Evening star., 1923-10-17

garding it as he might have regarded
a cat or pet dog, suddenly looked at
her with penetrating gaze.
"On the evidence that was put be-
fore the magistrates do you think
your cousin will be acquitted?' he
asked her.
PhilIipa felt herself beginning to
be annoyed. She knew that her
father had trusted Marshall Stead,
that he had encouraged and helped
him, and had invited him to the
house. But she herself had always
felt curious dislike of him, amount
ing almost to repulsion, and she had
no desire to enter any personal argu-
ments with him. And her tone un-
consciously assumed something of
coldness and hauteur.
II do not see any necessity for dis
cussing that" she replied.
Pardon me-" said Stead, but l
do. 1t is relative to what | have TO
say, Miss Mannersley. Otherwise l
should not have asked you the ques-
tion-naturally."
Phillipa felt that he had got the
best of her there, and was none the
better pleased with herself,
In that case" she said, yes, l do
think Sir Clinton will be acquitted"
Stead inclined his head as if he
had quite expected her answer.
so a great many people think and
say" he observed. "They rely on the
evidence of the man King-Ginger
King"
II believe" said Phillipa, who was
becoming more and more displeased,
Il believe that Kings evidence has
been proved to be true"
BY whom?" asked Stead.
by the police" answered Phillipa.
Stead smiled. He looked round the
room, not as If searching for possible
eavesdroppers, but as though consid-
ering something. After moments S
silence he faced Phillipa again.
Miss Mannersley," he said, Kings
evidence was false, King was not
outside the castle that night. As a
the time he said he was at the cas-
tie, outside that particular window.
was poaching. And at the next hear
ing Kings evidence will be rebutted
by the two men who We're with
him in Littlecote Spinney."
Phillipa stared at him with eyes in
which incredulousness struggled with
fear. But the bOot-prints!" she ex-
claimed.
These men will prove that King,
seeing light in the study window as
they passed, all three, down the lane
at the side of your grounds, climbed
over the wall to look through the
window" replied Stead. 1T is quite
true that he did that, and that the
footprints Were undoubtedly his.
Dul II Was dIler II o CLOCK Wnen sle
was there-a long time after the"
Yes, yes! said Phillipa, hurriedly.
But why did not these men speak
before? l suppose they were in
court?'
I don't think they were in court"
said Stead Their appearance in
court, like Kings, are usually in the
dock. They are notorious poachers
and they naturally did not want their
whereabouts that night known"
But why did King say what he
did?" asked Phillipa. What was his
object?"
Ginger King, Miss Mannersley,"
answered Stead, lis a notorious liar
and bragger, as his associates at
the pot-hOuseS can prove. Moreover,
King that morning, as anybody might
have seen, was somewhat the worse
for liquor.
Further, your cousin has always
been popular with the miners because
he used to give them racing tips, and
King no doubt thought he was doing
fine thing in making some return.
Lastly, you must remember that King
gave his evidence after hearing your
cousins statement. If he had Of
fered it before, there might have been
something in it. AS 1t is there is
nothing. 1t will not avail Sir Clinton
anything"
PhilIipa felt as If heavy blow had
been dealt her. Both Miller Stanford
and Inspector Cortelyou had laid
great stress upon the high impor-
tance of Kings evidence, and during
the last dark days of sorrow she had
comforted herself greatly with the
hope that Clinton would soon be re-
leased. She was quick-witted enough
to grasp the fact that if what Stead
had told her about the two poachers
was true, Kings testimony would be
worse than worthless and the strong
est point of the defense would be
gone.
Continued in Tomorrow's Star.)