ieve me, I have
thought of that."

"I know you have, Sir Peregrine,--and therefore it cannot be."

"But therefore it shall be. The world knows it now; and were we to
be separated after what has past, the world would say that I--I had
thought you guilty of this crime."

"I must bear all that." And now she stood before him, not looking him
in the face, but with her face turned down towards the ground, and
speaking hardly above her breath.

"By heavens, no; not whilst I can stand by your side. Not whilst I
have strength left to support you and thrust the lie down the throat
of such a wretch as Joseph Mason. No, Mary, go back to Edith and tell
her that you have tried it, but that there is no escape for you." And
then he smiled at her. His smile at times could be very pleasant!

But she did not smile as she answered him. "Sir Peregrine," she said;
and she endeavoured to raise her face to his but failed.

"Well, my love."

"Sir Peregrine, I am guilty."

"Guilty! Guilty of what?" he said, startled rather than instructed by
her words.

"Guilty of all this with which they charge me." And then she threw
herself at his feet, and wound her arms round his knees.

CHAPTER XLV

SHOWING HOW MRS. ORME COULD BE VERY WEAK MINDED

I venture to think, I may almost say to hope, that Lady Mason's
confession at the end of the last chapter will not have taken anybody
by surprise. If such surprise be felt I must have told my tale badly.
I do not like such revulsions of feeling with regard to my characters
as surprises of this nature must generate. That Lady Mason had
committed the terrible deed for which she was about to be tried, that
Mr. Furnival's suspicion of her guilt was only too well founded, that
Mr. Dockwrath with his wicked ingenuity had discovered no more than
the truth, will, in its open revelation, have caused no surprise to
the reader;--but it did cause terrible surprise to Sir Peregrine
Orme.

And now we must go back a little and endeavour to explain how it was
that Lady Mason had made this avowal of her guilt. That she had not
intended to do so when she entered Sir Peregrine's library is very
certain. Had such been her purpose she would not have asked Mrs. Orme
to visit her at Orley Farm. Had such a course of events been in her
mind she would not have spoken of her departure from The Cleeve as
doubtful. No. She had intended still to keep her terrible secret to
herself; still to have leaned upon Sir Pereg