ou mean that I couldn't save him from hanging if I only told it to
you?"

"Yes, I mean that," replied the doctor.

"Who do you want to come up?" said the girl presently. "Nay, I don't
care who comes now. I did it, and there'll soon be an end to it. Let
'em come, whoever they may be!"

In a few seconds Judge Bolitho and the other man came into the room.
The doctor whispered to the judge.

"There must be someone else," said the judge. "I am afraid my evidence
would be valueless, although I want to be here. You see, I'm Paul's
father."

"Wait a minute," said the doctor, and he ran quickly downstairs. "Mrs.
Cronkshaw," he said. "Come into the bedroom at once!"

The girl who lay upon the bed looked from one face to another, as if
wondering what was happening.

"Give me some strengthening stuff," she said, "or I shall noan be able
to speak."

While the doctor poured some liquid into a glass, the judge passed
round to the other side of the bed, while the lawyer--Crashawe by
name--sat under the light with writing materials to hand. The woman
who went by the name of Cronkshaw eagerly watched the proceedings, and
looked like one vastly curious.

"It wur like this 'ere," said the dying girl. "Ned Wilson courted me,
and he promised me that he'd marry me. He did it on the quiet, nobody
knew, and I, like a fool, trusted him. Ay, but I wur fond on him. You
see, well, I knowed I wur a good-looking lass, but I wur always a bit
rough, and it seemed wonderful to me that a great gentleman like he
should have cared owt for me. And when we had met two or three times,
and he told me that he loved me, I wur ready to worship the very ground
he walked on! As I told you, he promised to marry me; ay, and it were
his duty to do so, too, for I wur i' trouble. Then he tried to get me
out of Brunford, but I wouldn't go. I tried to make him stand by his
word. As you know, people said as 'ow he wur going to marry Miss
Bolitho, but I wouldn't believe that. Ned had promised me fair. He
swore to me by the God above us that he'd marry me. Then I saw in the
Brunford paper it wur arranged that he should marry Miss Bolitho. For
a day or two I think I wur mad, and he kept out o' the way o' me. Then
I axed him about it, and he laughed at me. He said he wur only joking
when he promised to marry me, and that a lass like I couldn't expect
him to throw away his life by marrying a mill girl. He offered me
brass to leave the town--a