pon withal. I
suppose it would be superfluous for me to suggest that you mind your
eye?"

"I shouldn't, in any case, try to cut out a man who is under a cloud," I
replied sulkily.

"Of course you wouldn't; hence the need of attention to the ophthalmic
member. Have you ascertained what Miss Gibson's actual relation is to
Reuben Hornby?"

"No," I answered.

"It might be worth while to find out," said Thorndyke; and then he
relapsed into silence.

CHAPTER VI

COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

Thorndyke's hint as to the possible danger foreshadowed by my growing
intimacy with Juliet Gibson had come upon me as a complete surprise, and
had, indeed, been resented by me as somewhat of an impertinence.
Nevertheless, it gave me considerable food for meditation, and I
presently began to suspect that the watchful eyes of my observant friend
might have detected something in my manner towards Miss Gibson
suggestive of sentiments that had been unsuspected by myself.

Of course it would be absurd to suppose that any real feeling could have
been engendered by so ridiculously brief an acquaintance. I had only met
the girl three times, and even now, excepting for business relations,
was hardly entitled to more than a bow of recognition. But yet, when I
considered the matter impartially and examined my own consciousness, I
could not but recognise that she had aroused in me an interest which
bore no relation to the part that she had played in the drama that was
so slowly unfolding. She was undeniably a very handsome girl, and her
beauty was of a type that specially appealed to me--full of dignity and
character that gave promise of a splendid middle age. And her
personality was in other ways not less attractive, for she was frank and
open, sprightly and intelligent, and though evidently quite
self-reliant, was in nowise lacking in that womanly softness that so
strongly engages a man's sympathy.

In short, I realised that, had there been no such person as Reuben
Hornby, I should have viewed Miss Gibson with uncommon interest.

But, unfortunately, Reuben Hornby was a most palpable reality, and,
moreover, the extraordinary difficulties of his position entitled him to
very special consideration by any man of honour. It was true that Miss
Gibson had repudiated any feelings towards Reuben other than those of
old-time friendship; but young ladies are not always impartial judges of
their own feelings, and, as a man of the world, I could not