ersonating his dead niece; and it is known that she did repeatedly
declare herself in the Asylum (where no one believed her) to be Lady
Glyde. These are all facts. What have you to set against them? Miss
Halcombe's recognition of the woman, which recognition after-events
invalidate or contradict. Does Miss Halcombe assert her supposed
sister's identity to the owner of the Asylum, and take legal means for
rescuing her? No, she secretly bribes a nurse to let her escape. When
the patient has been released in this doubtful manner, and is taken to
Mr. Fairlie, does he recognise her? Is he staggered for one instant in
his belief of his niece's death? No. Do the servants recognise her?
No. Is she kept in the neighbourhood to assert her own identity, and
to stand the test of further proceedings? No, she is privately taken to
London. In the meantime you have recognised her also, but you are not
a relative--you are not even an old friend of the family. The servants
contradict you, and Mr. Fairlie contradicts Miss Halcombe, and the
supposed Lady Glyde contradicts herself. She declares she passed the
night in London at a certain house. Your own evidence shows that she
has never been near that house, and your own admission is that her
condition of mind prevents you from producing her anywhere to submit to
investigation, and to speak for herself. I pass over minor points of
evidence on both sides to save time, and I ask you, if this case were
to go now into a court of law--to go before a jury, bound to take facts
as they reasonably appear--where are your proofs?"

I was obliged to wait and collect myself before I could answer him. It
was the first time the story of Laura and the story of Marian had been
presented to me from a stranger's point of view--the first time the
terrible obstacles that lay across our path had been made to show
themselves in their true character.

"There can be no doubt," I said, "that the facts, as you have stated
them, appear to tell against us, but----"

"But you think those facts can be explained away," interposed Mr.
Kyrle. "Let me tell you the result of my experience on that point.
When an English jury has to choose between a plain fact ON the surface
and a long explanation UNDER the surface, it always takes the fact in
preference to the explanation. For example, Lady Glyde (I call the
lady you represent by that name for argument's sake) declares she has
slept at a certain house, and it i