n's sake!" she cried, springing to her feet. "It was the
thing I wanted least. What did you tell him? Oh, what did ye tell him?"
she asked excitedly.

"I told him nothing," I answered.

"You think you didn't, dearest," she answered; "but it's not in your
nature to keep a secret. 'Tis because you're a fine gentleman, with
never a thought in your life that needs hiding; but it's bad in law!
Stay away from Hugh Pitcairn, dearest. Stay away from him!"

"Nancy," said I, and my flattered vanity softened my tone, "I don't
understand your conduct at all; for, as far as I can see, you seem to
have done all ye could to get Danvers Carmichael hanged----"

"Seemed, Jock," she said, "only seemed! Ye might trust me a bit
more----"

"And you're called for the prosecution----"

"Naturally," she returned, unmoved.

And here I just stared at her for a minute, and turned with a bit of
temper showing in my conduct and left the room.

The same evening I was further blindfolded by a visit from Mr.
Magendie, the London lawyer, who by Nancy's thought (although I did not
recognize her suggestion in the matter at the time, so deftly was it
made) had been brought up to Edinburgh for Danvers's defense. I found
this renowned gentleman of a slight, wiry build, below the medium
height, with a distinguished head, covered with thick silver hair, hawk
eyes, and a nose which turned downward like a beak. There was a Sabbath
calm in his manner; his voice was gentle and suave, and his most
pertinent statements came as mere suggestions. He had, I noticed, the
very rare quality of fixing his whole attention on the one to whom he
listened, and of putting his own personality somewhere aside as he held
up the speaker to the strong light of a mind trained for inspection. I
found after the interview that I had told him almost everything that I
had said, done, or imagined since my birth, and at remembrance of it,
recalled Nancy's inquiries concerning my talk with Hugh, and prayed
Heaven I had not been equally indiscreet before that block of steel.

It was as the London man was leaving the house that the blindfolding of
me was begun anew by Huey MacGrath entering with a note, saying that
Nancy would like to have Mr. Magendie come to her sitting-room on the
second floor. I paced up and down the lower hall, perplexed in mind and
sick with dread of the horror hanging over us, yet with something in my
heart which told me that, in spite of Hugh's statements, Na