a sea of faces, the
faces of all sorts of men, and of not a few women, all waiting for the
appearance of the prisoner. Suddenly at the back of this tightly-packed
throng there arose a slight commotion, caused by a wild, unkempt man
pushing his way through the doorway into the middle of the crowd. His
hair was long and matted, his clothes were torn and covered with clay,
his face was anxious yet determined. Having wedged himself into the
living mass, his identity soon became merged and lost in the multitude
of men, work-stained and way-worn like himself. For almost the entire
population of Canvas Town was assembled to hear the case against
Scarlett; the aristocratic members of the League had come to see what
fate awaited their president; solitary "hatters" had come to witness
the discomfiture of "the boss of the toffs"; the female portion of the
concourse had been attracted by the romance which was believed to
underlie the tragedy; while the townsmen were there out of sympathy with
the young banker whom they had all known. Filling all available space in
the hall and overflowing into the great quadrangle outside, this motley
crowd discussed the case against Scarlett in all its bearings, though
there was a dense ignorance on the part of the critics as to the
evidence that would be called. To everything he heard the wild,
unkempt man turned a deaf ear; regarding, as he undoubtedly did, the
self-appointed judges around him with silent contempt and some degree
of amusement.

At length the door of the jury-room opened, and the head of a Grand
Juror was thrust out. To him a constable immediately whispered. The
Grand Jury had come to a decision, and the Judge was summoned from his
room.

No sooner had the great man taken his seat, than amid a murmur of
excitement the prisoner was placed in the dock. He looked thin and
care-worn. On his legs were heavy irons, and handcuffs were upon his
wrists. Otherwise he was as when first arrested; he wore the same
riding-breeches and leggings, and the same tweed coat.

Then the Grand Jury filed solemnly in, and stood in a big semicircle
between the barrier and the Court, the foreman standing a little in
front of his fellows.

"Mr. Foreman and gentlemen of the Grand Jury, how do you find in the
case of John Richard Scarlett, charged with the murder of Isaac Zahn?"

"A true bill, Your Honour," answered the foreman.

"How do you find in the case of John Richard Scarlett, charged with the