pon the justice of the demand made
by these ladies, it has become the duty of my client as the head of
the Lovels, as being himself, without any doubt, the Earl Lovel of
the day, to investigate the claim made, and to see that no false
pretenders are allowed to wear the highly prized honours of his
family. Independently of the great property which is at stake, the
nature of which it will be my duty to explain to you, the question at
issue whether the elder lady be or be not Countess Lovel, and whether
the younger lady be or be not Lady Anna Lovel, has demanded the
investigation which could not adequately have been made without this
judicial array. I will now state frankly to you our belief that these
two ladies are fully entitled to the names which they claim to bear;
and I will add to that statement a stronger assurance of my own
personal conviction and that of my client that they themselves are
fully assured of the truth and justice of their demand. I think it
right also to let you know that since these inquiries were first
commenced, since the day for this trial was fixed, the younger of
these ladies has been residing with the uncle of my client, under
the same roof with my client, as an honoured and most welcome guest,
and there, in the face of the whole country, has received that
appellation of nobility from all the assembled members of my client's
family, to dispute which I apparently now stand before you on that
client's behalf." The rector of Yoxham, who was in court, shook
his head vehemently when the statement was made that Lady Anna had
been his welcome guest; but nobody was then regarding the rector of
Yoxham, and he shook his head in vain.

"You will at once ask why, if this be so, should the trial be
continued. 'As all is thus conceded,' you will say, 'that these two
ladies claim, whom in your indictment you have misnamed Murray, why
not, in God's name, give them their privileges, and the wealth which
should appertain to them, and release them from the persecution of
judicial proceedings?' In the first place I must answer that neither
my belief, nor that of my friends who are acting with me, nor even
that of my noble client himself, is sufficient to justify us in
abstaining from seeking a decision which shall be final as against
further claimants. If the young Earl should die, then would there be
another Earl, and that other Earl might also say, with grounds as
just as those on which we have acted, that th