"Am I suspected of anything
wrong?"

"There is a suspicion that Mr. James Smith has been murdered," was the
answer I received to that question.

My flesh began to creep all over from head to foot.

"I am shocked--I am horrified to say," Mr. Philip went on, "that the
suspicion affects your mistress in the first place, and you in the
second."

I shall not attempt to describe what I felt when he said that. No words
of mine, no words of anybody's, could give an idea of it. What other men
would have done in my situation I don't know. I stood before Mr. Philip,
staring straight at him, without speaking, without moving, almost
without breathing. If he or any other man had struck me at that moment,
I do not believe I should have felt the blow.

"Both my brother and myself," said Mr. Philip, "have such unfeigned
respect for your mistress, such sympathy for her under these frightful
circumstances, and such an implicit belief in her capability of proving
her innocence, that we are desirous of sparing her in this dreadful
emergency as much as possible. For those reasons, I have undertaken to
come here with the persons appointed to execute my brother's warrant--"

"Warrant, sir!" I said, getting command of my voice as he pronounced
that word--"a warrant against my mistress!"

"Against her and against you," said Mr. Philip. "The suspicious
circumstances have been sworn to by a competent witness, who has
declared on oath that your mistress is guilty, and that you are an
accomplice."

"What witness, sir?"

"Your mistress's quadroon maid, who came to my brother this morning, and
who has made her deposition in due form."

"And who is as false as hell," I cried out passionately, "in every word
she says against my mistress and against me."

"I hope--no, I will go further, and say I believe she is false,"
said Mr. Philip. "But her perjury must be proved, and the necessary
examination must take place. My carriage is going back to my brother's,
and you will go in it, in charge of one of my men, who has the warrant
to take you in custody. I shall remain here with the man who is waiting
in the hall; and before any steps are taken to execute the other
warrant, I shall send for the doctor to ascertain when your mistress can
be removed."

"Oh, my poor mistress!" I said, "this will be the death of her, sir."

"I will take care that the shock shall strike her as tenderly as
possible," said Mr. Philip. "I am here for that express pu