Evening star., 1925-07-14

His words suggested that he had
nothing more to say to her, but he
made no movement of departure. He
waited To himself he seemed to wait
q very long time. He did not look at
Leslie, but he was conscious that she
sat very still and made no sound. At
last it was he who spoke.
"If you have nothing more to say to
me I think I'll be getting back to my
Office
What would any one who read the
letter be inclined to think that it
meant" she asked then.
He'd know that you had told de-
liberate lie" answered Mr.. Joyce
sharply.
"When?"
You have stated definitely that you
had had no communication with Ham
naond for at least three months"
The whole thing has been a terri
he shock for me. The events of that
horrible night have been nightmare.
It's not very strange if one detail has
escaped my memory"
1T would be unfortunate when your
memory has reproduced so exactly
every particular of your interview
with Hammond that you should have
forgotten so important a point as that
OF his death at your express desire.
'I hadn't forgotten. After what
happened l was afraid to mention 1t.
thought you'd none of you believe my
story if l admitted that he'd come at
my invitation. | dare say 1t was very
stupid of me. But lost my head, and
after I'd said once that I'd had no
communication with Hammond l was
obliged to stick to il.
BY now Leslie had recovered her ad-
mira BILE composure. She met Mr..
Joyces appraising glance with candor.
Her gentleness was very disarming.
You will be required to explain,
then, why you asked Hammond to
come and see you when Robert was
away for the night"
She turned her eyes full on the law
yer. He had been mistaken in think
ing them insignificant; they were
rather fine eyes, and unless he was
mistaken they were bright now with
tears. Her voice had a little break
in it.
TT was surprise l was preparing
for Robert. His birthday is next
month. I knew he wanted a new gun
and, you know, I'm dreadfully stupid
about sporting things. | wanted to
talk to Geoff about it. l thought I'd
get him to order it for me-"
Perhaps the terms of the letter are
NO, 1 don't want to-" she said
not very clear to your recollection.
viii you have another look at it?"
quickly.
Does it seem to you the sort of let
ter a woman would write to a rather
distant acquaintance because she
wanted TO consult him about buying
a gum
Il daresay it's rather eXtravagant
and emotional. 1 do express myself
like that, you know. I'm quite pre-
pared to admit it's rather silly" She
smiled. And, after all, Geoff Ham
mond wasn't quite a distant acquaint-
ance. When he was i'll I'd nursed him
like a mother. l asked him to come
when Robert was away, because Rob-
ert wouldn't have him in the house"
Mr.. Joyce was tired of sitting so
long in the same position. He rose
and walked once or twice up and
down the room, choosing the words
he proposed to say; then he leaned
over the back of his chair. He spoke
slowly in tone of deep gravity
Mrs. Crosbie want to talk to you
very, very seriously. This case was
comparatively plain sailing. There
was only one point which seemed to
me to require explanation; as far as
I could judge you had fired no less
than four shots into Hammond when
he was lying on the ground. 1t was
hard TO accept the possibility that
delicate, frightened, and habitually
self-conColled woman, of gentle nur-
ture and refined instincts, should have
surrendered to an absolutely uncon-
trolled frenzy. But, of course, it was
admissible. Although Godfrey Ham
mond was much liked and on the
whole thought highly of I was pre-
pared to prove that he was the sort
of man who might be guilty of the
crime which in justification Of your
act you accused him of. The fact,
which was discovered after his death,
that he had been living with a Chinese
woman gave US something very def
mite to go upon. That robbed him
of any sympathy which might have
been felt for him. We made up our
minds to make every use of the odium
which such a connection cast upon
him in the minds of all respectable
people. 1 told your husband this
morning that | was certain of an
acquittal, and l wasn't just telling him
that to give him heart. ! do not be-
lieve that the jury would have left
the box
They looked into one another's eyes
Mrs. Crosbie was strangely still. She
was like a little bird paralyZed by