crowded
court, which hummed like a hive of startled bees. The superintendent of
police, who, I imagine, had his own opinion of Sir John Bell and of the
value of his evidence, very kindly placed a chair for me in the dock,
and there on that bad eminence I sat to be studied by a thousand curious
and for the most part unsympathetic eyes. Lady Colford had been very
popular. Her husband and relations, who were convinced of my guilt
and sought to be avenged upon me, were very powerful, therefore the
fashionable world of Dunchester, which was doctored by Sir John Bell,
was against me almost to a woman.

The jury were long in coming back, and in time I accustomed myself
to the staring and comments, and began to think out the problem of my
position. It was clear to me that, so far as my future was concerned,
it did not matter what verdict the jury gave. In any case I was a ruined
man in this and probably in every other country. And there, opposite to
me, sat the villain who with no excuse of hot blood or the pressure of
sudden passion, had deliberately sworn away my honour and livelihood. He
was chatting easily to one of the counsel for the Crown, when presently
he met my eyes and in them read my thoughts. I suppose that the man had
a conscience somewhere; probably, indeed, his treatment of me had not
been premeditated, but was undertaken in a hurry to save himself from
well-merited attack. The lie once told there was no escape for him, who
henceforth must sound iniquity to its depths.

Suddenly, in the midst of his conversation, Sir John became silent and
his lips turned pale and trembled; then, remarking abruptly that he
could waste no more time on this miserable business, he rose and left
the court. Evidently the barrister to whom he was talking had observed
to what this change of demeanour was due, for he looked first at me in
the dock and next at Sir John Bell as, recovering his pomposity, he made
his way through the crowd. Then he grew reflective, and pushing his wig
back from his forehead he stared at the ceiling and whistled to himself
softly.

It was very evident that the jury found a difficulty in making up their
minds, for minute after minute went by and still they did not return.
Indeed, they must have been absent quite an hour and a half when
suddenly the superintendent of police removed the chair which he had
given me and informed me that "they" were coming.

With a curious and impersonal emotion, as a man migh