"Miss Isabel was present."

"Did you find her alone in the room?"

"Yes, sir."

Lady Lydiard opened her lips to speak, and checked herself. Mr. Troy,
having cleared the ground before him, put the fatal question.

"Mr. Moody," he said, "when Miss Isabel was instructed to seal the
letter, did she know that a bank-note was inclosed in it?"

Instead of replying, Robert drew back from the lawyer with a look of
horror. Lady Lydiard started to her feet--and checked herself again, on
the point of speaking.

"Answer him, Moody," she said, putting a strong constraint on herself.

Robert answered very unwillingly. "I took the liberty of reminding
her ladyship that she had left her letter unsealed," he said. "And
I mentioned as my excuse for speaking,"--he stopped, and corrected
himself--"_I believe_ I mentioned that a valuable inclosure was in the
letter."

"You believe?" Mr. Troy repeated. "Can't you speak more positively than
that?"

"_I_ can speak positively," said Lady Lydiard, with her eyes on the
lawyer. "Moody did mention the inclosure in the letter--in Isabel
Miller's hearing as well as in mine." She paused, steadily controlling