ngs as soon as they heard that the diamonds had been stolen?"

Soft as he was in his manner, he nearly reduced Lizzie Eustace to
fainting. It seemed to her that the questions would never end. It was
in vain that the magistrate pointed out to the learned gentleman that
Lady Eustace had confessed her own false swearing, both at Carlisle
and in London, a dozen times. He continued his questions over and
over again, harping chiefly on the affair at Carlisle, and saying
very little as to the second robbery in Hertford Street. His idea was
to make it appear that Lizzie had arranged the robbery with the view
of defrauding Mr. Camperdown, and that Lord George Carruthers was
her accomplice. He even asked her, almost in a whisper, and with the
sweetest smile, whether she was not engaged to marry Lord George.
When Lizzie denied this, he still suggested that some such alliance
might be in contemplation. Upon this, Frank Greystock called upon the
magistrate to defend Lady Eustace from such unnecessary vulgarity,
and there was a scene in the court. Lizzie did not like the scene,
but it helped to protect her from the contemplation of the public,
who of course were much gratified by high words between two
barristers.

Lady Eustace was forced to remain in the private room during the
examination of Patience Crabstick and Mr. Cann; and she did not hear
it. Patience was a most obdurate and difficult witness,--extremely
averse to say evil of herself, and on that account unworthy
of the good things which she had received. But Billy Cann was
charming,--graceful, communicative, and absolutely accurate. There
was no shaking him. The learned and acute gentleman who tried to tear
him in pieces could do nothing with him. He was asked whether he had
not been a professional thief for ten years. "Ten or twelve," he
said. Did he expect that any juryman would believe him on his oath?
"Not unless I am fully corroborated." "Can you look that man in the
face,--that man who is at any rate so much honester than yourself?"
asked the learned gentleman with pathos. Billy said that he thought
he could, and the way in which he smiled upon Smiler caused a roar
through the whole court.

The two men were, as a matter of course, committed for trial at the
Central Criminal Court, and Lizzie Eustace was bound by certain
penalties to come forward when called upon, and give her evidence
again. "I am glad that it is over," said Frank, as he left her at
Mrs. Carbuncle'