by those of the woman who, of
all the world, ought to have believed, if she could, in the innocence of
her lover. He did not even fear the cross-examination which he expected
to follow. No amount of skill on the part of Orcutt could extract other
than the truth, and the truth was that Imogene believed the prisoner to
be the murderer of his aunt. He, therefore, surveyed the court-room with
a smile, and awaited the somewhat slow proceedings of his opponent with
equanimity.

But, to the surprise of every one, Mr. Orcutt, after a short
consultation with the prisoner, rose and said he had no questions to put
to the witness.

And Miss Dare was allowed to withdraw from the stand, to the great
satisfaction of Mr. Ferris, who found himself by this move in a still
better position than he had anticipated.

"Byrd," whispered Hickory, as Miss Dare returned somewhat tremulously to
her former seat among the witnesses--"Byrd, you could knock me over with
a feather. I thought the defence would have no difficulty in riddling
this woman's testimony, and they have not even made the effort. Can it
be that Orcutt has such an attachment for her that he is going to let
his rival hang?"

"No. Orcutt isn't the man to deliberately lose a case for any woman. He
looks at Miss Dare's testimony from a different standpoint than you do.
He believes what she says to be true, and you do not."

"Then, all I've got to say, 'So much the worse for Mansell!'" was the
whispered response. "He was a fool to trust his case to that man."

The judge, the jury, and all the by-standers in court, it must be
confessed, shared the opinion of Hickory--Mr. Orcutt was standing on
slippery ground.

XXIX.

THE OPENING OF THE DEFENCE.

Excellent! I smell a device.--TWELFTH NIGHT.

LATE that afternoon the prosecution rested. It had made out a case of
great strength and seeming impregnability. Favorably as every one was
disposed to regard the prisoner, the evidence against him was such that,
to quote a man who was pretty free with his opinions in the lobby of the
court-room: "Orcutt will have to wake up if he is going to clear his man
in face of facts like these."

The moment, therefore, when this famous lawyer and distinguished
advocate rose to open the defence, was one of great interest to more
than the immediate actors in the scene. It was felt that hitherto he had
rather idled with his case, and curiosity was awake to his future
course. Ind