Tummas”seyesburnedtroublously。
“I”vegotreetdowntakenwi”th”otherun，“heanswered。“He”snoangentry，buthe”sth”reetmak”。I——Idunnotbelieveashimaswaskilledhascoomback。”
“NeitherdoI，“Palliseranswered，withamiabletolerance。“TheAmericangentlemanhadbettercomebackhimselfanddisproveit。WhenyouusedtotalkabouttheKlondike，heneversaidanythingtomakeyoufeelasifhedoubtedthattheothermanwasdead？“
“Nothim，“answeredTummas。
“Eh！Tummas，whatartthatalkin”about？“exclaimedMrs。
Hibblethwaite，whowasmendingattheotherendoftheroom。“Iheerdhimsaymysel，`Supposeth”storyhadn”tbeentruean”hewasalivesomewherenow，it”dmakeabigchange，wouldna”it？”An”helaughed。”
“Ineverheerdhim，“saidTummas，instoutdenial。
“Tha”slosin”thamoind，“commentedhismother。“AssoonasIheerdth”talkabouthimrunnin”awayan”takin”th”madgentlemanwi”himI
rememberedit。An”Irememberedashesatstillafteritandsaidnowtforaminuteorso，sameasifhewasthinkin”thingsover。Theerwassummatabitqueeraboutit。”
“Ineverheerdhim，“Tummasasserted，obstinately，andshuthismouth。
“Hewereasreadytotalkaboutth”poorgentlemanasmetwithth”
accidentasthawertthysel”，Tummas，“Mrs。Hibblethwaiteproceeded，movedbytheopportunityofferedforpresentingherviewsontheexcitingtopic。“He”daxtheeawsortso”questionsaboutwhattha”dfoundoutwi”pumpin”foak。He”daxmequestionsnowan”agenaboutwhathewasloiketolookat，an”howtallhewur。OnctheaxedmeifIrememberedwhatsoarto”chinhehadan”howhespoke。”
“Itwurtosettheegoin”an”pleaseme，“volunteeredTummas，grudgingly。“Hediditsameashe”dlookatth”maptopleasemean”
tellmetalesaboutth”news-ladsi”NewYork。”
Ithadnotseemedimprobablethatavillagecrippletiedtoasofawouldbereadyenoughtorelateallheknew，andperhapssomuchmorethatitwouldbenecessarytousediscretioninselectingstatementsofvalue。Todropinandgivehimasovereignandlethimtalkhadappearedsimple。Ladsofhisclasslikedtobelistenedto，enjoyedenlarginguponandrenderingdramaticsuchmaterialashadfallenintotheirhands。ButTummaswasaneccentric，andinstinctledhimtocloselikeanoysterbeforearemotesenseofsubtlyapproachingattack。Itwashismother，nothe，whohadprovidedinformation；butitwasnotsufficientlyspecializedtobeworthmuch。
“Whatdidthasayhe”drunawayfur？“Tummassaidtohisparentlater。
“He”snotoneo”th”runnin”awaysoart。”
“Hehasprobablybeencalledawaybybusiness，“remarkedCaptainPalliser，asherosetogoafterafewminutes”casualtalkwithMrs。
Hibblethwaite。“Itwasamistakenottoleaveanaddressbehindhim。
Yourmotherismistakeninsayingthathetookthemadgentlemanwithhim。Hehadhimremovedlateatnightsometimebeforehewenthimself。”
“Takthasov”rin”，“saidTummas，asPallisermovedaway。“Ididnashowtheeth”atlas。Thadidnawanttoseeit。”
“Iwillleavethesovereignforyourmother，“saidPalliser。“I”msorryyouarenotinabetterhumor。”
Hisinterestintheatlashadindeedbeenlimitedtohisideathatitwouldleadtosubjectsoftalkwhichmightcastilluminatingside-
lightsandpossiblyopenupavenuesandvistas。Tummas，however，havinginstinctivelyfoundhimdispleasing，hehadgainedbutlittle。
Avenuesandvistaswerenecessary——avenuesthroughwhichthestepsofPalfordandGrimbymightwander，vistaswhichtheymightexplorewithhesitating，investigatingglances。Sofar，thesceneremainedunpromisinglyblank。TheAmericanTempleBarholmhadsimplydisappeared，ashadhismysteriouscharge。Stepslikelytoleadtodefiniteresultscanscarcelybetakenhopefullyinthecaseofapersonwhohasseemedtemporarilytoceasetoexist。Youcannotinterrogatehim，youcannotdemandinformation，whatsoeverthefoundationsuponwhichrestyouraccusations，ifsuchaccusationcanbelaunchedonlyintothinairandthefactthatthereisnobodytoreplyto——toacknowledgeorindignantlyrefutethem——isinitselfaseriousbarriertoaccomplishment。Itwasalsotruethatonlyafewweekshadelapsedsincetheaccusedhad，sotospeak，dematerialized。
ItwasalsoimpossibletocalculateuponwhatanAmericanofhisclassandpeculiaritieswouldbelikelytodoinanycircumstanceswhatever。
Inprivateconference，PalfordandGrimbyfranklyadmittedtoeachotherthattheywouldalmosthavepreferredthatCaptainPallisershouldhavekepthisremarkablesuspicionstohimself，forthetimebeingatleast。Yetwhentheyhadadmittedthistheywereconfrontedbythedisturbingpossibility——suggestedbyPalliser——thatactualcrimehadbeenormightbecommitted。Theyhadheardunpleasantstoriesofprivatelunaticasylumsandtheirlike。Thingstoshudderatmightbegoingonattheverymomenttheyspoketoeachother。
Underthispossibility，nosupinenesswouldbeexcusable。Effortstotracethemissingmanmustatleastbemade。Effortsweremade，butwithnoresult。Painfulasitwastoreflectonthesubjectoftheasylums，carefulprivateinquirywasmade，informationwasquietlycollected，therewereevenvisitstogruesomelyquietplacesonvariouspolitepretexts。
“Ifalongerperiodoftimehadelapsed，“Mr。Palfordremarkedseveraltimes，withsomestiffnessofmanner，“weshouldfeelthatwehadmoresolidfoundationforourpremises。”
“Perfectlyright，“CaptainPalliseragreedwithhim，“butitislapseoftimewhichmaymeanlifeordeathtoJemTempleBarholm；soit”sperhapsaswelltobeonthesafesideandgoonquietlyfollowingsmallclues。Idaresayyouwouldfeelmorecomfortableyourselves。”
BothMr。PalfordandMr。Grimby，havingmadeanappointmentwithMissAlicia，arrivedoneafternoonatTempleBarholmtotalktoherprivately，therebycastingherintoastateofagonizedanxietywhichreducedhertopallor。
“Ourvisitismerelyoneofinquiry，MissTempleBarholm，“Mr。Palfordbegan。“Thereisperhapsnothingalarminginourclient”sabsence。”
“Inthenotewhichheleftmeheaskedmeto——feelnoanxiety，“MissAliciasaid。
“Heleftyouanoteofexplanation？Iwishwehadknownthisearlier！“
Mr。Palford”stonehadthenoteofrelievedexclamation。Perhapstherewasanentirelysimplesolutionofthepainfuldifficulty。
Buthishopehadbeentoosanguine。
“Itwasnotanoteofexplanation，exactly。Hewentawaytoosuddenlytohavetimetoexplain。”
Thetwomenlookedateachotherdisturbedly。
“Hehadnotmentionedtoyouhisintentionofgoing？“askedMr。
Grimby。
“Ifeelsurehedidnotknowhewasgoingwhenhesaidgood-night。HeremainedwithCaptainPallisertalkingforsometime。”MissAlicia”seyesheldwaveringandanxiousquestionasshelookedfromonetotheother。Shewonderedhowmuchmorethanherselfhervisitorsknew。“Hefoundatelegramwhenhewenttohisroom。ItcontainedmostdisquietingnewsaboutMr。Strangeways。He——hehadgotawayfromtheplacewhere”
“Gotaway！“Mr。Palfordwasagainexclamatory。“Washeinsomeinstitutionwherehewaskeptunderrestraint？“
MissAliciawaswhollyunabletoexplaintoherselfwhysomequalityinhismannerfilledherwithsuddendistress。
“Oh，Ithinknot！Surelynot！Surelynothingofthatsortwasnecessary。Hewasveryquietalways，andhewasgettingbettereveryday。Butitwasimportantthatheshouldbewatchedover。Hewasnodoubtunderthecareofaphysicianinsomequietsanatorium。”
“Somequietsanatorium！“Mr。Palford”sdisturbanceofmindwasmanifest。“Butyoudidnotknowwhere？“
“No。Indeed，Mr。TempleBarholmtalkedverylittleofMr。Strangeways。
IbelieveheknewthatitdistressedmetofeelthatIcouldbeofnorealassistanceas——asthecasewassopeculiar。”
Eachperturbedsolicitorlookedagainwithrapidquestionattheother。MissAliciasawtheexchangeofglancesand，sotospeak，brokedownunderthepressureoftheirunconcealedanxiety。Thelastfewweekswiththeirsuggestionofaccusationtoovaguetobemethadbeentoomuchforher。
“Iamafraid——IfeelsureyouknowsomethingIdonot，“shebegan。“I
ammostanxiousandunhappy。Ihavenotlikedtoaskquestions，becausethatwouldhaveseemedtoimplyadoubtofMr。TempleBarholm。
IhaveevenremainedathomebecauseIdidnotwishtohearthingsI
couldnotunderstand。Idonotknowwhathasbeensaid。Pearson，inwhomIhavethegreatestconfidence，feltthatMr。TempleBarholmwouldpreferthatIshouldwaituntilhereturned。”
“Doyouthinkhewillreturn？“saidMr。Grimby，amazedly。
“Oh！“thegentlecreatureejaculated。“Canyoupossiblythinkhewillnot？Why？Why？“
Mr。Palfordhadsharedhispartner”samazement。ItwasobviousthatshewasasignorantasababeofthedetailsofPalliser”sextraordinarystory。InheraffectionateconsiderationforTempleBarholmshehadactuallyshutherselfuplestsheshouldhearanythingsaidagainsthimwhichshecouldnotrefute。Shestoodinnocentlyobedienttohiswishes，liketheboyupontheburningdeck，awaitinghisreturnandhisversionofwhatsoeverhehadbeenaccusedof。Therewassomethingdelicatelyheroicinthelittle，slenderoldthing，withhertroubledeyesandhercapandherquiveringsideringlets。
“You，“sheappealed，“arehislegaladvisers，andwillbeabletotellmeifthereisanythinghewouldwishmetoknow。Icouldnotallowmyselftolistentovillagersorservants；butImayaskyou。”
“Wearefarfromknowingasmuchaswedesiretoknow，“Mr。Palfordreplied。
“Wecamehere，infact，“addedGrimby，“toaskquestionsofyou，MissTempleBarholm。”
“ThefactthatMissTempleBarholmhasnotallowedherselftobeprejudicedbyvillagegossip，whichisinvariablylargelyunreliable，willmakeheranexcellentwitness，“Mr。Palfordsaidtohispartner，withadeliberationwhichheldsuggestivesignificance。Eachman，infact，hadsuddenlyrealizedthatherignorancewouldleaveherabsolutelyunbiasedinheranswerstoanyquestionstheymightput，andthatitwasmuchbetterincross-examininganemotionalelderlyladythatsuchshouldbethecase。
“Witness！“MissAliciafoundthewordalarming。Mr。Palford”sbowwasapologeticallypalliative。
“Amerefigureofspeech，madam，“hesaid。
“Ireallyknowsolittleeveryoneelsedoesn”tknow。”MissAlicia”sprotesthadatouchofbewildermentinit。Whatcouldtheywishtoaskher？
“But，asweunderstandit，yourrelationswithMr。TempleBarholmweremostaffectionateandconfidential。”
“Wewereveryfondofeachother，“sheanswered。
“Forthatreasonhenodoubttalkedtoyoumorefreelythantootherpeople，“Mr。Grimbyputit。“Perhaps，Palford，itwouldbeaswelltoexplaintoMissTempleBarholmthatacuriousfeatureofthismatteristhatit——inaway——involvescertainpointsconcerningthelateMr。
TempleBarholm。”
MissAliciautteredapatheticexclamation。
“PoorJem——whodiedsocruelly！“
Mr。Palfordbenthisheadinacquiescence。
“PerhapsyoucantellmewhatthepresentMr。TempleBarholmknewofhim——howmuchheknew？“
“Itoldhimthewholestorythefirsttimewetookteatogether，“MissAliciareplied；and，betweenherrecollectionofthatstrangelyhappyafternoonandherwonderatitsconnectionwiththepresentmoment，shebegantofeeltimidanduncertain。
“Howdiditseemtoimpresshim？“
Sheremembereditallsowell——hisqueer，dearNewYorkwayofexpressinghiswarm-heartedindignationatthecrueltyofwhathadhappened。
“Oh，hewasverymuchexcited。Hewassosorryforhim。Hewantedtoknoweverythingabouthim。Heaskedmewhathelookedlike。”
“Oh！“saidPalford。“Hewantedtoknowthat？“
“Hewassofullofsympathy，“shereplied，herexplanationgainingwarmth。“WhenItoldhimthatthepictureofMilesHugointhegallerywassaidtolooklikeJemasaboy，hewantedverymuchtoseeit。
Afterwardwewentandsawittogether。Ishallalwaysrememberhowhestoodandlookedatit。Mostyoungmenwouldnothavecared。ButhealwayshadsuchatouchinginterestinpoorJem。”
“Youmeanthatheaskedquestionsabouthim——abouthisdeath，andsoforth？“wasMr。Palford”sinquiry。
“Aboutallthatconcernedhim。Hewasinterestedespeciallyinhislooksandmannerofspeakingandpersonality，sotospeak。Andintheawfulaccidentwhichendedhislife，thoughhewouldnotletmetalkaboutthatafterhehadaskedhisfirstquestions。”
“Whatkindofquestions？“suggestedGrimby。
“Onlyaboutwhatwasknownofthetimeandplace，andhowthesadstoryreachedEngland。Itusedtotouchmetothinkthattheonlypersonwhoseemedtocarewastheonewho——mighthavebeenexpectedtobealmostgladthetragicthinghadhappened。Buthewasnot。”
Mr。PalfordwatchedMr。Grimby，andMr。GrimbygavemorethanonedubiousanddistressedglanceatPalford。
“Hisinterestwasevident，“remarkedPalford，thoughtfully。“Andunusualunderthecircumstances。”
Foramomenthehesitated，thenputanotherquestion：“Didheeverseem——Ishouldsay，doyourememberanyoccasionwhenheappearedtothinkthat——theremightbeanyreasontodoubtthatMr。JamesTempleBarholmwasoneofthemenwhodiedintheKlondike？“
HefeltthatthroughthiswildquestioningtheyhadatleastreachedacertaintestimonysupportingCaptainPalliser”sviews；andhisinterestreluctantlyincreased。Itwasreluctantbecausetherecouldbenoshadowofaquestionthatthisinnocentspinsterladytoldtheabsolutetruth；and，thisbeingthecase，oneseemedtobedraggedtothevergeofdepthswhichmustinevitablybeexplored。MissAlicia”sexpressionwasthatofonewhoconscientiouslysearchedmemory。
“Idonotrememberthathereallyexpresseddoubt，“sheanswered，carefully。“Notexactlythat，but”
“Butwhat？“promptedPalfordasshehesitated。“Pleasetrytorecallexactlywhathesaid。Itismostimportant。”
Thefactthathismannerwasalmosteager，andthateagernesswasnothishabit，madehercatchherbreathandlookmorequestioningandpuzzledthanbefore。
“Onedayhecametomysitting-roomwhenheseemedratherexcited，“
sheexplained。“HehadbeenwithMr。Strangeways，whohadbeenworsethanusual。Perhapshewantedtodistracthimselfandforgetaboutit。
HeaskedmequestionsandtalkedaboutpoorJemforaboutanhour。Andatlasthesaid，`Doyousupposethere”sanysortofchancethatitmightn”tbetrue——thatstorythatcamefromtheKlondike？”HesaiditsothoughtfullythatIwasstartledandsaid，`Doyouthinktherecouldbesuchachance——doyou？”Andhedrewalongbreathandanswered，`Youwanttobesureaboutthingslikethat；you”vegottobesure。”Iwasalittleexcited，sohechangedthesubjectverysoonafterward，andIneverfeltquitecertainofwhathewasreallythinking。Youseewhathesaidwasnotsomuchanexpressionofdoubtasasortofquestion。”
AtouchoftheloftycondemnatorymadeMr。Palfordimpressive。
“IamcompelledtoadmitthatIfearthatitwasaquestionofwhichhehadalreadyguessedtheanswer，“hesaid。
AtthispointMissAliciaclaspedherhandsquitetightlytogetheruponherknees。
“Ifyouplease，“sheexclaimed，“Imustaskyoutomakethingsalittlecleartome。Whatdreadfulthinghashappened？Iwillregardanycommunicationasamostsacredconfidence。”
“Ithinkwemayaswell，Palford？“Mr。Grimbysuggestedtohispartner。
“Yes，“Palfordacquiesced。Hefeltthedifficultyofablankexplanation。“Weareinvolvedinamosttryingposition，“hesaid。“Wefeelthatgreatdiscretionmustbeuseduntilwehavereachedmoredefinitecertainty。Anextraordinary——infact，astartlingthinghasoccurred。Wearebeginning，asaresultofcumulativeevidence，tofeelthattherewasreasontobelievethattheKlondikestorywastobedoubted”
“ThatpoorJem——！“criedMissAlicia。
“Onebeginstobegravelyuncertainastowhetherhehasnotbeeninthishouseformonths，whetherhewasnotthemysteriousMr。
Strangeways！“
“Jem！Jem！“gaspedpoorlittleMissTempleBarholm，quitewhitewithshock。
“AndifhewasthemysteriousStrangeways，“Mr。Grimbyassistedtoshortenthematter，“theAmericanTempleBarholmapparentlyknewthefact，broughthimhereforthatreason，andforthesamereasonkepthimsecretedandunderrestraint。”
“No！No！“criedMissAlicia。“Never！Never！Ibegyounottosaysuchathing。Excuseme——Icannotlisten！Itwouldbewrong——ungrateful。
Excuseme！“Shegotupfromherseat，tremblingwithactualangerinhersenseofoutrage。Itwasaremarkablethingtoseethesmall，elderlycreatureangry，butthisremarkablethinghadhappened。Itwasasthoughshewereamotherdefendingheryoung。
“IlovedpoorJemandIloveTemple，and，thoughIamonlyawomanwhoneverhasbeentheleastclever，Iknowthemboth。Iknowneitherofthemcouldlieordoawicked，cunningthing。Templeisthesoulofhonor。”
Itwasquiteaninspirationaloutburst。Shehadneverbeforeinherlifesaidsomuchatonetime。Ofcoursetearsbegantostreamdownherface，whileMr。PalfordandMr。Grimbygazedatheringreatembarrassment。
“IfMr。StrangewayswaspoorJemcomebackalive，Templedidnotknow——
heneverknew。Allhedidforhimwasdoneforkindness”sake。I——I——
“Itwasinevitablethatsheshouldstammerbeforegoingtothislengthofviolence，andthatthewordsshouldburstfromher：“Iwouldswearit！“
ItwasreallyashocktobothPalfordandGrimby。ThataladyofMissTempleBarholm”sageandtrainingshouldvolunteertosweartoathingwasalmostalarming。Itwasalsoinratherunpleasingtaste。
“CaptainPalliserobligedMr。TempleTempleBarholmtoconfessthathehadknownforsometime，“Mr。Palfordsaidwithcoldregret。“Healsoinformedhimthatheshouldcommunicatewithuswithoutdelay。”
“CaptainPalliserisabadman。”MissAliciachokedbackagasptomaketheprotest。
“ItwasaftertheirinterviewthatMr。TempleBarholmalmostimmediatelyleftthehouse。”
“Withoutanyexplanationwhatever，“addedGrimby。
“Heleftafewlinesforme，“defendedMissAlicia。
“Wehavenotseenthem。”Mr。Palfordwasstillaswellascold。PoorlittleMissAliciatookthemoutofherpocketwithanunsteadyhand。
Theywerealwayswithher，andshecouldnotonsuchachallengeseemafraidtoallowthemtoberead。Mr。Palfordtookthemfromherwithaslightbowofthanks。Headjustedhisglassesandreadaloud，withpausesbetweenphraseswhichseemedsomewhattopuzzlehim。
“DearlittleMissAlicia：
“I”vegottolightoutofhereasquickasIcanmakeit。Ican”tevenstoptotellyouwhy。There”sjustonething——don”tgetrattled，MissAlicia。Whateveranyonesaysordoes，don”tgetrattled。
“Yoursaffectionately，“T。TEMBAROM。”
Therewasasilence，Mr。Palfordpassedthepapertohispartner，whogaveitcarefulstudy。AfterwardherefoldeditandhandeditbacktoMissAlicia。
“Inacourtoflaw，“wasMr。Palford”ssoleremark，“itwouldnotberegardedasevidenceforthedefendant。”
MissAlicia”stearswerestillstreaming，butsheheldherringletedheadwellup。
“Icannotstay！Ibegyourpardon，Idoindeed！“shesaid。“ButImustleaveyou。Yousee，“sheadded，withherfinelittletouchofdignity，“asyetthishouseisstillMr。TempleBarholm”shome，andIamthegratefulrecipientofhisbounty。Burrillwillattendyouandmakeyouquitecomfortable。”Withanobeisancewhichwaslikeaslightcurtsey，sheturnedandfled。
Inlessthananhourshewalkeduptheneatbrickedpath，andoldMrs。
Hutchinson，lookingout，sawherthroughthetiersofflower-potsinthewindow。HutchinsonhimselfwasinLondon，butAnnwasreadingattheothersideoftheroom。
“Here”spoorlittleowdMissTempleBarholmawinaflutter，“remarkedhergrandmother。“Tha”sgotsomeworkcutoutfortheeiftha”sgoingtoquiether。Oppenth”door，lass。”
Annopenedthedoor，andstoodbyitwithcalmthoughwelcomingdimples。
“MissHutchinson“——MissAliciabeganallatoncetorealizethattheydidnotknoweachother，andthatshehadflowntotherefugeofheryouthwithoutbeingatallawareofwhatshewasabouttosay。“Oh！
LittleAnn！“shebrokedownwithfranktears。“Mypoorboy！Mypoorboy！“
LittleAnndrewherinsideandclosedthedoor。
“There，MissTempleBarholm，“shesaid。“TherenowJustcomeinandsitdown。I”llgetyouagoodcupoftea。Youneedone。”
CHAPTERXXXVIII
TheDukeofStonehadbeensufficientlyoccupiedwithoneofhisslighterattacksofrheumaticgouttohavebeen，sotospeak，outoftherunninginthepastweeks。Hisindispositionhadnotcondemnedhimtotheusualdullness，however。Hehadsufferedlesspainthanwascustomary，andMrs。Braddlehadbeenmorethanusuallyinterestinginconversationonthoseoccasionswhen，inmakinghimverycomfortableinonewayoranother，shefeltthatameasureofentertainmentwouldaddtohiswell-being。Hisepicureanhabitofmindtendedtowardcausinghimtofindasubtlepleasureinthehearingofvariousversionsofanystorywhatever。HisintimacywithT。Tembaromhadfurnishedforthmanyanagreeablementalrepastforhim。HehadhadT。
Tembarom”sversionofhimself，theversionofthecounty，theversionoftheuneducatedclass，andhisownversion。Allofthesehadhadvaryingshadesoftheirown。HehadfoundacynicallyfineflavorinPalliser”sversion，whichhehadgatheredthroughtalkandprocessesofexclusionandinclusion。
“Thereisagooddealtobesaidforit，“hesummeditup。“It”splausibleonordinarysophisticatedgrounds。T。Tembaromwouldsay，`Itlookssortofthatway。””
AsMrs。Braddlehaddonewhatshecouldinthematterofexpoundingherviewsoftheuncertaintiesofthevillageattitude，hehadlistenedwithstimulatinginterest。Mrs。Braddle”sversiononthepassingofT。Tembaromstoodoutpicturesquelyagainstthebackgroundoftheversionwhichwashisown——theonefoundedonthesingularfactshehadsharedknowledgeofwiththechiefcharacterintheepisode。Hehadnot，likeMissAlicia，receivedacommunicationfromTembarom。Thisseemedtohimoneoftheattractivefeaturesoftheincident。Itprovidedopportunityforspeculation。Somewilddevelopmenthadcalledtheyoungsterawayinarattlinghurry。Ofwhathadhappenedsincehisdepartureheknewnomorethanthevillagersknew。Whathadhappenedforsomemonthsbeforehisgoinghehadwatchedwiththefeelingofanintelligentlyobservantspectatorataplay。Hehadbeenprovidedwithvariedemotionsbythefantasticdrama。Hehadsmiled；hehadfoundhimselfmovedonceortwice，andhehadfeltagooddealofthethrillofcuriousuncertaintyastowhatthecurtainwouldriseandfallon。Thesituationwassuchthatitwasimpossibletoguess。Resultscouldseemonlytofloatintheair。Onethingmighthappen；somightanother，somightadozenmore。WhathewishedreallytoattainwassomedegreeofcertaintyastowhatwaslikelytooccurinanycasetotheAmericanTempleBarholm。
Hefelt，thefirsttimehedroveovertocallonMissAlicia，thathisindispositionandconfinementtohisownhousehadrobbedhimofsomething。Theyhaddeprivedhimoftheopportunitytoobserveshadesofdevelopmentandtoheartheexpressingofviewsofthesituationasitstood。Hedroveoverwithviewsofhisownandwithanticipations。
Hehadreasontoknowthathewouldencounterinthedearladyindicationsofthefeelingthatshehadreachedacrisis。Therewasasenseofthiscrisisimpendingasonemountedtheterracestepsandenteredthehall。Themen-servantsendeavoredtowipefromtheircountenancesanyexpressiondenotingevenavagueknowledgeofit。Herecognizedtheirlaudabledeterminationtodoso。Burrillwasmonumentalintheunconsciousnessofhisoutwardbearing。
MissAlicia，sittingwaitingonFateinthelibrary，worepreciselytheaspecthehadknownshewouldwear。Shehadbeenlyingawakeatnightandshehadofcourseweptatintervals，sinceshebelongedtotheperiodthepopularfemaleviewofwhichhadbeenthatonlytheunfeelingdidnotsorelievethemselvesincrisesoftheaffections。
Hereyelidswereratherpinkandhernicelittlefacewastired。
“Itisvery，verykindofyoutocome，“shesaid，whentheyshookhands。“Iwonder“——herhesitancewastouchinginitsobviousappealtohimnottotakethewrongside”IwonderifyouknowhowdeeplytroubledIhavebeen？“
“Yousee，Ihavehadatouchofmyabominablegout，andmytreasureofaBraddlehasbeennursingmeandgossiping，“heanswered。“So，ofcourseIknowagreatdeal。Noneofittrue，Idaresay。IfeltImustcomeandseeyou，however。”
Helookedsoneatandentirelywithintheboundariesoffinishedandwell-dressedmodernityandevery-dayoccurrence，inhisperfectlyfittingclothes，beautifullyshiningboots，anddelicatefawngaiters，thatshefeltasortofsupportinhismereaspect。Themindconnectedsuchalmostdapperfreshnessandexcellenttasteonlywithunexaggeratedincidentsandabehaviorwhichalmostplacedthestampofabsurdityupontheimprobableincircumstance。Thevisionofdisorderlyandillegalpossibilitiesseemedactuallytofadeintoanunreality。
“IfMr。PalfordandMr。GrimbyknewhimasIknowhim——as——asyouknowhim”sheaddedwithafainthopefulness。
“Yes，iftheyknewhimasweknowhimthatwouldmakeadifferentmatterofit，“admittedtheduke，amiably。But，thoughtMissAlicia，hemightonlyhaveputitthatwaythroughconsiderationforherfeelings，andbecausehewasanextremelypolishedmanwhocouldnoteasilyrevealtoaladyadisagreeabletruth。Hedidnotspeakwiththenoteofnaturalindignationwhichshethoughtshemusthavedetectedifhehadfeltasshefeltherself。Hewasofcourseamanwhosemannerhadalwaysthefinishofcomposure。Hedidnotseemdisturbedorevenverycurious——onlykindandmostpolite。
“Ifweonlyknewwherehewas！“shebeganagain。“IfweonlyknewwhereMr。Strangewayswas！“
“MyimpressionisthatMessrs。Palford&Grimbywillprobablyfindthembothbeforelong，“heconsoledher。“Theyarenodoubtexcitingthemselvesunnecessarily。”
Hewasnotagitatedatall；shefelt。itwouldhavebeenkinderifhehadbeenalittleagitated。Hewasreallynotthekindofpersonwhosefeelingsappearedverydeep，beinggiventoalightandgracefulcynicismofspeechwhichdelightedpeople；soperhapsitwasnotnaturalthatheshouldexpressanyparticularemotioneveninacaseaffectingafriend——surelyhehadbeenTemple”sfriend。Butifhehadseemedalittledistressed，ordoubtfulorannoyed，shewouldhavefeltthatsheunderstoodbetterhisattitude。Asitwas，hemightalmosthavebeenontheotherside——abelieveroradisbeliever——ormerelyapersonlookingontoseewhatwouldhappen。Whentheysatdown，hisglanceseemedtoincludeherwithaninterestwhichwassympatheticbutratherasifshewereachildwhomhewouldliketopacify。Thisseemedespeciallysowhenshefeltshemustmakecleartohimthenatureofthecrisiswhichwaspending，ashehadfeltwhenheenteredthehouse。
“Youperhapsdonotknow“——theappealwhichhadshownitselfinhereyeswasinhervoice”thatthesolicitorshavedecided，afteragreatdealofseriousdiscussionandprivateinquiryinLondon，thatthetimehascomewhentheymusttakeopensteps。”
“Inthematterofinvestigation？“heinquired。
“TheyarecomingherethisafternoonwithCaptainPalliserto——toquestiontheservants，andsomeofthevillagers。Theywillquestionme，“alarmedly。
“Theywouldbesuretodothat，“——hereallyseemedquitetoenvelopherwithkindness”butIbegofyounottobealarmed。NothingyoucouldhavetosaycouldpossiblydoharmtoTempleBarholm。”Heknewitwasherfearofthiscontingencywhichterrifiedher。
“Youdofeelsureofthat？“sheburstforth，relievedly。“Youdo——
becauseyouknowhim？“
“Ido。Letusbecalm，dearlady。Letusbecalm。”
“Iwill！Iwill！“sheprotested。“ButCaptainPalliserhasarrangedthataladyshouldcomehere——aladywhodislikedpoorTempleverymuch。Shewasmostunjusttohim。”
“LadyJoanFayre？“hesuggested，andthenpausedwitharemotesmileasiflendinghimselfforthemomenttosomehumorhealonedetectedinthesituation。
“Shewillnotinjurehiscause，IthinkIcanassureyou。”
“Sheinsistedonmisunderstandinghim。Iamsoafraid”
TheappearanceofPearsonatthedoorinterruptedherandcausedhertorisefromherseat。Theneatyoungmanwaspaleandspokeinanervouslyloweredvoice。
“Ibegpardon，Miss。IbegyourGrace”spardonforintruding，but”
MissAliciamovedtowardhiminsuchamannerthathehimselfseemedtofeelthathemightadvance。
“Whatisit，Pearson？Haveyouanythingspecialtosay？“
“IhopeIamnottakingtoogreataliberty，Miss，butIdidcomeinforapurpose，knowingthathisGracewaswithyouandthinkingyoumightbothkindlyadviseme。ItisaboutMr。TempleBarholm，yourGrace”addressinghimasifininvoluntaryrecognitionofthefactthathemightpossiblyprovethegreatersupport。
“OurMr。TempleBarholm，Pearson？Wearebeingtoldtherearetwoofthem。”Theduke”sdelicateemphasisonthepossessivepronounwasdelightful，anditsomovedandencouragedsensitivelittlePearsonthathewasemboldenedtoanswerwithmodestfirmness：
“Yes，——ours。Thankyou，yourGrace。”
“Youfeelhimyourstoo，Pearson？“ashademoredelightfullystill。
“I——Itaketheliberty，yourGrace，ofbeingdeeplyattachedtohim，andmorethangrateful。”
“Whatdidyouwanttoaskadviceabout？“
“Thefamilysolicitors。CaptainPalliserandLadyJoanFayreandMr。
andMissHutchinsonaretobehereshortly，andIhavebeentoldIamtobequestioned。WhatIwanttoknow，yourGrace，is”Hepaused，andlookednolongerpalebutpainfullyredashegatheredhimselftogetherforhisanxiousoutburst”MustIspeakthetruth？“
MissAliciastartedalarmedly。
Thedukelookeddownatthedelicatefawngaiterscoveringhisfineinstep。Hisfleetingsmilewasnotthistimeanexternalone。
“Doyounotwishtospeakthetruth，Pearson？“
Pearson”smannercouldhavebeendescribedonlyasoneofobstinatefrankness。
“No，yourGrace。Idonot！YourGracemaymisunderstandme——butIdonot！“
HisGracetappedthegaiterswiththeslightebonycaneheheldinhishand。
“Isthis“——heputitwithimpartialcuriosity”becausethetruthmightbedetrimentaltoourMr。TempleBarholm？“
“Ifyouplease，yourGrace，“Pearsonmadeafirmstepforward，“whatisthetruth？“
“ThatiswhatMessrs。Palford&Grimbyseemdeterminedtofindout。
ProbablyonlyourMr。TempleBarholmcantellthem。”
“YourGrace，whatI”mthinkingofisthatifItellthetruthitmayseemtoprovesomethingthat”snotthetruth。”
“Whatkindsofthings，Pearson？“stillimpartially。
“IcanbeplainwithyourGrace。Thingslikethis：IwaswithMr。
TempleBarholmandMr。Strangewaysagreatdeal。They”llaskmeaboutwhatIheard。They”llaskmeifMr。Strangewayswaswillingtogoawaytothedoctor；ifhehadtobepersuadedandarguedwith。Well，hehadandhehadn”t，yourGrace。Atfirst，justthementionofitwouldupsethimsothatMr。TempleBarholmwouldhavetostoptalkingaboutitandquiethimdown。Butwhenheimproved——andhedidimprovewonderfully，yourGrace——hegotintothewayofsittingandthinkingitoverandlisteningquitequiet。ButifI”maskedsuddenly”
“Whatyouareafraidofisthatyoumaybeaskedpoint-blankquestionswithoutwarning？“hisGraceputitwiththeperspicacityofexperience。
“That”swhyIshouldbegratefulforadvice。MustItellthetruth，yourGrace，whenitwillmakethembelievethingsI”dsweararelies——
I”dswearit，yourGrace。”
“SowouldI，Pearson。”Hisserenelightnesswasofthemostbaffling，butcuriouslysupporting，order。“Thisbeingthecase，myadvicewouldbenottogointodetail。Letustellwhitelies——allofus——withoutashadowofhesitancy。MissTempleBarholm，evenyoumustdoyourbest。”
“Iwilltry——indeed，Iwilltry！“AndtheDukefelthertremulouslyardentassentactuallydelicious。
“There！we”llconsiderthatsettled，Pearson，“hesaid。
“Thankyou，yourGrace。Thankyou，Miss，“Pearson”srelievedgratitudevergedonthedevout。Heturnedtogo，andashedidsohisattentionwasarrestedbyanapproachheremarkedthroughawindow。
“Mr。andMissHutchinsonarearrivingnow，Miss，“heannounced，hastily。
“Theyaretobebroughtinhere，“saidMissAlicia。
Thedukequietlylefthisseatandwenttolookthroughthewindowwithfrankandunembarrassedinterestintheapproach。Hewent，infact，tolookatLittleAnn，andashewatchedherwalkuptheavenue，herfatherlumberingbesideher，heevidentlyfoundheraspectsufficientlyarresting。
“Ah！“heexclaimedsoftly，andpaused。“Whatalotofveryniceredhair，“hesaidnext。Andthen，“Nowonder！Nowonder！“
“That，Ishouldsay，“heremarkedasMissAliciadrewnear，“iswhatI
onceheardabadyoungmancall`adeservingcase。”“
Hewasconsciousthatshemighthavebeenprivatelyalittleshockedbysuchagedflippancy，butshewasatthemomentperturbedbysomethingelse。
“ThefactisthatIhaveneverspokentoHutchinson，“shefluttered。
“Thesechangesareveryconfusing。IsupposeIoughttosayMr。
Hutchinson，nowthatheissuchasuccessfulperson，andTemple”
“Withoutashadowofadoubt！“Thedukeseemedstruckbythehappinessoftheidea。“Theywillmakehimapeerpresently。Hemayaddressmeas”Stone”atanymoment。Onemustlearntoadjustone”sselfwithagility。`Theoldorderchangeth。”Ah！sheissmilingathimandIseethedimples。”
MissAliciamadeacleanbreastofit。
“Iwenttoher——Icouldnothelpit！“sheconfessed。“Iwasinsuchdistressanddarenotspeaktoanybody。Templehadtoldmethatshewassowonderful。Hesaidshealwaysunderstoodandknewwhattodo。”
“Didsheinthiscase？“heasked，smiling。
MissAlicia”smannerwasthatofonewhocouldexpresstheextentofheradmirationonlyindisconnectedphrases。
“Shewaslikealittlerock。Suchaquiet，firmway！Suchcalmcertainty！Oh，thecomfortshehasbeentome！Ibeggedhertocomehereto-day。Ididnotknowherfatherhadreturned。”
“Nodoubthewillhavetestimonytogivewhichwillbeofthegreatestassistance，“thedukesaidmostencouragingly。“Perhapshewillbeasortofrock。”
“I——Idon”tintheleastknowwhathewillbe！“sighedMissAlicia，evidentlyuncertaininherviews。
ButwhenthefatheranddaughterwereannouncedshefeltthathisGracewasreallyenchantinginthehappyfacilityofhismanner。Heatleastadjustedhimselfwithagility。Hutchinsonwasofcourselumbering。LackingthesupportofT。Tembarom”spresenceandincongruity，hehimselfwastheincongruousfeature。Hewouldhavebeenobligedtoblusterbywayofsustaininghimself，evenifhehadonlyfoundhimselfbeingpresentedtoMissAlicia；butwhenitwasrevealedtohimthathewasalsoconfrontedwiththegreatestpersonageoftheneighborhood，hebecameashotandredashehadbecomeduringcertainfatefulbusinessinterviews。Moreso，indeed。
“Th”otherchapshadn”tbeendukes；“andtoHutchinsontheoldorderhadnotyetsochangedthatadukewasnotanawkwardlyimpressivepersontofaceunexpectedly。
Theduke”smannerofshakinghandswithhim，however，waseventouchedwithanamiablesuggestionofappreciationofthevalueofamanofgenius。Hehadheardoftheinvention，infactknewsomequitetechnicalthingsaboutit。Herealizeditsimportance。Hehadcongratulationsfortheinventorandtheworldofinventionssogreatlybenefited。
“Lancashiremustbeproudofyoursuccess，Mr。Hutchinson。”Howagreeablyandwithwhateasehesaidit！
“Aye，it”sasuccessnow，yourGrace，“Hutchinsonanswered，“butI
mighthavewaitedagoodbitlongerifithadn”tbeenforthatladan”
hisboldbackingofme。”
“Mr。TempleBarholm？“saidtheduke。
“Aye。He”sgotth”wayofmakingfolksseethingsthattheycan”tseeevenwhenthey”rehittingtheminth”eyes。I”dthatlostheartI
couldneverhavedoneitmyself。”
“Butnowitisdone，“smiledhisGrace。“Delightful！“
“I”vegotthere——sameastheysayinNewYork——I”vegotthere，“saidHutchinson。
HesatdowninresponsetoMissAlicia”sinvitation。Hisuneasewaswonderfullydispelled。Hefelthimselfapersonofsufficientimportancetoaddressevenadukeasmantoman。
“What”sallthisromancin”talkaboutth”otherTempleBarholmcomin”
back，an”ourladknowin”an”hidin”himaway？An”Palliseran”th”
lawyersan”th”policebein”after”emboth？“
“Youhaveheardthewholestory？“fromtheduke。
“I”veheardnaughtelsesinceIcomeback。”
“Grandmotherknewagreatdealbeforewecamehome，“saidLittleAnn。
Theduketurnedhisattentiontoherwithanengagedsmile。Hislook，hisbow，hisbearing，inthemomentoftheirbeingpresentedtoeachother，hadseemedtoMissAliciathemostperfectthing。Hisfineeyehadnotobviouslywanderedwhilehetalkedtoherfather，butithadinfactbeentakingherinwithaninclusivenessnotlikelytomissagreeablepointsofdetail。
“Whatisheropinion，mayIask？“hesaid。“Whatdoesshesay？“
“Grandmotherisverysetinherways，yourGrace。”Thelimpidityofherblueeyeandaflickeringdimpleaddedmuchtothequaintcomprehensivenessofheranswer。“Shesaystheworld”sthatfulloffoolsthatiftheywereallkilledtheLordwouldhavetobeginagainwithanewAdamandEve。”
“ShehasentirefaithinMr。TempleBarholm——asyouhave，“putforwardhisGrace。
“Mine”snotfaithexactly。Iknowhim，“LittleAnnanswered，hertoneaslimpidashereyes。
“There”smorethanherhasfaithinhim，“brokeforthHutchinson。
“DangedifIdon”tliketh”waythemvillagechapsaretakingit。
They”rereadytofightoverit。Sincethey”vefoundoutwhatit”scometo，an”aboutth”lawyerscomin”down，they”retalkin”aboutgettin”
upakindo”demonstration。”
“Delightful！“ejaculatedhisGraceagain。Heleanedforward。“QuitewhatIshouldhaveexpected。There”sagooddealofbeerdrunk，I
suppose。”
“Plentyo”beer，butit”lldonoharm。”Hutchinsonbegantochuckle。
“They”retalkin”o”gettin”outth”fifean”drumbandan”marchin”
roundth”villagewithacalicobannerwith`VoteforT。Tembarom”
paintedonit，toshowwhattheythinkofhim。”
Thedukechuckledalso。
“Iwonderhowhe”smanagedit？“helaughed。“Theywouldn”tdoitforanyoftherestofus，youknow，thoughI”venodoubtwe”requiteasdeserving。Iam，Iknow。”
HutchinsonstoppedlaughingandturnedonMissAlicia。
“What”sthatyoungwomancomin”downherefor？“heinquired。
“LadyJoanwasengagedtoMr。JamesTempleBarholm，“MissAliciaanswered。
“Eh！Eh！“Hutchinsonjerkedout。“That”llturnherintoawildcat，I”llwarrant。She”lldoallth”harmshecan。I”mmuchobligedtoyouforlettin”uscome，ma”am。IwanttobewhereIcanstandbyhim。”
“Father，“saidLittleAnn，“whatyouhavegottorememberisthatyoumustn”tflyintoapassion。Youknowyou”vealwayssaiditneverdidanygood，anditonlysendsthebloodtoyourhead。”
“Youarenotnervous，MissHutchinson？“thedukesuggested。
“AboutMr。TempleBarholm？Icouldn”tbe，yourGrace。IfIwastoseetwopolicemenbringinghiminhandcuffedIshouldn”tbenervous。I
shouldknowthehandcuffsdidn”tbelongtohim，andthepolicemenwouldlookright-downsillytome。”
MissAliciaflutteredovertofoldherinherarms。
“Doletmekissyou，“shesaid。“Doletme，LittleAnn！“
LittleAnnhadrisenatoncetomeetherembrace。Sheputahandonherarm。
“Wedon”tknowanythingaboutthisreally，“shesaid。“We”veonlyheardwhatpeoplesay。Wehaven”theardwhathesays。I”mgoingtowait。”Theywerealllookingather，——thedukewithsuchmarkedinterestthatsheturnedtowardhimassheended。“AndifIhadtowaituntilIwasasoldasgrandmotherI”dwait——andnothingwouldchangemymind。”
“AndI”vebeenlyingawakeatnight！“softlywailedMissAlicia。
CHAPTERXXXIX
ItwasMr。Hutchinsonwho，havinganeyeonthewindow，firstannouncedanarrivingcarriage。
“Someof”em”scomin”fromthestation，“heremarked。“There”snoyoungwomanwith”em，thatIcanseefromhere。”
“IthoughtIheardwheels。”MissAliciawenttolookout，agitatedly。
“Itisthegentlemen。PerhapsLadyJoan”sheturneddesperatelytotheduke。“Idon”tknowwhattosaytoLadyJoan。Idon”tknowwhatshewillsaytome。Idon”tknowwhatsheiscomingfor，LittleAnn，dokeepnearme！“
ItwasaprettythingtoseeLittleAnnstrokeherhandandsootheher。
“Don”tbefrightened，MissTempleBarholm。Allyou”vegottodoistoanswerquestions，“shesaid。
“ButImightsaythingsthatwouldbewrong——thingsthatwouldharmhim。”
“No，youmightn”t，MissTempleBarholm。He”snotdoneanythingthatcouldbringharmonhim。”
TheDukeofStone，whohadseatedhimselfinT。Tembarom”sfavoritechair，whichoccupiedapointofvantage，seemedtoMr。PalfordandMr。Grimbywhentheyenteredtheroomtoweartheaspectofasortofpresidiaryaudience。Thesightofhiserectheadandclear-cut，ivory-
tintedoldface，withitsalert，whilewhollyunbiased，expression，somewhatstartledthemboth。Theyhadindeednotexpectedtoseehim，anddidnotknowwhyhehadchosentocome。Hispresencemightmeananyoneofseveralthings，andthefactthatheenjoyedareputationforquitealarmingastutenessofabrilliantkindpresentedelementsofprobableembarrassment。Ifhethoughtthattheyhadallowedthemselvestobeleduponawild-goosechase，hewouldexpresshisopinionswithtryingreadinessofphrase。
Hismannerofgreetingthem，however，expressednomorethanalightlyagreeabledetachmentfromanyviewwhatsoever。CaptainPalliserfeltthiscuriously，thoughhecouldnothavesaidwhathewouldhaveexpectedfromhimifhehadknownitwouldbehiswhimtoappear。
“Howdoyoudo？Howd”youdo？“HisGraceshookhandswiththeamiableeasewhichscarcelycommitsamaneventocasualinterest，afterwhichhetookhisseatagain。
“Howd”do，MissHutchinson？“saidPalliser。“Howd”do，Mr。
Hutchinson？Mr。Palfordwillbegladtofindyouhere。”
Mr。Palfordshookhandswithcorrectcivility。
“Iam，indeed，“hesaid。“ItwasinyourroominNewYorkthatIfirstsawMr。TempleTempleBarholm。”
“Aye，itwas，“respondedHutchinson，dryly。
“IthoughtLadyJoanwascoming，“MissAliciasaidtoPalliser。
“Shewillbeherepresently。Shecamedowninourtrain，butnotwithus。”
“What——whatisshecomingfor？“falteredMissAlicia。
“Yes，“putintheduke，“what，bytheway，isshecomingfor？“
“Iwroteandaskedhertocome，“wasPalliser”sreply。“Ihavereasontobelieveshemaybeabletorecallsomethingofvaluetotheinquirywhichisbeingmade。”
“That”sinteresting，“saidhisGrace，butwithnoairofparticipatingparticularly。Shedoesn”tlikehim，though，doesshe？Wouldn”tdotoputheronthejury。”
Hedidnotwaitforanyreply，butturnedtoMr。Palford。
“Allthisisdelightfullyportentous。Doyouknowitremindsmeofasceneinoneofthosenumerousplayswherethewrongmanhasmurderedsomebody——orhasn”tmurderedsomebody——andthewholecompanymustbecross-examinedbecausethecurtaincannotbebroughtdownuntiltherightmanisunmasked。Doletuscomeintothis，Mr。Palford；whatweknowseemssoinadequate。”
Mr。PalfordandMr。Grimbyeachfeltthattherelurkedinthismannerapossibilitythattheywerebeingregardedlightly。Alltheobjectionstotheirsituationloomedannoyinglylarge。
“Itis，ofcourse，anextraordinarystory，“Mr。Palfordsaid，“butifwearenotmistakeninourdeductions，wemayfindourselvesinvolvedinacausecelebrewhichwillsetallEnglandtalking。”
“Iamnotmistaken，“Palliserpresentedthecommentwithashortanddrylaugh。
“Thaseemsprettycock-sure！“Hutchinsonthrustin。
“Iam。NooneknewJemTempleBarbolmbetterthanIdidinthepast。
Wewereintimate——enemies。”Andhelaughedagain。
“Thasaystha”llswearth”chapthasawthroughth”windowwashim？“
saidHutchinson。
“I”dswearit，“withcomposure。
Thedukewasreflecting。Hewasagaintappingwithhiscanethegaitercoveringhisslender，shiningboot。
“IfMr。TempleTempleBarholmhadremainedherehisactionswouldhaveseemedlesssuspicious？“hesuggested。
ItwasPalliserwhoreplied。
“Orifhehadn”twhiskedtheothermanaway。Helosthisheadandplayedthefool。”
“Hedidn”tlosehishead，thatchap。It”sscrewedonth”rightway——
hisheadis，“gruntedHutchinson。
“Thecuriousfellowhasanumberoffriends，“thedukeremarkedtoPalfordandGrimby，inhisimpartialtone。“Iamhopingyouarenotthinkingofcross-examiningme。Ihavealwaysbeenconvincedthatundercross-examinationIcouldbeinducedtoinnocentlygiveevidencecondemnatorytobothsidesofanycasewhatever。Butwouldyoumindtellingmewhattheexactevidenceissofar？“
Mr。Palfordhadbeenopeningabudgetofpapers。
“Itisevidencewhichiscumulative，yourGrace，“hesaid。“Mr。TempleTempleBarholm”spositionwouldhavebeenafarlesssuspiciousone——
asyouyourselfsuggested——ifhehadremained，orifhehadn”tsecretlyremovedMr——Mr。Strangeways。”
“ThelastwasCaptainPalliser”ssuggestion，Ibelieve，“smiledtheduke。“Didheremovehimsecretly？Howsecretly，forinstance？“
“Atnight，“answeredPalliser。“MissTempleBarholmherselfdidnotknowwhenithappened。Didyou？“turningtoMissAlicia，whoatonceflushedandpaled。
“HeknewthatIwasrathernervouswhereMr。Strangewayswasconcerned。Iamsorrytosayhefoundthatoutalmostatonce。HeeventoldmeseveraltimesthatImustnotthinkofhim——thatIneedhearnothingabouthim。”Sheturnedtotheduke，herairofappealplainlyrepresentingafeelingthathewouldunderstandherconfession。“I
scarcelyliketosayit，butwrongasitwasIcouldn”thelpfeelingthatitwaslikehavinga——alunaticinthehouse。Iwasafraidhemightbemore——ill——thanTemplerealized，andthathemightsometimebecomeviolent。Ineveradmittedsomuchofcourse，butIwas。”
“Yousee，shewasnottold，“Pallisersummeditupsuccinctly。
“Evidently，“thedukeadmitted。“Iseeyourpoint。”Butheseemedtodisengagehimselffromallsenseofadmittingimplicationswithentirecalmness，asheturnedagaintoMr。Palfordandhispapers。
“Youweresayingthattheexactevidencewas——？“
Mr。Palfordreferredtoasheetofnotes。
“That——whetherbeforeorshortlyafterhisarrivalhereisnotatallcertain——Mr。TempleTempleBarholmbeganstronglytosuspecttheidentityofthepersonthenknownasStrangeways”
Palliseragainemittedtheshortanddrylaugh，andboththedukeandMr。Palfordlookedathiminquiringly。
“Hehad`gotonto”itbeforehebroughthim，“heansweredtheirglances。“Besureofthat。”
“Thenwhydidhebringhim？“thedukesuggestedlightly。
“Oh，well，“takinghiscuefromtheduke，andassumingcasuallightnessalso，“hewasobligedtocomehimself，andwasjollywellconvincedthathehadbetterkeephishandontheman，alsohiseye。
Itwasagood-enoughidea。Hecouldn”tleaveathinglikethatwanderingabouttheStates。Hecouldplaybenefactorsafelyinahouseofthesizeofthisuntilhewasreadyforaction。”
Thedukegaveamomenttoconsideringthematter——stilldetachedly。
“Itis，onthewhole，notunlikelythatsomethingofthesortmightsuggestitselftothecriminalmind，“hesaid。AndhisglanceatMr。
Palfordintimatedthathemightresumehisstatement。
“Wehavesecuredproofthatheappliedhimselftosecretinvestigation。HeisknowntohaveemployedScotlandYardtomakecertaininquiriesconcerningthemansaidtohavebeenkilledintheKlondike。HavingevidentlyreachedmorethansuspicionhebegantoendeavortopersuadeMr。StrangewaystolethimtakehimtoLondon。
Thisapparentlytooksometime。Themeresuggestionofremovalthrewtheinvalidintoastateofpainfulexcitement”
“DidPearsontellyouthat？“thedukeinquired。
“CaptainPalliserhimselfinpassingthedooroftheroomonedayheardcertainexpressionsofterrifiedpleading，“wasMr。Palford”sexplanation。
“Iheardenough，“Pallisertookitupcarelessly，“tomakeitworthwhiletoquestionPearson——whomusthaveheardagreatdealmore。
Pearsonwasorderedtoholdhistonguefromthefirst，buthewillhavetotellthetruthwhenheisasked。”
Thedukedidnotappeartoresenthisview。
“Pearsonwouldbelikelytoknowwhatwenton，“heremarked。“He”sanintelligentlittlefellow。”
“ThefactremainsthatinspiteofhisdistressandreluctanceMr。
Strangewayswasremovedprivately，andthereourknowledgeends。Hehasnotbeenseensince——andafewhoursafter，CaptainPalliserexpressedhisconviction，thatthepersonhehadseenthroughtheWestRoomwindowwasMr。JamesTempleBarholm，Mr。TempleTempleBarholmleftthehousetakingamidnighttrain，andleavingnoclueastohiswhere-aboutsorintentions。”
“Disappeared！“saidtheduke。“Wherehashebeenlookedfor？“
ThecountenanceofbothMr。Palfordandhispartyexpressedacertaindegreeofhesitance。
“Principallyinasylumsandso-calledsanatoriums，“Mr。Grimbyadmittedwithahintofreluctance。
“Placeswherethecuriosityofoutsidersisnotencouraged，“saidPalliserlanguidly。“Andwhereifapatientdiesinafitofmaniatherearealwaysrespectablewitnessestoexplainthathiscasewashopelessfromthefirst。”
Mr。Hutchinsonhadbeenbreathinghardoccasionallyashesatandlistened，andnowhespranguputteringasounddangerouslynearaviolentsnort。
“Artthaaccusin”thatlado”bein”blackvillainenoughtobereadytodobloodymurder？“hecriedout。
“Hewasinaverytightplace，Hutchinson，“Pallisershruggedhisshouldersashesaidit。“Butonemakessuggestionsatthisstage——notaccusations。”
ThatHutchinsonhadlosthisheadwasapparenttohisdaughteratleast。
“Tha”dbeinatightplace，myfinechap，ifIhadmyway，“heflungforthirately。“I”dliketogetthyheadundermyarm。”
TherollofapproachingwheelsreachedMissAlicia。
“There”sanothercarriage，“washeragitatedexclamation。“Oh，dear！
ItmustbeLadyJoan！“
LittleAnnleftherseattomakeherfatherreturntohis。
“Father，you”dbettersitdown，“shesaid，gentlypushinghimintherightdirection。“Whenyoucan”tproveathing”salie，it”sjustaswelltokeepquietuntilyoucan。”Andshekeptquietherself，thoughsheturnedandstoodbeforePalliserandspokewithcleardeliberateness。“Whatyoupretendtobelieveisnottrue，CaptainPalliser。It”sjustnottrue，“shegavetohim。
TheywerefacingandlookingateachotherwhenBurrillannouncedLadyJoanFayre。Sheenteredratherquicklyandlookedroundtheroomwithasweepingglance，takingthemallin。Shewenttothedukefirst，andtheyshookhands。
“Iamgladyouarehere！“shesaid。
“Iwouldnothavebeenoutofit，mydearyounglady，“heanswered，“`forafarm”That”saquotation。”
“Iknow，“shereplied，givingherhandtoMissAlicia，andtakinginPalliserandthesolicitorswithabowwhichwaslittlemorethananod。ThenshesawLittleAnn，andwalkedovertohertoshakehands。
“Iamgladyouarehere。Iratherfeltyouwouldbe，“washergreeting。“Iamgladtoseeyou。”
“Whethertha”rtgladtoseemeornotI”mgladI”mhere，“saidHutchinsonbluntly。“I”vejustbeenspeakingabito”mymind。”
“Now，Fatherlove！“LittleAnnputherhandonhisarm。
LadyJoanlookedhimover。Herhungryeyesweremorehungrythanever。
Shelookedlikeacreatureinafeverandwornbyit。
“IthinkIamgladyouareheretoo，“sheanswered。
Pallisersaunteredovertoher。Hehadapprovedtheduke”sairofbeingatoncedetachedandinquiring，andhedidnotintendtoweartheaspectofthepersonagewhoplaystheunpleasantpartofthepursuerandavenger。Whathesaidwas：
“Itwasgoodofyoutocome，LadyJoan。”
“DidyouthinkIwouldstayaway？“washeranswer。“ButIwilltellyouthatIdon”tbelieveitistrue。”
“Youthinkthatitistoogoodtobetrue？“
Herhoteyeshadrecordsinthemitwouldhavebeenimpossibleforhimtoreadorunderstand。Shehadbeensotorn；shehadpassedthroughsuchhourssinceshehadbeentoldthiswildthing。
“PardonmynottellingyouwhatIthink，“shesaid。“Nothingmatters，afterall，ifheisalive！“
“Exceptthatwemustfindhim，“saidPalliser。
“IfheisinthesameworldwithmeIshallfindhim，“fiercely。ThensheturnedagaintoAnn。“YouarethegirlT。Tembaromloves？“sheputittoher。
“Yes，mylady。”
“Ifhewaslost，andyouknewhewasontheearthwithyou，don”tyouknowthatyouwouldfindhim？“
“Ishouldknowhe”dcomebacktome，“LittleAnnansweredher。“That”swhat”hersmallfacelookedveryfineasinhersecondofhesitationaspiritedflushranoverit，“that”swhatyourmanwilldo，“quitefirmly。
Itwasamazingtoseehowthebitterfacechanged，asifonewordhadbroughtbackapassionatesofteningmemory。
“Myman！“Hervoicemelloweduntilitwasdeepandlow。“DidyoucallT。Tembaromthat，too？Oh，Iunderstandyou！KeepnearmewhileItalktothesepeople。”Shemadehersitdownbyher。
“Iknoweverydetailofyourletters。”SheaddressedPalliseraswellasPalford&Grimby，sweepingalldetailsaside。“Whatisityouwanttoaskme？“
“Thisisourposition，yourladyship，“Mr。Palfordfumbledalittlewithhispapersinspeaking。“Mr。TempleTempleBarholmandthepersonknownasMr。Strangewayshavebeensearchedforsofarwithoutresult。
InthemeantimewerealizethatthemoreevidenceweobtainthatMr。
TempleTempleBarholmidentifiedStrangewaysandactedfrommotive，themoresolidthefoundationuponwhichCaptainPalliser”sconvictionrests。Uptothispointwehaveonlyhisstatementwhichheispreparedtomakeonoath。Fortunately，however，heononeoccasionoverheardsomethingsaidtoyouwhichhebelieveswillbecorroborativeevidence。”
“Whatdidyouoverhear？“sheinquiredofPalliser。
Hertonewasnotpacificconsideringthat，logically，shemustbeonthesideoftheinvestigators。Butitwasherhabit，asCaptainPalliserremembered，toseemtoputmostpeopleonthedefensive。Hemeanttolookasuninvolvedastheduke，butitwasnotquitewithinhispower。Hismannerwassufficientlydeliberate。
“Oneevening，beforeyouleftforLondon，Iwasreturningfromthebilliard-room，andheardyouengagedinanimatedconversationwith——
ourhost。Myattentionwasarrested，firstbecause”asketchofasmileill-concealeditself，“youusuallyscarcelydeignedtospeaktohim，andsecondlybecauseIheardJemTempleBarholm”sname。”
“Andyou——？“neithereyesnormanneromittedthewordlistened。
Buttheslightliftofhisshoulderswasindifferentenough。
“Ilisteneddeliberately。Iwasconvincedthatthefellowwasacriminalimpostor，andIwantedevidence。”
“Ah！comenow，“remarkedthedukeamiably。“Nowwearegettingon。Didyougainany？“
“Ithoughtso。Merelyofthecumulativeorder，ofcourse，“Palliseransweredwithmoderation。“Thosewereearlydays。Heaskedyou，“
turningtoLadyJoanagain，“ifyouknewanyone——anyone——whohadanysortofaphotographofJem。Youhadoneandyoushowedittohim！“
Shewasquitesilentforamoment。Thehourcamebacktoher——theextraordinaryhourwhenhehadstoodinhisloungingfashionbeforeher，andthroughsomeodd，uncivilizedbutabsolutelyhumanforceofhisownhadmadeherlistentohim——andhadgoneontalkinginhisnasalvoiceuntilwithonecommon，crude，grotesquephrasehehadturnedherhideousworldupsidedown——changedthewholefaceofit——
sentthestonewallrisingbeforehercrumblingintodust，andseemedsomehowtosetherfree。Forthemomenthehadliftedaloadfromherthenatureofwhichshedidnotthinkhecouldunderstand——aloadofhatredandsilence。Shehadclutchedhishand，shehadpassionatelyweptonit，shecouldhavekissedit。Hehadtoldhershecouldcomebackandnotbeafraid。Asthestrangeepisoderosebeforeherdetailbydetail，sheliterallystaredatPalliser。
“Youdid，didn”tyou？“heinquired。
“Yes，“sheanswered。
Hermindwasinariot，becauseinthemidstofthingswhichmustbetrue，somethingwasfalse。Butwiththememoryofamyriadsubtleduplicitiesinherbrain，shehadneverseenanythingwhichcouldhaveapproachedathinglikethat。Hehadmadeherfeelmorehumanthananyoneintheworldhadevermadeherfeel——butJem。Hehadbeenabletodoitbecausehewashumanhimself——human。“I”mfriendly，“hehadsaidwithhisboy”slaugh”justfriendly。”
“Isawhimstart，thoughyoudidnot，“Pallisercontinued。“Hestoodandstudiedthelocketintently。”
Sherememberedperfectly。Hehadexamineditsocloselythathehadunconsciouslyknithisbrows。
“Hesaidsomethinginaratherlowvoice，“Pallisertookitup。“I
couldnotquitecatchitall。Itwassomethingabout`knowingthefaceagain。”Icanseeyouremember，LadyJoan。Canyourepeattheexactwords？“
Hedidnotunderstandthestrugglehesawinherface。Itwouldhavebeenimpossibleforhimtounderstandit。Whatshefeltwasthatifshelostholdonherstrangebeliefinthehonestyofthisonedecentthingshehadseenandfeltsoclosetoherthatitclearedtheairshebreathed，itwouldbeasifshehadfallenintoabottomlessabyss。Withoutknowingwhyshedidit，shegotupfromherchairasifshewereawitnessinacourt。
“Yes，Ican，“shesaid。“Yes，Ican；butIwishtomakeastatementformyself。WhetherJemTempleBarholmisaliveordead，CaptainPalliser，T。Tembaromhasdonehimnoharm。”
Thedukesatupdelicatelyalert。Hehadevidentlyfoundherworthlookingatandlisteningtofromtheoutset。
“Hear！Hear！“hesaidpleasantly。
“Whatweretheexactwords？“suggestedPalliser。
MissAliciawhohadbeenweepingonLittleAnn”sshoulder——almostonherlap——liftedherheadtolisten。Hutchinsonsethisjawandgrunted，andMr。Palfordclearedhisthroatmechanically。
“Hesaid，“andnoonebetterthanherselfrealizedhowominously“cumulative“thewordssounded，“thatamanwouldknowafacelikethatagain——whereverhesawit。”
“Whereverhesawit！“ejaculatedMr。Grimby。
Thereensuedamomentofentirepause。Itwasinevitable。Havingreachedthispointatakingofbreathwasnecessary。Eventhedukeceasedtoappearentirelydetached。AsMr。Palfordturnedtohispapersagaintherewasperhapsaslightfeelingofawkwardnessintheair。MissAliciahaddropped，terrorsmitten，intonewtears。
Theslightawkwardnesswas，onthewhole，ratheraddedtobyT。
Tembarom——asifserenelyintroducedbythehandofdramaitself——
openingthedoorandwalkingintotheroom。Hecameinwithamatter-
of-fact，butratherobstinate，air，andstoppedintheirmidst，lookingroundatthemasifcollectedlytakingthemallin。
Hutchinsonsprangtohisfeetwithakindofroar，hisbighandsplungingdeepintohistrouserspockets。
“Hereheis！Dangedifheisn”t！“hebellowed。“Now，lad，thalet”emhaveit！“
Whathewastoletthemhavedidnotensue，becausehisattitudewasnotoneofassault。
“Say，youareallhere，ain”tyou！“heremarkedobviously。“Goodbusiness！“
MissAliciagotupfromthesofaandcametremblingtowardhimasoneapproachesonerisenfromthedead，andhemadeabigstridetowardherandtookherinhisarms，pattinghershoulderinreproachfulconsolation。
“Say，youhaven”tdonewhatItoldyou——haveyou？“hesoothed。“You”veletyourselfgetrattled。”
“ButIknewitwasn”ttrue，“shesobbed。“Iknewitwasn”t。”
“Ofcourseyoudid，butyougotrattledallthesame。”Andhepattedheragain。
Thedukecameforwardwithadelightfullyeasyand——coulditbealmostjocose？——airofbearinghimself。PalfordandGrimbyremarkeditwithpaineddismay。Hewassounswervinginhisreadinessasheshookhands。
“Howwelldoneofyou！“hesaid。“Howwellarranged！ButI”mafraidyoudidn”tarrangeitatall。Ithasmerelyhappened。Wheredidyoucomefrom？“
“FromAmerica；gotbackyesterday。”T。Tembarom”shand-shakewasarobustheartygreeting。“It”sallright。”
“FromAmerica！“Theunitedvoicesofthesolicitorsexclaimedit。
JosephHutchinsonbrokeintoahugeguffaw，andhestampedinexultation。
“I”mdangedifbehasna”beentoAmerica！“hecriedout。“ToAmerica！“
“Oh！“MissAliciagaspedhysterically，“theygobackwardandforwardtoAmericalike——likelightning！“
LittleAnnhadnotrisenathisentrance，butsatstillwithherhandsclaspedtightlyonherlap。Herfacehadsomehowtheeffectofaflowergraduallybreakingintoextraordinarybloom。Theireyeshadoncemetandthensheremained，hersoulinherswhichwereuponhim，asshedrankineverywordheuttered。Hertimehadnotyetcome。
LadyJoanhadremainedstandingbythechair，whichafewmomentsbeforehermannerhadseemedtotransformintosomethinglikeawitnessstandinacourtofjustice。Herhungryeyeshadgrownhungriereachsecond，andherbreathcameandwentquickly。TheveryfaceshehadlookedupatonherlasttalkwithT。Tembarom——theoddlyhumanface——turnedonherashecametoher。Itwasjustasithadbeenthatnight——justascommonlyuncommonandbelievable。
“Say，LadyJoan！Youdidn”tbelieveallthatguff，didyou——Youdidn”t？“hesaid。
“No——no——no！Icouldn”t！“shecriedfiercely。
Hesawshewasshakingwithsuspense，andhepushedhergentlyintoachair。
“You”dbettersitdownaminute。You”reaboutallin，“hesaid。
Shemighthavebeenawomanwithanagueasshecaughthisarm，shakingitbecauseherhandsthemselvessoshook。
“Isittrue？“washerlowcry。“Ishealive——ishealive？“
“Yes，he”salive。”Andasheansweredhedrewcloseandsoplacedhimselfbeforeherthatheshieldedherfromtheothersintheroom。
Heseemedtomanagetoshutthemout，sothatwhenshedroppedherfaceonherarmsagainstthechair-backhershuddering，silentsobbingwashiddendecently。Itwasnotonlyhisbodywhichdidit，butsomeprotectingpowerwhichwasalmostphysicallyvisible。Shefeltitspreadbeforeher。
“Yes，he”salive，“hesaid，“andhe”sallright——thoughit”sbeenalongtimecoming，bygee！“
“He”salive。”Theyallheardit。ForamanofPalliser”smaketostandsilentinthemidstofmysteriousslowlyaccumulatingconvictionsthatsomeone——perilouslyofhisownrarelyinepttype——wasonthevergeoffeelingappallinglylikeafool——wasmomentarilyunendurable。Andnothinghadbeenexplained，afterall。
“Isthiswhatyoucall`bluff”inNewYork？“hedemanded。“You”vegotalottoexplain。YouadmitthatJemTempleBarholmisalive？“andrealizedhisasinineerrorbeforethewordswerefullyspoken。