lora?'

'You had better,' said Ethel. 'I must stay on Aubrey's account; and
this is your doing, Mary,' she added, looking at her warmly.

'Then put on your hat, Mary, and take a biscuit,' said the Doctor, 'and
you shall have a lift as far as the cross roads.'

Thus the morning began with action and with hope. Mary found herself
very welcome at the Grange, where there was much anxiety to hear of
Aubrey, as well as the more immediate sufferers. The Riverses had
dined at Drydale, and had met the judges, as well as a good many of the
county gentlemen who had been on the grand jury and attended on the
trial. They had found every one most deeply touched by the conduct of
the prisoner. The judge had talked to Flora about her young brother,
and the friendship so bravely avouched; had asked the particulars of
the action to which Leonard had alluded, and shown himself much
interested in all that she related.

She said that the universal impression was that the evidence was dead
against Leonard, and taken apart, led to such conviction of his guilt,
that no one could wonder at the verdict; but that his appearance and
manner were such, that it was almost impossible, under their influence,
not to credit his innocence. She had reason to believe that petitions
were already in hand both from the county and the assize town, and she
eagerly caught at Mary's proposal of one from the ladies of
Stoneborough.

'I'll drive in at once before luncheon, and take you home, Mary,' she
said. 'And, first of all, we will begin with the two widows, and half
the battle will be won.'

Nay, more than half the battle proved to be already gained in that
quarter. The writing-table was covered with sheets of foolscap, and
Mrs. Pugh was hard at work copying the petition which Mr. Harvey
Anderson had kindly assisted in composing, and which the aunt and niece
had intended to have brought to the Grange for Mrs. Rivers's approval
that very day. Harvey Anderson had spent the evening at Mrs. Ledwich's
in drawing it up, and giving his advice; and Flora, going over it word
for word with Mrs. Pugh, felt that it could hardly have been better
worded.

'He is a very clever, a very rising young man, and so feeling, said
Mrs. Ledwich to Mary while this was going on. 'In fact, he is a
perfect knight-errant on this subject. He is gone to London this
morning to see what can be done by means of the press. I tell Matilda
it is quite a romance of modern life;