as possible to suspend her unfavorable
judgment of Arthur, until she should have asked him why this great
emotion, and heard his reply.

Moreover, she was no female detective, but a pure creature bent on
clearing innocence. The object of her life was, not to discover the
faults of Arthur Wardlaw, or any other person, but to clear Robert
Penfold of a crime. Yet Arthur's strange behavior was a great shock to
her; for here, at the very outset, he had somehow made her feel she must
hope for no assistance from him. She sighed at this check, and asked
herself to whom she should apply first for aid. Robert had told her to
see his counsel, his solicitor, his father, and Mr. Undercliff, an
expert, and to sift the whole matter.

Not knowing exactly where to begin, she thought she would, after all,
wait a day or two to give Arthur time to recover himself, and decide
calmly whether he would co-operate with her or not.

In this trying interval, she set up a diary--for the first time in her
life; for she was no egotist. And she noted down what we have just
related, only in a very condensed form, and wrote at the margin:
_Mysterious._

Arthur never came near her for two whole days. This looked grave. On the
third day she said to General Rolleston:

"Papa, _you_ will help me in the good cause--will you not?"

He replied that he would do what he could, but feared that would be
little.

"Will you take me down to Elmtrees, this morning?"

"With all my heart."

He took her down to Elmtrees. On the way she said: "Papa, you must let me
get a word with Mr. Wardlaw alone."

"Oh, certainly. But, of course, you will not say a word to hurt his
feelings."

"Oh, papa!"

"Excuse me. But, when a person of your age is absorbed with one idea, she
sometimes forgets that other people have any feelings at all."

Helen kissed him meekly, and said that was too true; and she would be
upon her guard.

To General Rolleston's surprise, his daughter no sooner saw old Wardlaw
than she went--or seemed to go--into high spirits, and was infinitely
agreeable.

But at last she got him all to herself, and then she turned suddenly
grave, and said:

"Mr. Wardlaw, I want to ask you a question. It is something about Robert
Penfold."

Wardlaw shook his head. "That is a painful subject, my dear. But what do
you wish to know about that unhappy young man?"

"Can you tell me the name of the counsel who defended him at the trial?"

"No, indeed, I canno