ught Mr. Fox to his feet. For all his self-command, he had
been perceptibly growing more and more nervous as the examination
proceeded; and he found himself still in the dark as to his opponent's
purpose and the character of the revelations he had to fear. Turning
to the judge, he cried:

"This testimony is irrelevant and incompetent, and I ask to have it
stricken out."

Mr. Moffat's voice, as he arose to answer this, was like honey poured
upon gall.

"It is neither irrelevant nor incompetent, and, if it were, the objection
comes too late. My friend should have objected to the question."

"The whole course of counsel has been very unusual," began Mr. Fox.

"Yes, but so is the case. I beg your Honour to believe that, in some of
its features, this case is not only unusual, but almost without a
precedent. That it may be lightly understood, and justice shown my
client, a full knowledge of the whole family's experiences during those
fatal hours is not only desirable, but absolutely essential. I beg,
therefore, that my witness may be allowed to proceed and tell her story
in all its details. Nothing will be introduced which will not ultimately
be seen to have a direct bearing upon the attitude of my client towards
the crime for which he stands here arraigned."

"The motion is denied," declared the judge.

Mr. Fox sat down, to the universal relief of all but the two persons most
interested--Arthur and myself.

Mr. Moffat, generous enough or discreet enough to take no note of his
opponent's discomfiture, lifted a paper from the table and held it
towards the witness.

"Do you recognise these lines?" he asked, placing the remnants of my
half-burned communication in her hands.

She started at sight of them. Evidently she had never expected to see
them again.

"Yes," she answered, after a moment. "This is a portion of the note I
have mentioned."

"You recognise it as such?"

"I do."

Her eyes lingered on the scrap, and followed it as it was passed back and
marked as an exhibit.

Mr. Moffat recalled her to the matter in hand.

"What did you do next, Miss Cumberland?"

"I answered the note."

"May I ask to what effect?"

"I refused Mr. Ranelagh's request. I said that I could not do what he
asked, and told him to wait till the next day, and he would see how I
felt towards him and towards Adelaide. That was all. I could not write
much. I was suffering greatly."

"Suffering in mind, or suffering in body?"

"