own account and make no communication to
anybody? Well, of course, I would rather you gave me all the facts and
let me proceed in the regular way; but if you make conditions I have no
choice but to accept them, seeing that you hold the cards."

Perceiving that the matter in hand was of a confidential nature, I
thought it best to take my departure, which I accordingly did, as soon
as I had ascertained that it wanted yet half-an-hour to the time at
which Mrs. Hornby and Juliet were due at the lawyer's office.

Mr. Lawley received me with stiffness that bordered on hostility. He was
evidently deeply offended at the subordinate part that he had been
compelled to play in the case, and was at no great pains to conceal the
fact.

"I am informed," said he, in a frosty tone, when I had explained my
mission, "that Mrs. Hornby and Miss Gibson are to meet you here. The
arrangement is none of my making; none of the arrangements in this case
are of my making. I have been treated throughout with a lack of ceremony
and confidence that is positively scandalous. Even now, I--the
solicitor for the defence--am completely in the dark as to what defence
is contemplated, though I fully expect to be involved in some ridiculous
fiasco. I only trust that I may never again be associated with any of
your hybrid practitioners. _Ne sutor ultra crepidam_, sir, is an
excellent motto; let the medical cobbler stick to his medical last."

"It remains to be seen what kind of boot he can turn out on the legal
last," I retorted.

"That is so," he rejoined; "but I hear Mrs. Hornby's voice in the outer
office, and as neither you nor I have any time to waste in idle talk, I
suggest that you make your way to the court without delay. I wish you
good morning!"

Acting on this very plain hint, I retired to the clerks' office, where I
found Mrs. Hornby and Juliet, the former undisguisedly tearful and
terrified, and the latter calm, though pale and agitated.

"We had better start at once," I said, when we had exchanged greetings.
"Shall we take a cab, or walk?"

"I think we will walk, if you don't mind," said Juliet. "Mrs. Hornby
wants to have a few words with you before we go into court. You see, she
is one of the witnesses, and she is terrified lest she should say
something damaging to Reuben."

"By whom was the subpoena served?" I asked.

"Mr. Lawley sent it," replied Mrs. Hornby, "and I went to see him about
it the very next day, but he wouldn't tel