y that she loved Lord Farquhart; that she wished she could
unsay her words. She could not deny the truth of what she had told,
though nothing could induce her to tell the story over. But all of her
stuttering, stammering evasions of the truth seemed only to fix the
guilt more clearly upon Lord Farquhart. Even to Lindley, who had been
with him on the night in question, it did not seem altogether
impossible that Lord Farquhart had had time to ride forth, waylay his
cousin and rejoin his friends at the inn ere the lady drove into the
courtyard.

Another point that stood out strongly against Lord Farquhart--a point
that was weighing heavily in public opinion--was that since the night
of Lady Barbara's arrival in London, since which time Lord Farquhart
had been obliged to be in close attendance upon his cousin, there had
been no hold ups by this redoubtable highwayman. The men who had
attacked Lindley and the player's lad had been but bungling robbers of
the road. That they could have had any connection with the robbery of
the Lady Barbara, or with the other dashing plays of the Black Devil,
had been definitely disproved.

So all of Farquhart's friends were weighed down with apprehension of
the fate in store for him, whether he was guilty or not. The only hope
lay in Lord Grimsby, the old man who had been convinced that the
highwayman was in league with the devil, if he was not the devil
himself; the old man whose only son had vowed to take to the road if
the Black Highwayman met his fate at his father's hands. But the hopes
that were based on the demon-inspired terror, and the paternal love of
Lord Grimsby, seemed faint, indeed, to Lindley as he rode toward
London that night.

XVII.

Lindley was first at the tryst in London, but Johan soon slipped from
the shadow of Master Timothy Ogilvie's gateway.

"I can stop but a moment," he whispered, nervously. "I must not be
seen here. My--my master must not know that I--I am abroad in London."

"And Mistress Judith?" questioned Lindley. "Have you seen her? Is she
still here? Is she well?"

"I have seen Mistress Judith for a moment only," answered the lad.
"She is well enough, but she is worn out with the care of her cousin,
Lady Barbara, and she is sadly dispirited, too."

"'Tis a pity Lady Barbara cannot die," muttered Lindley, "after the
confusion she's gotten Lord Farquhart into. A sorry mess she's made of
things."

"The poor girl----" Johan shuddered. "Mistress Ju