er drop. But, knowing Lloyd as I did, I am convinced that,
had he suspected his wife really was _alive_, he would have killed her,
for he worshipped that baby. Many a night I have been wakened by his
calling: 'Baby-tot! baby-tot!' in heart-rending tones in his sleep, as
I told Senator Warren this morning."

"Why did you not relate this narrative when you testified yesterday?"
asked the judge advocate, after Warren signified that he could
cross-examine Goddard.

"Because I never connected Lloyd's unhappy married life with the cause
of his murder. I thought his wife was dead."

"Did you ever see Captain Lloyd--Captain Irving's wife?"

"No, sir. You can prove my statements by going to the village where the
child is buried. I don't doubt you can find some farmers who can
identify Mrs. Irving."

"Then you have no direct proof to adduce that Mrs. Irving and Mrs.
Bennett are one and the same person?"

"I have no such proof," admitted Goddard, "but any one of average
intelligence----" His hot-tempered speech was interrupted by a request
that the judge advocate see Mrs. Bennett, who had regained
consciousness.

Interest was keyed to the highest pitch, and the judge advocate's
return to the room was hailed by a low murmur of suppressed excitement.
He laid down a paper and announced gravely: "Mrs. Bennett has
confessed."

For the moment there was absolute stillness; then spontaneous applause
broke out from Nancy's friends, which was instantly checked by Colonel
Andrews.

"In her signed confession Mrs. Bennett states that she _is_ Mrs.
Irving," continued the judge advocate. "She bribed a poor woman who was
sailing on that ill-fated ship to assume her name, thinking it would
mislead her husband should he try to find her. When she heard the woman
was drowned Mrs. Irving considered that she was safe. She altered her
appearance by dyeing her hair and by other artificial means. Her
pleasing address and good education assisted her, together with a
forged reference, in securing a position as companion to a rich
invalid. Some months after that she heard of the death of her child,
and she considered one of the links binding her to the past had been
broken. Two years went by; then she met Colonel Bennett at Saratoga,
and three months later they were married.

"Mrs. Irving states that she spent December and the first part of
January in the North, and only returned to Washington the day before
Senator Warren's supper party. On he