tue, unable to collect her convictions in the hubbub,
and the trust, that would have enabled her to defy all this, swept away
from her by the morning's transactions. Yet still there was a hope
that appearances might be delusive, and an habitual low estimate of Mr.
Grey's powers that made her set on looking with her own eyes, not with
his.

His first question was about the children's names and their friends, and
this led to the despatching of a message to the mother and aunt. He then
inquired about the terms on which they had been placed at St. Norbert's,
and Rachel, who was obliged to reply, felt under his clear, stringent
questions, keeping close to the point, a good deal more respect for his
powers than she had hitherto entertained. That dry way of his was rather
overwhelming. When it came to the children themselves, Rachel watched,
not without a hope that the clear masculine intellect would detect Fanny
in a more frightened woman's fancy, and bring the F. U. E. E. off with
flying colours.

Little Mary Morris stood forth valiant and excited. She was eleven years
old, and intelligent enough to make it evident that she knew what
she was about. The replies were full. The blows were described, with
terrible detail of the occasions and implements. Still Rachel remembered
the accusation of Mary's truth. She tried to doubt.

"I saw her with a bruised eye," said the Colonel's unexpected voice in a
pause. "How was that?"

"Please, sir, Mrs. Rawlins hit me with her fist because I had only done
seven sprigs. She knocked me down, and I did not come to for ever so
long."

And not only this, and the like sad narratives, but each child bore the
marks in corroboration of the words, which were more reluctant and more
hoarse from Lovedy, but even more effective. Rachel doubted no more
after the piteous sight of those scarred shoulders, and the pinched
feeble face; but one thing was plain, namely, that Mr. Mauleverer had
no share in the cruelties. Even such severities as had been perpetrated
while he was in the house, had, Mary thought, been protested against by
him, but she had seldom seen him, he paid all his visits in the little
parlour, and took no notice of the children except to prepare the
tableau for public inspection. Mr. Grey, looking at his notes, said that
there was full evidence to justify issuing a summons against the woman
for assaulting the children, and proceeded to ask her name. Then while
there was a question wh