the circumstances, and remembered what she had said to him, it seemed
as though a cold hand had gripped his heart, and it convinced him that
it was she in spite of himself. Considering all the events, he could
think of no one else who was likely to commit the deed; and so, while
he determined to fight to the very last, he could at least do his
utmost to keep any shadow of suspicion from falling on her.

Great as the excitement had been on the previous day's trial, it
seemed, if possible, greater now, or rather it was an excitement of a
different nature. Hitherto a sense of strangeness and wonder had
predominated; a morbid curiosity and a desire for sensationalism had
possessed the minds and hearts of those who had witnessed the trial.
But to-day another element was added--an element of terror. On the
previous days there had been a suggestion of a stage trial. Many,
although they had breathlessly followed the evidence given, did not
seem to realise that it might end in death. But that was all over now.
The inwardness of everything, the ghastly issues of the scene, became
tremendously real. All felt that now Paul Stepaside was indeed
fighting for his life. The shadow of the scaffold rested upon him. A
thousand unseen enemies seemed to be there trying to drag him to his
doom. And he, unaided and alone, had to meet not only the terrible
charge which was laid against him, but a kind of fiendish cleverness
with which that charge had been urged. Men held their breath as he
entered the dock; reporters forgot their duty as they watched his face;
the jurymen, bearing in mind the terrible speech which Mr. Bakewell had
delivered on the previous evening, and believing that nothing could
remove the impression of that speech, looked on him with gloomy
interest. Even the judge, legal machine as he appeared to be, showed
more than ordinary interest and seemed to be wondering what he had to
say for himself.

To all appearance, indeed, Paul was the most self-possessed man in the
court. Pale he was, it is true, but upright, clear-sighted,
determined. Unversed as he was in the intricacies of the law and
possessing none of the experience which characterised the counsel for
the prosecution, Mr. Bakewell felt that here indeed was a foeman worthy
of his steel, and that had he been trained for the bar he would not
have long remained an obscure member of that learned profession.

The formalities of the day were quickly gone throu