ionately.

"You hit it first time," he answered. "That is precisely my attitude.
The evidence against our poor friend was so peculiarly black. It would
take a great deal to make me disbelieve it."

"But surely a confession--"

"Ah, well, let me hear the confession, and then I shall be better able
to judge."

Even as he spoke Hilda had entered the room.

"There will be no difficulty about that, Mr. Mayfield. You shall hear
it, and I trust that it will make you repent for taking so black a view
of the case of your own client."

"Without prejudice, Miss Bannerman, without prejudice," said the lawyer,
with some confusion. "Our conversation is entirely between ourselves,
and to the world I have always upheld that your father was an innocent
man."

But such distinctions are too subtle for a loving woman.

"He WAS an innocent man," said she, angrily. "It was your business not
only to believe it, but to prove it. You have neither believed it nor
proved it; but if you will come upstairs with me, I will show you that I
have done both."

Mayfield glanced at me and shrugged his fat shoulders. Hilda had led
the way, and we both followed her. In the room of the sick man our other
witnesses were waiting: a tall, dark, austere man who was introduced to
me as Dr. Blake Crawford, whose name I had heard as having watched the
case for Sebastian at the time of the investigation. There were present
also a commissioner of oaths, and Dr. Mayby, a small local practitioner,
whose attitude towards the great scientist was almost absurdly
reverential. The three men were grouped at the foot of the bed, and
Mayfield and I joined them. Hilda stood beside the dying man, and
rearranged the pillow against which he was propped. Then she held some
brandy to his lips. "Now!" said she.

The stimulant brought a shade of colour into his ghastly cheeks, and the
old quick, intelligent gleam came back into his deep sunk eyes.

"A remarkable woman, gentlemen," said he, "a very noteworthy woman.
I had prided myself that my willpower was the most powerful in the
country--I had never met any to match it--but I do not mind admitting
that, for firmness and tenacity, this lady is my equal. She was anxious
that I should adopt one course of action. I was determined to adopt
another. Your presence here is a proof that she has prevailed."

He paused for breath, and she gave him another small sip of the brandy.

"I execute her will ungrudgingly and with the c