o put an end to herself. His first thought was to
rush up to his friend, Constant, to seek his advice. Perhaps Constant
knew something of the affair. The prisoner knew the two were in not
infrequent communication. It is possible--my lord and gentlemen of the
jury, I do not wish to follow the methods of the prosecution and confuse
theory with fact, so I say it is possible--that Mr. Constant had
supplied her with the L25 to leave the country. He was like a brother to
her, perhaps even acted imprudently in calling upon her, though neither
dreamed of evil. It is possible that he may have encouraged her in her
abnegation and in her altruistic aspirations, perhaps even without
knowing their exact drift, for does he not speak in his very last letter
of the fine female characters he was meeting, and the influence for good
he had over individual human souls? Still, this we can now never know,
unless the dead speak or the absent return. It is also not impossible
that Miss Dymond was entrusted with the L25 for charitable purposes. But
to come back to certainties. The prisoner consulted Mr. Constant about
the letter. He then ran to Miss Dymond's lodgings in Stepney Green,
knowing beforehand his trouble would be futile. The letter bore the
postmark of Devonport. He knew the girl had an aunt there; possibly she
might have gone to her. He could not telegraph, for he was ignorant of
the address. He consulted his 'Bradshaw,' and resolved to leave by the
5:30 a. m. from Paddington, and told his landlady so. He left the letter
in the 'Bradshaw,' which ultimately got thrust among a pile of papers
under the sofa, so that he had to get another. He was careless and
disorderly, and the key found by Mr. Wimp in his sofa must have lain
there for some years, having been lost there in the days when he
occupied the bedroom afterward rented by Mr. Constant. Afraid to miss
his train, he did not undress on that distressful night. Meantime the
thought occurred to him that Jessie was too clever a girl to leave so
easy a trail, and he jumped to the conclusion that she would be going to
her married brother in America, and had gone to Devonport merely to bid
her aunt farewell. He determined therefore to get to Liverpool, without
wasting time at Devonport, to institute inquiries. Not suspecting the
delay in the transit of the letter, he thought he might yet stop her,
even at the landing-stage or on the tender. Unfortunately his cab went
slowly in the fog, he