while gazed upon me steadily. I was surprised to see a great
change of gravity fallen upon his face, and I could have almost
thought he was a little pale.

"You are either very simple, or extremely the reverse, and I see
that I must deal with you more confidentially," says he. "This is
a political case--ah, yes, Mr. Balfour! whether we like it or no,
the case is political--and I tremble when I think what issues may
depend from it. To a political case, I need scarce tell a young
man of your education, we approach with very different thoughts
from one which is criminal only. Salus populi suprema lex is a
maxim susceptible of great abuse, but it has that force which we
find elsewhere only in the laws of nature: I mean it has the force
of necessity. I will open this out to you, if you will allow me,
at more length. You would have me believe--"

"Under your pardon, my lord, I would have you to believe nothing
but that which I can prove," said I.

"Tut! tut; young gentleman," says he, "be not so pragmatical, and
suffer a man who might be your father (if it was nothing more) to
employ his own imperfect language, and express his own poor
thoughts, even when they have the misfortune not to coincide with
Mr. Balfour's. You would have me to believe Breck innocent. I
would think this of little account, the more so as we cannot catch
our man. But the matter of Breck's innocence shoots beyond itself.
Once admitted, it would destroy the whole presumptions of our case
against another and a very different criminal; a man grown old in
treason, already twice in arms against his king and already twice
forgiven; a fomentor of discontent, and (whoever may have fired the