she cried, her voice ringing even to the
corners of the hushed room, "I--I feel that I must tell you all that
this man, this Lord Farquhart, who was to have been my husband in less
than a week, is--is your gentleman highwayman, your Black Devil who
has made your London roads a terror to all honest men."

For an instant there was absolute silence. Then surprise, amazement
and consternation rose in a babel of sound, but over all Lady
Barbara's voice rang once more.

"I am positive that I speak only the truth," she cried. "No, Lord
Farquhart, I'll not hear you, now or ever again. I've seen him in his
black disguise. He told me himself that he was this Black Devil of the
roads. He confessed it all to me."

The lady still stood alone, and the crowd had edged away from Lord
Farquhart, leaving him, also, alone. On every face surprise was
written, but in no eyes, on no lips, was this so clearly marked as on
Lord Farquhart's own face.

And yet he spoke calmly.

"Is this the sequel to your jest, my lady, or has it deeper meaning
than a jest?"

"Ah, jest you chose to call it once before, and jest you may still
call it," she answered, fiercely, but now her hand was pressed close
against her heart.

"For a full week I have known this fact," exclaimed Ashley, stepping
to the Lady Barbara's side. "Unfortunately, I have seen with my own
eyes proofs convincing even me that my Lord Farquhart is this highway
robber. I cannot doubt it, but I have refrained from speaking before
because Lady Barbara asked me to be silent, asked me to protect her
cousin, hoping, I suppose, that she could save him from his fate, that
she could induce him to forego this perilous pursuit; but----"

Lord Farquhart's hand was closing on his sword, but he did not fail
even then to note the disdain with which Lady Barbara turned from her
champion. She hurriedly approached Lord Grimsby, who was looking
curiously at this highwayman who he himself had had reason to think
was the devil incarnate.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Grimsby"--Lady Barbara was still
impetuous--"for this interruption of your fete, but, to me, it seemed
unwarranted that this man should longer masquerade among you as a
gentleman."

She swept away from Lord Grimsby. She passed close to Lord Farquhart,
lingering long enough to whisper for his ear alone: "You see I ca