Richard,notknowingwhomighthavebetrayedhimandtowhatextent,wasveryfearful—havingthroughhisconnectionwiththeCauseeveryreasonsotobe。Blake,ontheotherhand,consciousofhisinnocenceofanyplotting,wasimpatientofhisposition,andathoughtcontemptuous。Itwashewho,uponbeingusheredbytheconstableandhismenintotheaugustpresenceoftheLord—Lieutenant,clamouredtoknowpreciselyofwhathewasaccusedthathemightstraightwayclearhimself。
Albemarlerearedhisgreatmassivehead,smotheredinamightyblackperuke,andscowleduponthefloridLondonbeau。Ablack—visagedgentlemanwasChristopherMonk。Hispendulouscheeks,itistrue,wereofasallowpallor,butwhatwithhisblackwig,blackeyebrows,darkeyes,andtheblue—blacktintofshavenbeardonhisgreatjawandupperlip,hepresentedanappearancesombrelysinister。Hisnetherlipwasthickandveryprominent;deepcreasesranfromthecornersofhismouthadownhisheavychin;hiseyesweredullandlack—lustre,withgreatpouchesunderthem。Inthemain,theairofthissonofthegreatParliamentariangeneralwasstupid,dull,unprepossessing。
ThecreasesofhismouthdeepenedasBlakeprotestedagainstwhathetermedthisoutragethathadbeendonehim;hesneeredponderously,thrustingfurtherforwardhisheavilyundershotjowl。
\"Weareinformed,sir,ofyourantecedents,\"hestaggeredBlakebyanswering。\"WehavelearntthereasonwhyyouleftLondonandyourcreditors,andinallmylife,sir,Ihaveneverknownamanmorereadytoturnhishandtotreasonthanabrokengamester。Yourkindturnsbyinstincttosuchworkasthis,asalastresourceforthemendingofbatteredfortunes。\"
Blakecrimsonedfromchintobrow。\"I\'mforejudged,it,seems,\"hemadeanswerhaughtily,tossinghisfairlocks,hisblueeyesglaringuponhisjudges。\"MayI,atleast,knowthenameofmyaccuser？\"
\"Youshallreceiveimpartialjusticeatourhands,\"putinPhelips,whosemannerwasofadangerousmildness。\"Dependonthat。Notonlyshallyouknowthenameofyouraccuser,butyoushallbeconfrontedbyhim。Meanwhile,sirs\"—andhisglancestrayed￡romBlake\'sflushedandangrycountenancetoRichard\'s,paleandtimid—\"meanwhile,arewetounderstandthatyoudenythecharge？\"
\"Ihaveheardnoneasyet,\"saidSirRowlandinsolently。
Albemarleturnedtooneofthesecretaries。\"Readthemtheindictment,\"
saidhe,andsankbackinhischair,hisdullglanceupontheprisoners,whilsttheclerkinadroningvoicereadfromadocumentwhichhetookup。ItimpeachedSirRowlandBlakeandMr。RichardWestmacottofholdingtreasonablecommunicationwithJamesScott,DukeofMonmouth,andofplottingagainstHisMajesty\'slifeandthroneandthepeaceofHisMajesty\'srealms。
Blakelistenedwithunconcealedimpatiencetothefarragooflegalphrases,andsnortedcontemptuouslywhenthereadingcametoanend。
Albemarlelookedathimdarkly。\"IdothankGod,\"saidhe,\"thatthroughMr。Westmacott\'sfollyhasthishideousplot,thisblackanddamnabletreason,beenbroughttolightintimetoenableustostampoutthisfireereitiswellkindled。Haveyouaughttosay,sir？\"
\"Ihavetosaythatthewholechargeafoulandunfoundedlie,\"saidSirRowlandbluntly:\"Ineverplottedinmylifeagainstanythingbutmyownprosperity,noragainstanymanbutmyself。\"
Albemarlesmiledcoldlyathiscolleagues,thenturnedtoWestmacott。
\"Andyou,sir？\"hesaid。\"Areyouasstubbornasyourfriend？\"
\"Iincontinentlydenythecharge,\"saidRichard,andhecontrivedthathisvoiceshouldringboldandresolute。
\"Achargebuiltonair,\"sneeredBlake,\"whichthefirstbreathoftruthshouldutterlydispel。Wehaveheardtheimpeachment。WillYourGracewiththesameconsiderationpermitustoseetheproofsthatwemaylaybaretheirfalseness？Itshouldnotbedifficult。\"
\"Doyousaythereisnosuchplotasisherealleged？\"quoththeDuke,andsmoteapapersharply。
Blakeshruggedhisshoulders。\"HowshouldIknow？\"heasked。\"IsayIhavenoshareinany,thatIamacquaintedwithnone。\"
\"CallMr。Trenchard,\"saidtheDukequietly,andanusherwhohadstoodtamelybythedooratthefarendoftheroomdepartedontheerrand。
Richardstartedatthementionofthatname。HehadasingulardreadofMr。Trenchard。
ColonelLuttrell—leanandwiry—nowaddressedtheprisoners,Blakemoreparticularly。\"Still,\"saidhe,\"youwilladmitthatsuchaplotmay,indeed,exist？\"
\"Itmay,indeed,foraughtIknow—orcare,\"headdedincautiously。
Albemarlesmotethetablewithaheavyhand。\"ByGod！\"hecriedinthatdeepboomingvoiceofhis,\"therespokeatraitor！Youdonotcare,yousay,whatplotsmaybehatchedagainstHisMajesty\'slifeandcrown！Yetyouaskmetobelieveyouatrueandloyalsubject。\"
Blakewasangered;hewasatbestashort—temperedman。Deliberatelyheflounderedfurtherintothemire。
\"IhavenotaskedYourGracetobelievemeanything,\"heansweredhotly。\"ItisallonetomewhatYourGracebelievesme。ItakeitIhavenotbeenfetchedhithertobeconfrontedwithwhatYourGracebelieves。Youhavepreferredalyingchargeagainstme;Iaskforproofs,notYourGrace\'sbeliefsandopinions。\"
\"ByGod,sir,youareadaringrogue！\"criedAlbemarle。
SirRowland\'seyesblazed。\"Anon,YourGrace,when,havingfailedofyourproofs,youshallbeconstrainedtorestoremetoliberty,IshallaskYourGracetounsaythatword。\"
Albemarlestared,confounded,andinthatmomentthedooropened,andTrenchardsaunteredin,caneinhand,hishatunderhisarm,awickedsmileonhiswizenedface。
LeavingBlake\'sveiledthreatunanswered,theDuketurnedtotheoldrake。\"Theserogues,\"saidhe,pointingtotheprisoners,\"demandproofseretheywilladmitthetruthoftheimpeachment。\"
\"Thoseproofs,\"saidTrenchard,\"arealreadyinYourGrace\'shands。\"
\"Aye,buttheyhaveaskedtobeconfrontedwiththeiraccuser。
Trenchardbowed。\"Isityourwish,then,thatIreciteforthemthecountsonwhichIhavebasedtheaccusationIlaidbeforeYourGrace？\"
\"Ifyouwillcondescendsofar,\"saidAlbemarle。
\"Blisterme……！\"roaredBlake,whentheDukeinterruptedhim。
\"ByGod,sir！\"hecried,\"I\'llhavenosuchdisrespectfullanguagehere。You\'llobservethedecencyofspeechandforbearfromprofanities,youdamnedrogue,orbyGod！I\'llcommityouforthwith。\"
\"Iwillendeavour,\"saidBlake,withasarcasmlostonAlbemarle,\"tofollowYourGrace\'sloftyexample。\"
\"Youwilldowell,sir,\"saidtheDuke,andwasshockedthatTrenchardshouldlaughatsuchamoment。
\"Iwasabouttoprotest,sir,\"saidBlake,\"thatitismonstrousI
shouldbeaccusedbyMr。Trenchard。Hehasbuttheslightestacquaintancewithme。\"
Trenchardbowedtohimacrossthechamber。\"Admitted,sir,\"saidhe。
\"WhatshouldIbedoinginbadcompany？\"AnanswerthisthatsetAlbemarlebawlingwithlaughter。TrenchardturnedtotheDuke。\"Iwillbegin,anitpleaseYourGrace,withtheexpressionsusedlastnightinmypresenceattheBellInnatBridgwaterbyMr。RichardWestmacott,andIwillconfinemyselfstrictlytothosemattersonwhichmytestimonycanbecorroboratedbythatofotherwitnesses。
ColonelLuttrellinterruptedhimtoturntoRichard。\"Doyourecallthoseexpressions,sir？\"heaskedhim。
Richardwincedunderthequestion。Nevertheless,hebracedhimselftomakethebestdefencehecould。\"Ihavenotyetheard,\"saidhe,\"whatthoseexpressionswere;norwhenIhearthemmustitfollowthatIrecognizethemasmyown。Imustadmittohavingtakenmorewine,perhaps,than……than……\"WhilsthesoughttheexpressionthatheneededTrenchardcutinwithalaugh。\"Invinoveritas,gentlemen,\"andHisGraceandSirEdwardnoddedsagely;Luttrellpreservedastolidexterior。Heseemedlesspronethanhiscolleaguestoforejudging。
\"WillyourepeattheexpressionsusedbyMr。Westmacott？\"SirEdwardbegged。
\"Iwillrepeattheonethat,tomymind,mattersmost。Mr。Westmacott,gettingtohisfeetandinaloudvoice,exclaimed,\"GodsavetheProtestantDuke！\"
\"Doyouadmitit,sir？\"thunderedAlbemarle,hiseyesgloweringuponRichardhesitatedamoment,paleandtrembling。
\"Youwillwastebreathindenyingit,\"saidTrenchardsuavely,\"forIhaveadrawerfromtheBellInn,andtwogentlemenwhooverheardyouwaitingoutside。\"
\"I\'faith,sir,\"criedBlake,\"whattreasonwasthereinthat？Ifhe……\"
\"Silence！\"thunderedAlbemarle。\"LetMr。Westmacottspeakforhimself。\"
Richard,inspiredbythedefenceBlakehadbegun,tookthesamelineofargument。\"IadmitthatintheheatofwineImayhaveusedsuchwords,\"saidhe。\"ButIdenytheirintenttobetreasonable。TherearemanymenwhodrinktotheprosperityofthelateKingssson……\"
\"Naturalson,sir;naturalson,\"Albemarleamended。\"Itistreasontospeakofhimotherwise。\"
\"Itwillbeatreasonpresentlytodrawbreath,\"sneeredBlake。
\"Ifitbe,\"saidTrenchard,\"itisatreasonyou\'llnotbelongcommitting。\"
\"Faith,youareright,Mr。Trenchard,\"saidtheDukewithalaugh。
Indeed,hefoundMr。Trenchardamostpleasantandfacetiousgentleman。
\"Still,\"insistedRichard,endeavouringinspiteoftheseirrelevanciestomakegoodhispoint,\"therebemanymenwhodrinkdailytotheprosperityofthelateKing\'snaturalson。\"
\"Aye,sir,\"answeredAlbemarle;\"butnothisprosperityinhorridplotsagainstthelifeofourbelovedsovereign。\"
\"True,YourGrace;verytrue,\"purredSirEdward。\"ItwasnotsoI
meanttotoasthim,\"criedRichard。Albemarlemadeanimpatientgesture,andtookupasheetofpaper。\"How,then,\"heasked,\"comesthisletter—thisletterwhichmakesplainthetreasonuponwhichtheDukeofMonmouthisembarked,justasitmakesplainyourparticipationinit—howcomesthislettertobefoundinyourpossession？\"Andhewavedtheletterintheair。
Richardwentthecolourofashes。Hefalteredamoment,thentookrefugeinthetruth,forallthatheknewbeforehandthatthetruthwasboundtoringmorefalsethananyliehecouldinvent。
\"Thatletterwasnotaddressedtome,\"hestammered。
Albemarlereadthesubscription,\"TomygoodfriendW。,atBridgwater。\"
Helookedup,aheavysneerthrustinghisheavylipstillfurtherout。
\"Whatdoyousaytothat？Doesnot`W\'standforWestmacott？\"
\"Itdoesnot。\"
\"Ofcoursenot,\"saidAlbemarlewithheavysarcasm。\"ItstandsforWilkins,orWilliams,or……or……What—not。\"
\"Indeed,Icanbearwitnessthatitdoesnot,\"exclaimedSirRowland。
\"Besilent,sir,Itellyou！\"bawledtheDukeathimagain。\"Youshallbearwitnesssoonenough,Ipromiseyou。Towhom,then,\"heresumed,turningagaintoRichard,\"doyousaythatthisletterwasaddressed？\"
\"ToMr。Wilding—Mr。AnthonyWilding,\"Richardanswered。
\"IwouldhaveYourGracetoobserve,\"putinTrenchardquietly,\"thatMr。Wilding,properlyspeaking,doesnotresideinBridgwater。\"
\"Tush！\"criedAlbemarle;\"theroguebutmentionsthefirstnamewitha\'W\'thatoccurstohim。He\'snotevenaningeniousliar。Andhow,sir,\"heaskedRichard,\"doesitcometobeinyourpossession,havingbeenaddressed,asyousay,toMr。Wilding？\"
\"Aye,sir,\"saidSirEdward,blinkinghisweakeyes。\"Tellusthat。\"
Richardhesitatedagain,andlookedatBlake。Blake,whobynowhadcometorealizethathisfriend\'saffairswerenotmendedbyhisinterruptions,moodilyshruggedhisshoulders,scowling。
\"Come,sir,\"saidColonelLuttrell,engagingly,answerthequestion。\"
\"Aye,\"roaredAlbemarle;\"letyourinventionhavefreerein。\"
AgainpoorRichardsoughtrefugeinthetruth。\"We—SirRowlandhereandI—hadreasontosuspectthathewasawaitingsuchaletter。\"
\"Tellusyourreasons,sir,ifwearetocredityou,\"saidtheDuke,anditwasplainhemockedtheprisoner。Itwas,moreover,arequestthatstaggeredRichard。Still,hesoughttofindareasonthatshouldsoundplausible。
\"WeinferreditfromcertainremarksthatMr。Wildingletfallinourpresence。\"
\"Tellustheremarks,sir,\"theDukeinsisted。
\"Indeed,Idonotcallhisprecisewordstomind,YourGrace。Buttheyweresuchthatwesuspicionedhim。\"
\"Andyouwouldhavemebelievethathearingwordswhichawokeinyousuchgravesuspicions,youkeptyoursuspicionsandstraightwayforgotthewords。You\'rebutanindifferentliar。\"
Trenchard,whowasstandingbythelongtable,leanedforwardnow。
\"Itmightbewell,anitpleaseYourGrace,\"saidhe,\"towaivethepoint,andletuscometothosematterswhichareofgreatermoment。
LethimtellYourGracehowhecamebytheletter。\"
\"Aye,\"saidAlbemarle。\"Wedobutwastetime。Tellus,then,howcametheletterintoyourhands？\"
\"WithSirRowland,here,IrobbedthecourierashewasridingfromTauntontoBridgwater。\"
Albemarlelaughed,andSirEdwardsmiled。\"Yourobbedhim,eh？\"saidHisGrace。\"Verywell。Buthowdidithappenthatyouknewhehadtheletteruponhim,orwasitthatyouwereplayingthehightobymen,andthatinrobbinghimyouhopedtofindothermatters？\"
\"Notso,sir,\"answeredRichard。\"Isoughtbuttheletter。\"
\"Andhowknewyouthathecarriedit？Didyoulearnthat,too,fromMr。Wilding\'sindiscretion？\"
\"YourGracehassaidit。\"
\"`Slife！Whatanimpudentroguehavewehere！\"criedtheangryDuke,whoconceivedthatRichardwaspurposelydealingineffrontery。\"Mr。
Trenchard,Idothinkwearewastingtime。Besogoodastoconfoundthembothwiththetruthofthismatter。\"
\"Thatletter,\"saidTrenchard,\"wasdeliveredtothemattheHareandHounds,hereatTaunton,byagentlemanwhoputupattheinn,andwastherejoinedbyMr。WestmacottandSirRowlandBlake。Theyopenedtheconversationwithcertaincantphrasesveryclearlyintendedaspasswords。Thus:theprisonerssaidtothemessenger,astheyseatedthemselvesatthetableheoccupied,`Youhavetheair,sir,ofbeingfromoverseas,\'towhichthecourieranswered,`Indeed,yes。IamfromHolland。\'FromthelandofOrange,\'saysoneoftheprisoners。`Aye,andotherthings,\'repliesthemessenger。`Thereisafairwindblowing,\'headds;towhichoneoftheprisoners,IbelieveitwasSirRowland,makesanswer,`MayitprospertheProtestantDukeandblowPoperytohell。\'Thereuponthelandlordcaughtsomementionofaletter,buttheseplotters,perceivingthattheywereperhapsbeingoverheard,senthimawaytofetchthemwine。Ahalf—hourlaterthemessengertookhisleave,andtheprisonersfollowedaveryfewminutesafterwards。\"
Albemarleturnedtotheprisoners。\"YouhaveheardMr。Trenchard\'sstory。Howdoyousay—isittrueoruntrue？\"
\"Youwillwastebreathindenyingit,\"Trenchardtookitagainuponhimselftoadmonishthem。\"ForIhavewithmethelandlordoftheHareandHounds,whowillcorroborate,uponoath,whatIhavesaid。\"
\"Wedonotdenyit,\"putinBlake。\"Butwesubmitthatthematterissusceptibletoexplanation。\"
\"Youcankeepyourexplanationstillyourtrial,then,\"snappedAlbemarle。\"Ihaveheardmorethanenoughtocommitthepairofyoutogaol。\"
\"But,YourGrace,\"criedSirRowland,sofiercelythatoneofthetything—mensetarestraininghanduponhisshoulder,\"IamreadytoswearthatwhatIdid,andwhatmyfriendMr。Westmacottdid,wasdoneintheinterestsofHisMajesty。Wewereworkingtodiscoverthisplot。\"
\"Which,nodoubt,\"putinTrenchardslyly,\"isthereasonwhy,havinggottheletter,yourfriendMr。Westmacottlockeditinadesk,andyoukeptsilenceonthematter。\"
\"Yousee,\"exclaimedAlbemarle,\"howyourliesdobutservefurthertobindyouinthetoils。Itiseverthuswithtraitors。\"
\"Idothinkyouareadamnedtraitor,Trenchard,\"beganBlake;\"afoul……\"
ButwhatmorehewouldhavesaidwascheckedbyAlbemarle,whothunderedforthanorderfortheirremoval,andthen,scarcewerethewordsutteredthanthedooratthefarendofthehallwasopened,andthroughitcameasoundofwomen\'svoices。Richardstarted,foronewasthevoiceofRuth。
Anusheradvanced。\"MayitpleaseYourGrace,therearetwoladiesherebegthatyouwillheartheirevidenceinthematterofMr。
WestmacottandSirRowlandBlake。\"
Albemarleconsideredamoment。Trenchardstoodverythoughtful。
\"Indeed,\"saidtheDuke,atlast,\"IhaveheardasmuchasIneedhear,\"
andSirPhelipsnoddedintokenofconcurrence。
Notso,however,ColonelLuttrell。\"Still,\"saidhe,\"intheinterestsofHisMajesty,perhaps,weshouldbedoingwelltoreceivethem。\"
Albemarleblewouthischeekslikeamanwearied,andstaredaninstantatLuttrell。Thenheshruggedhisshoulders。
\"Admitthem,then,\"hecommandedalmostpeevishly,andRuthandDianawereusheredintothehall。Bothwerepale,butwhilstDianawasflutteredwithexcitement,Ruthwascalmandcool,anditwasshewhospokeinanswertotheDuke\'sinvitation。Theburdenofherspeechwasaclear,succinctrecitation—inwhichshesparedneitherWildingnorherself—ofhowthelettercametohaveremainedinherhandsandsilencetohavebeenpreservedregardingit。Albemarleheardherverypatiently。
\"Ifwhatyousayistrue,mistress,\"saidhe,\"andGodforbidthatI
shouldbesoungallantastothrowdoubtuponalady\'sword,itcertainlyexplains—althoughmoststrangely—howtheletterwasnotbroughttousatoncebyyourbrotherandhisfriendSirRowland。YouarepreparedtoswearthatthisletterwasintendedforMr。Wilding？\"
\"Iampreparedtoswearit,\"shereplied。
\"Thisisveryserious,\"saidtheDuke。
\"Veryserious,\"assentedSirEdwardPhelips。
Albemarle,alittleflustered,turnedtohiscolleagues。\"Whatdoyousaytothis？WereitperhapswelltoorderMr。Wilding\'sapprehension,andtohavehimbroughthither？\"
\"Itweretogiveyourselvesuselesstrouble,gentlemen,\"saidTrenchard,withsomuchassurancethatitwasplainAlbemarlehesitated。
\"BewareofMr。Trenchard,YourGrace,\"criedRuth。\"HeisMr。Wilding\'sfriend,andifthereisaplotheissuretobeinit。\"
Albemarle,startled,lookedatTrenchard。HadtheaccusationcomefromeitherofthementheDukewouldhavesilencedhimandabusedhim;butcomingfromawoman,andsocomelyawoman,itseemedtoHisGraceworthyatleastofconsideration。ButnimbleMr。Trenchardwaseasilymasterofthesituation。
\"Which,ofcourse,\"heanswered,withfinesarcasm,\"isthereasonwhyIhavebeenatworkforthepastfour—and—twentyhourstolayproofsofthisplotbeforeYourGrace。\"
Albemarlewasashamedofhismomentaryhesitation。
\"Fortherest,\"saidTrenchard,\"itisperfectlytruethatIamMr。Wilding\'sfriend。Buttheladyisevenmoreintimatelyconnectedwithhim。Ithappensthatsheishiswife。\"
\"His……hiswife！\"gaspedtheDuke,whilstPhelipschuckled,andColonelLuttrell\'sfacegrewdark。
Trenchard\'swickedsmileflickereduponhismobilefeatures。\"TherearerumourscurrentofcourtpaidherbySirRowland,there。Whoknows？\"hequestionedmostsuggestively,archinghisbrowsandtighteninghislips。\"Wivesarestrangekittle—kattle,andhusbandshavebeenknownbeforetogrowinconvenient。Uponreflection,YourGracewillnodoubtdiscerntheprecisedegreeoffaithtoattachtowhatthisladymaytellyouagainstMr。Wilding。\"
\"Oh！\"exclaimedRuth,hercheeksflamingcrimson。\"Butthisismonstrous！\"
\"TishowIshouldmyselfdescribeit,\"answeredTrenchardwithoutshame。
Spurredtoitthus,Ruthpouredouttheentirestoryofhermarriage,andsoclearandlucidwasherstatementthatitthrewupontheaffairafloodoflight,whilstsofrankandtruthfulwashertone,hernarrativehungsowelltogether,thattheBenchbegantorecoverfromtheshocktoitsfaith,andwasagainindangerofbelievingher。
Trenchardsawthisandtrembled。TosaveWildingfortheCausehehadresortedtothisdesperateexpedientofbetrayingthatCause。Itmustbeobserved,however,thathehadnotdonesosaveundertheconvictionthatbetrayeditwasboundtobe,andthatsincethatwasinevitablethethinghadbettercomefromhim—forWilding\'ssake—thanfromRichardWestmacott。HehadtakenthebullbythehornsinamostdesperatefashionwhenhehaddeterminedtohoistRichardandBlakewiththeirownpetard,hopingthat,afterall,theharmwouldreachnofurtherthanthedestructionofthesetwo—apurelydefensivemeasure。Butnowthisgirlthreatenedtowreckhisschemejustasitwasbeingsafelysteeredtoharbour。Suddenlyheswunground,interruptingher。
\"Lies,lies,lies！\"heclamoured,andhisinterruptioncomingatsuchatimeservedtoimpresstheDukemostunfavourably—aswellitmight。
\"Itisourwishtohearthisladyout,Mr。Trenchard,\"theDukereprovedhim。
ButMr。Trenchardwasundismayed。Indeed,hehadjustdiscoveredahithertoneglectedcard,whichshouldputanendtothisdangerousgame。
\"IdoabhortohearYourGrace\'spatiencethusabused,\"heexclaimedwithsomeshowofheat。\"Thisladymakesamockofyou。Ifyou\'llallowmetoasktwoquestions—orperhapsthree—I\'llpromisefinallytoprickthisbubbleforyou。HaveIYourGrace\'sleave？\"
\"Well,well,\"saidAlbemarle。\"Letushearyourquestions。\"Andhiscolleaguesnodded。
TrenchardturnedairilytoRuth。BehindherDianasat—anattendanthadfetchedachairforher—infearandwonderatwhatshesawandheard,hereyeseverandanonstrayingtoSirRowland\'sback,whichwastowardsher。
\"Thisletter,madam,\"saidhe,\"forthepossessionofwhichyouhaveaccountedinso……so……picturesqueamanner,wasintendedforandaddressedtoMr。Wilding,yousay。Andyouarepreparedtosweartoit？\"
RuthturnedindignantlytotheBench。\"MustIanswerthisman\'squestions？\"shedemanded。
\"Ithink,perhaps,itwerebestyoudid,\"saidtheDuke,stillshowingheralldeference。
SheturnedtoTrenchard,herheadhigh,hereyesfulluponhiswrinkled,cynicalface。\"Iswear,then……\"shebegan,buthe—consummateactorthathewasandversedintricksthatimpressanaudience—interruptedher,raisingoneofhisgnarled,yellowhands。
\"Nay,nay,\"saidhe。\"Iwouldnothaveperjuryprovedagainstyou。
Idonotaskyoutoswear。Itwillbesufficientifyoupronounceyourselfpreparedtoswear。
Shepoutedherlipatrifle,herwholeexpressionmanifestinghercontemptofhim。\"Iaminnofearofperjuringmyself,\"sheansweredfearlessly。\"AndIswearthattheletterinquestionwasaddressedtoMr。Wilding。\"
\"Asyouwill,\"saidTrenchard,andwascarefulnottoaskherhowshecamebyherknowledge。\"Theletter,nodoubt,wasinanouterwrapper,onwhichtherewouldbeasuperscription—thenameofthepersontowhomtheletterwasaddressed？\"hehalfquestioned,andLuttrell,whosawthedriftofthequestion,noddedgravely。
\"Nodoubt,\"saidRuth。
\"Nowyouwillacknowledge,Iamsure,madam,thatsuchawrapperwouldbeadocumentofthegreatestimportance,asimportant,indeed,astheletteritself,sincewecoulddependuponitfinallytoclearupthispointonwhichwediffer。Youwilladmitsomuch,Ithink？\"
\"Why,yes,\"sheanswered,buthervoicefalteredalittle,andherglancewasnotquitesofearless。She,too,sawatlastthepithehaddugforher。Heleanedforward,smilingquietly,hisvoiceimpressivelysubdued,andlaunchedtheboltthatwastoannihilatethecredibilityofthestoryshehadtold。
