not tell? Why were they
two together, seeing that they passed each other day by day without
intercourse? And so she watched with anxious eyes till they parted,
and then she saw that Lucius stood idly on the terrace swinging his
stick as he looked down the hill towards the orchard below him. He
would not have stood thus calmly had he already heard his mother's
shame. This she knew, and having laid aside her immediate fears she
retreated back to her chair. No; she would not tell him: at any rate
till the trial should be over.

CHAPTER LXI

THE STATE OF PUBLIC OPINION

The day of the trial was now quickly coming on, and the London world,
especially the world of lawyers, was beginning to talk much on the
subject. Men about the Inns of Court speculated as to the verdict,
offering to each other very confident opinions as to the result, and
offering, on some occasions, bets as well as opinions. The younger
world of barristers was clearly of opinion that Lady Mason was
innocent; but a portion, an unhappy portion, was inclined to fear,
that, in spite of her innocence, she would be found guilty. The elder
world of barristers was not, perhaps, so demonstrative, but in that
world the belief in her innocence was not so strong, and the fear of
her condemnation much stronger. The attorneys, as a rule, regarded
her as guilty. To the policeman's mind every man not a policeman is
a guilty being, and the attorneys perhaps share something of this
feeling. But the attorneys to a man expected to see her acquitted.
Great was their faith in Mr. Furnival; great their faith in Solomon
Aram; but greater than in all was their faith in Mr. Chaffanbrass. If
Mr. Chaffanbrass could not pull her through, with a prescription of
twenty years on her side, things must be very much altered indeed in
our English criminal court. To the outer world, that portion of the
world which had nothing to do with the administration of the law, the
idea of Lady Mason having been guilty seemed preposterous. Of course
she was innocent, and of course she would be found to be innocent.
And of course, also, that Joseph Mason of Groby Park was, and would
be found to be, the meanest, the lowest, the most rapacious of
mankind.

And then the story of Sir Peregrine's attachment and proposed
marriage, joined as it was to various hints of the manner in which
that marriage had been broken off, lent a romance to the whole
affair, and added much to Lady Mason's popularit