--and they all expect to
become judges in the end--than to hang a relative of his own. Sir
Gilbert saw his opportunity when Miss King was brought up before him,
and the moment he became convinced of her guilt he summed up against
her in the most determined way."

"You may talk as you like, J. J., but no judge would do it."

"You have evidently a very low opinion of judges," said Meldon. "So
has Doyle. He thinks that they are all influenced by political
prejudices, and are ready to condemn a man who belongs to any League,
without waiting to find out whether he has committed a crime or not.
That's bad enough; but what you charge them with is infinitely worse.
You say that they are habitually guilty of nepotism--that is to say of
partiality to their own nieces, which is one of the worst crimes there
is in a judge, as bad as simony would be in a bishop."

"I don't say anything of the sort. I say--"

"Either you say that Miss King isn't his niece or you say that he
wouldn't try her for murder. You must be saying one or the other,
though you don't express yourself very distinctly, because there's
nothing else you could say."

"I don't, of course, agree with you," said the Major, after a pause.
"In fact, I think you're talking downright nonsense, but I'm not going
to argue with you. I'm--"

"I wish you'd always take up that attitude," said Meldon. "Your
arguments waste a lot of time."

"I'm just going to ask you one question. Supposing Miss King is Mrs.
Lorimer--"

"She is. There's no supposition about it."

"And supposing the judge tried her as you say--"

"That's in all the papers. There's no use attempting to deny that,
whatever else you deny."

"And supposing she's his niece--"

"Callaghan says the cook told him she was," said Meldon, "and it
appears that she kissed him when they met, which she'd hardly have done
if they weren't relations."

"Then," said the Major triumphantly, "how can you account for his going
to stay with her as if she hadn't done anything wrong?"

"I don't quite catch your point, Major."

"Is it likely that, knowing his niece to be a murderess, or at all
events believing her to be a murderess, a judge--a judge, mind you, J.
J.--would go and stay in the house with her, and kiss her?"

"It was she who kissed him," said Meldon, "but that's a minor point. I
see your difficulty now, Major, and I quite admit there's something in
it, or appears to be something in it to a man li