ng upon his soul. He could almost have seized Jerrold's hand and
thanked him; but proofs--proofs were what he needed. It was not his mind
that was to be convinced, it was "society" that must be satisfied of her
utter innocence, that it might be enabled to say, "Well, I never for a
moment believed a word of it." Link by link the chain of circumstantial
evidence must be destroyed, and this was only one.

"You mean that that letter was not intended for Miss Renwick?" he asked,
with eagerness he strove hard to repress.

"It was never meant for anybody," said Jerrold, the color coming back to
his face and courage to his eyes. "That letter was never sent by me to
any woman. It's my writing, of course, I can't deny that; but I never
even meant it to go. If it left that desk it must have been stolen. I've
been hunting high and low for it. I knew that such a thing lying around
loose would be the cause of mischief. God! is _that_ what all this fuss
is about?" And he looked warily, yet with infinite anxiety, into his
captain's eyes.

"There is far more to it, as you well know, sir," was the stern answer.
"For whom was this written, if not for her? It won't do to _half_ clear
her name."

"Answer me this, Captain Armitage. Do you mean that that letter has
compromised Miss Renwick?--that it is she whose name has been involved,
and that it was of her that Chester meant to speak?"

"Certainly it was,--and I too."

There was an instant's silence; then Jerrold began to laugh nervously:

"Oh, well, I fancy it isn't the first time the revered and respected
captain has got away off the track. All the same I do not mean to
overlook his language to me; and I may say right now, Captain Armitage,
that yours, too, calls for explanation."

"You shall have it in short order, Mr. Jerrold, and the sooner you
understand the situation the better. So far as I am concerned, Miss
Renwick needed no defender; but, thanks to your mysterious and
unwarranted absence from quarters two very unlucky nights, and to other
circumstances I have no need to name, and to your _penchant_ for
letter-writing of a most suggestive character, it _is_ Miss Renwick
whose name has been brought into question here at this post, and most
prominently so. In plain words, Mr. Jerrold, you who brought this
trouble upon her by your own misconduct must clear her, no matter at
whose expense, or--"

"Or what?"

"I make no threats. I prefer that you should make the proper
expl