that there was also another newspaper under the
_Christian Examiner_. Mr Slow brought her to the fire, and gave her
a chair, and was very courteous. In a few moments came the other
lawyer, and with him came John Ball.

Mr Slow opened the conference, all the details of which need not be
given here. He first asked Miss Mackenzie whether she had seen that
wicked libel. She, with much energy and, I may almost say, with
virulence, declared that the horrid paper had been sent to her. She
hoped that nobody suspected that she had known anything about it.
In answer to this, they all assured her that she need not trouble
herself on that head. Mr Slow then told her that a London paper had
copied the whole story of the "Lion and the Lamb," expressing a hope
that the lion would be exposed if there was any truth in it, and the
writer would be exposed if there was none.

"The writer was Mr Maguire, a clergyman," said Miss Mackenzie, with
indignation.

"We all know that," said Mr Slow, with a slight smile on his face.
Then he went on reading the remarks of the London paper, which
declared that the Littlebath _Christian Examiner_, having gone so
far, must, of necessity, go further. The article was calculated to
give the greatest pain to, no doubt, many persons; and the innocence
or guilt of "the Lion," as poor John Ball was called, must be made
manifest to the public.

"And now, my dear Miss Mackenzie, I will tell you what we propose to
do," said Mr Slow. He then explained that it was absolutely necessary
that a question of law should be tried and settled in a court of
law, between her and her cousin. When she protested against this, he
endeavoured to explain to her that the cause would be an amicable
cause, a simple reference, in short, to a legal tribunal. Of course,
she did not understand this, and, of course, she still protested; but
after a while, when she began to perceive that her protest was of no
avail, she let that matter drop. The cause should be brought on as
soon as possible, but could not be decided till late in the spring.
She was told that she had better make no great change in her own
manner of life till that time, and was again informed that she could
have what money she wanted for her own maintenance. She refused to
take any money: but when the reference was made to some proposed
change in her life, she looked wistfully into her cousin's face. He,
however, had nothing to say then, and kept his eyes intently fixe