Part 8 (1/2)

”Aye, answer that!” cut in Sir John, fetched suddenly from out his doubts by that reht's words restored to hie of which Rosaht; with a man there was no need to mince his words

”I cannot answer it,” he said, but very firmly, in a tone that brushed aside all implications ”If you say it was so, so it must have been Yet when all is said, what does it prove? Does it set it beyond doubt that it was I who killed him? Does it justify the wo worse?” He paused, and looked at her again, a world of reproach in his glance She had sunk to a chair, and rocked there, her fingers locking and interlocking, her face a est what else it proves, sir?” quoth Sir John, and there was doubt in his voice

Sir Oliver caught the note of it, and a sob broke from him

”O God of pity!” he cried out ”There is doubt in your voice, and there is none in hers You were my enemy once, and have since been in a mistrustful truce withBut she she who loved me has no room for any doubt!”

”Sir Oliver,” she answered hi you have done has broken quite ht to such a deed I could have forgiven it, I think, even though I could no longer be your wife; I could have forgiven it, I say, but for the baseness of your present denial”

He looked at her, white-faced an instant, then turned on his heel andis quite plain,” said he ”It is your wish that I shall take hed ”Who will accuse me to the Justices? Will you, Sir John?”

”If Mistress Rosaht

”Ha! Be it so But do not think I aallows upon such paltry evidence as satisfies that lady If any accuser co to er, I will take my trial--but it shall be trial by battle upon the body of ht, and I will have every ounce of it Do you doubt how God will pronounce?

I call upon him soleuilty of this thing may He wither my arm when I enter the lists”

”Myself I will accuse you,” came Rosahts against ive you, Rosamund!” said Sir Oliver, and went out

He returned hoht hold in store for hiainst Rosamund that there was no roo hiht them tooth and claw, and yet Lionel should not suffer He would take care of that And then the thought of Lionel changed his mood a little How easily could he have shattered their accusation, how easily have brought her to her proud knees i pardon of him! By a word he could have done it, yet he feared lest that word must jeopardize his brother

In the calht, as he lay sleepless upon his bed and saw things without heat, there crept a change into his mental attitude He reviewed all the evidence that had led her to her conclusions, and he was forced to confess that she was in soed hied her yet more

For years she had listened to all the poisonous things that were said of hiance had arded all because she loved him; her relations with her brother had become strained on that account, yet now, all this returned to crush her; repentance played its part in her cruel belief that it was by his hand Peter Godolphin had fallen It must almost seem to her that in a sense she had been a party to hiscourse to which she had kept in loving the man her brother hated

He saw it now, and washer She had been more than human if she had not felt as he no that she must feel, and since reactions are to be , so was it but natural that now she h as fiercely

It was a heavy cross to bear Yet for Lionel's sake he must bear it hat fortitude he could Lionel oism for a deed that in Lionel he could not account other than justified He were base indeed did he so much as contemplate such a way of escape as that

But if he did not conte those days, a terror that kept him from sleep and so fostered the fever in hiriaunt Sir Oliver remonstrated with him and in such terms as to put heart into him anew Moreover, there was other news that day to allay his terrors: the Justices, at Truro had been informed of the event and the accusation that was made; but they had refused point-blank to take action in the matter The reason of it was that one of them was that same Master Anthony Baine who had witnessed the affront offered Sir Oliver He declared that whatever had happened to Master Godolphin as a consequence was no ht upon hiave it as his decision that his conscience as a man of honour would not permit him to issue any warrant to the constable

Sir Oliver received this news from that other witness, the parson, who himself had suffered such rudeness at Godolphin's hands, and who, h he was, entirely supported the Justice's decision--or so he declared

Sir Oliver thanked hi that it was kind in him and in Master Baine to take such a view, but for the rest avowing that he had had no hand in the affair, however ht point to hie two days later that the whole countryside was in a ferainst Master Baine as a consequence of the attitude he had taken up, Sir Oliver suhtway rode with him to the Justice's house at Truro, there to afford certain evidence which he had withheld frorew

”Master Baine,” he said, when the three of theentleallant pronouncement you have made, and I am coe”

Master Baine bowed gravely He was a rave

”But since I would not that any evil consequences ht attend your action, I ahtly even than you think, and that I am not the slayer”