ols, and it is quite possible many, if not all, of those
beastly letters were written at this very table!"

The conviction in his tone brought forth a protest from Chloe.

"Dr. Anstice, have you really made up your mind that my poor Tochatti is
the criminal? It seems to me that your evidence is very flimsy--after
all some uneducated person might quite easily put those inverted commas
wrong without being a foreigner; and I still disbelieve in Tochatti's
power to write. Besides"--she paused a moment--"she has always served me
with so much devotion. She is not perfect, I know, but none of us is
that; and I have never, never seen anything in her manner which would
lead me to suppose her to be the hypocrite, the ungrateful, heartless
creature you seem to imply she is."

Listening to Chloe's words, watching the clear colour flood the marble
whiteness of her cheeks, Anstice was struck by the curious contrast
between this generous championship of a woman who had served her and her
utter indifference and lack of all protest when it was her own innocence
which was in question. In defence of her servant she spoke warmly,
vehemently, unwilling apparently, to allow even mere acquaintances to
look upon the woman as unworthy; yet she had rarely expressed in words
her own entire innocence of the disgraceful charge which had been made
against her; and had suffered the cruel injustice meted out to her
without allowing its iron to enter into her soul.

And as he watched and listened Anstice told himself that there was
something of nobility in this reluctance to accept her own acquittal at
the cost of another's condemnation; yet his determination to see her
righted never wavered; and he answered her impassioned speech in a cool
and measured tone.

"Mrs. Carstairs, I think you will agree with me that the person who was
capable of carrying out such a gigantic piece of deceit, carrying it
through to the extent of allowing an innocent person to be found guilty
for her offence, must be capable of a good deal more in the way of
hypocrisy. I don't say for certain that your maid has written these
letters; I don't yet know enough to convict her, or anyone else; but I
do say that if it were she who stood by and allowed you to suffer for
her wickedness, well, she is fully capable of living with you on terms
of apparently, the most respectful devotion--and hating you in her heart
all the while."

"But why should she hate me?" Chloe's tone expres