expressed their perfect conviction of the falseness of the accusation.
But when Lord Lufton and Mr Robarts were together after the ladies had
left them, there was much less certainty of this expressed. 'By Jove,'
said Lord Lufton,' 'I don't know what to think of it. I wish with all my
heart that Soames had said nothing about it, and that the cheque had
passed without remark.'

'That was impossible. When the banker sent to Soames, he was obliged to
take the matter up.'

'Of course he was. But I'm sorry that it was so. For the life of me, I
can't conceive how the cheque got into Crawley's hands.'

'I imagine it had been lying in the house, and that Crawley had come to
think that it was his own.'

'But, my dear Mark,' said Lord Lufton, 'excuse me if I say that that's
nonsense. What do we do when a poor man has come to think that another
man's property is his own? We send him to prison for making the
mistake.'

'I hope they won't sent Crawley to prison.'

'I hope so too; but what is a jury to do?'

'You think it will go to a jury, then?'

'I do,' said Lord Lufton. 'I don't see how the magistrates can save
themselves from committing him. It is one of those cases in which
everyone concerned would wish to drop it if it were only possible. But