the case may not be encumbered with irrelevant
matter.

Counsel replied that the correspondence would be made evidence in the
case. _(To the witness.)_--"You wrote this letter to Lady Bassett?"

"Yes."

"And every word in it?"

"And every word in it," faltered Bassett, now ashy pale, for he began
to see the trap.

"Then you wrote this word 'character,' and this word 'injured,' and
this word--"

_The Judge_ (peevishly).--He tells you he wrote every word in those
letters to Lady Bassett.--What more would you have?

_Counsel._--If your lordship will be good enough to examine the
correspondence, and compare those words in it I have underlined with
the same words in the anonymous letter, you will perhaps find I know my
business better than you seem to think. (The counsel who ventured on
this remonstrance was a sergeant.)

"Brother Eitherside," said the judge, with a charming manner, "you
satisfied me of that, to my cost, long ago, whenever I had you against
me in a case. Please hand me the letters."

While the judge was making a keen comparison, counsel continued the
cross-examination.

"You are aware that this letter caused a separation between Sir Charles
Bassett and the lady he was engaged to?"

"I know nothing about it."

"Indeed! Well, were you acquainted with the Miss Somerset mentioned in
this letter?"

"Slightly."

"You have been at her house?"

"Once or twice."

"Which? Twice is double as often as once, you know."

"Twice."

"No more?"

"Not that I recollect."

"You wrote to her?"

"I may have."

"Did you, or did you not?"

"I did."

"What was the purport of that letter?"

"I can't recollect at this distance of time."

"On your oath, sir, did you not write urging her to co-operate with you
to keep Sir Charles Bassett from marrying his affianced, Miss Bella
Bruce, to whom that anonymous letter was written with the same object?"

The perspiration now rolled in visible drops down the tortured liar's
face. Yet still, by a gigantic effort, he stood firm, and even planted
a blow.

"I did not write the anonymous letter. But I believe I told Miss
Somerset I loved Miss Bruce, and that _her_ lover was robbing me of
mine, as he had robbed me of everything else."

"And that was all you said--on your oath?"

"All I can recollect." With this the strong man, cowed, terrified,
expecting his letter to Somerset to be produced, and so the iron chain
of evidence completed, gasped out, "Man,