For Honour's Sake.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8108, 31 March 1906, Page 2

For Honour's Sake.

By Bertha M. Clay. Author of " Wife in Name Only," " Wedded and Parted," "Dora Thome," " A Queen Among Women," lt A True Magdalene," etc., etc.,

CHAPTER LVIt. —Continued

41 But, as a matter of fact," Baid Mr Greeu, "was it not something Toore than friendship tbut actuated yon" "Yes." •'You admit that you, a married man. bad an affection for Miss Verner-" , , , "Yes; but one that did her no wrong, even in thought." Again a murmur of aoclauee. Counsel felt he was losing, not gaining ground, and the jury did not look shocked, as a British jury should have looked, at such an admission. Mr Green passed on to another point. "It is admitted that the defendant Tollemache, was wouuded by yon. When you fired was the defendant offering to attack you. "No I entered the bouse, and met him face to face. 1 fired straight at him." (Sensation), "You fired straight at an unarmed man who had out even offered to attack you," said Mr Greeu impressively. Stewart answered coolly: "He whs armed; but 1 didn't take that into account." "You meant to kill him "I ceitaiuly took no paina to ■avoid killing him. He had to take his chance." ... -. Again sympathy with the witness. and not with the questioner al though Stewart owned wlth sto, . ,1 i coolness, to an not tuat generally shocks an English audience out of all sympathy. After a few more questions, Mr Green gave it up. tie thought it Wisest uot to cross-ex-miae Captain Stetfart about the Kavon's Tower. He would certainly discredit still more hia sufficiently discreditable case by such a course. Lan Mnc-lan'a evidence was oniy corroborative; hj« was not cross- i examined, nnd then Mr Greeu addressed the court for the prisoners. He was unable, he said, to deny the offence. Undoubtedly Miss - Verner had been abducted against her *lll, to be forced into a marriage with Tollemache. All he would ask for was a mitigation of punishment. Tollemaobe was very much in love with the young lady, and there was no proof that he meant to proceed to extremeties; while Davenant clearly intended to protect her against any suoh possibility. Furthermore, the prisoners had both received their punishment at the hands of Captain Stewart, who, taking the law into his own bauds, had injured both prisoners--Tollemache, probably, for life. His own admission was that he lired straight at" Tollemache, and, if the latter had not swerved he would have been instantly killed. The preaent proceedings had entirely cleared Miss Verner'a name from imputations which bad been cast upon it, and surely Captain Stewart bad had ample revenge for any injury done to Miss \ erner. Claude's counsel replied ou the whole case, and the judge summon ap. It soon became evident that he did not consider the punishment the prisoners had already received as a mitigation of what they ought to receive. The offeace was one of the gravest that could be committed, and but for the prompt action taken by Captain Stewart Miss Verner might have been placed in a very terrible position. He—the judge—was not going to say a man had a right to take the law into his own hands; but one could not expect any man to act in cool blood under the circumstances. Of course, Capain Stewart should have sought the aid of the police; but he preferred prompt justice. However, they were not there to try CaDtain Stewart for shooting the prisoner Tolle-naohe, but to tiy Tollemache and Davenant for conspiring to deprive Miss Claude Vernere of her liberty for an unlawful puroose. The seventy of the charge gave the prisoners no hope. A curious gray look came over Tollemache's face as he listened, Davenant's courage all but failed him utterly. The verdict of "guil;y" contained no recommendation to mercy, and the judge, in oassing sentence, said that the class In life of the aocused aggravated instead of mitigated their crime. They were condemned to the heaviest sentence of penal servitude whioh the law allowed, and there was not one look, one murmur of pity for them aB they were led out of court, to vanish for ever from the world that had knowi; them.

CHAPTER LVIII.

NULL AND VOID. Pauline's advisors gavf- her 1101 hope of success in the uullity suit. She had really, they said, no defence, and advised her not to set up any but to try and obtain from Captain Stewart, a generou9 concession in the matter of some permanent settlement. it took some time to convince the foolish woman that all her settlements were null and void; and when at last convinced she almost went into hysterics, and then into diatribes agaiust Captain Stewart and Claude. He only wanted to get rid of her to mnrry Claude Verner. Her much tried lawyer and counsel d not at all wouder that he did. Pauline, however, insisted on disputing the identity of the man, Arthur Faucourt, with her husband, Eichard Arnold. She had l?ft Carlton House Terrace, and taken up her residence in expensive apartments in Mayfair. She bad secured a quantity of jewellery; but Stewart bad provided agaiust her including any family jewellery which, left to herself, tay lady would have appropriated withx out compunction; of anything bought by or for her, or given to her, he had of oourse, no wish, had lie even the right, to deDtive her. Pauline appeared in court, on the day of the trial, in her bravest array,

and put on the air of a bitterly wronged womhn. She looked very lovely. .She looked openly enough to deceive tbe men, at any rate, into believing her a martyr; bat this trial, like the conspiracy trial, brought together all the fashionable world, and not a few of the men of that world knew something of the sharp olaws under tbe soft fur; but Pauline was delighted to find that many sympathised with her, and thought it a cruel and dishonourable thing for the man she had married in aU good faith to take advantage of the law which allowed him to cast her off. / She fondly hoped with the fatuousness of a vain and silly woman that her beauty would prevail upon the jury to give a verdict in her favour, "against the weight of evidence"; but, al«s! for her hopes, that evidence was overwhelming. One after the other came the witnesses Stewart, Major Langdale, Maida, thw magistrate, the doctor, then Arnold's own dying confession, the signature to which was exact with the signature of lotters written by him; the photograph taken fitter death, which was sworn to by others who had known the man in society; and the judge and jury noticed the peculiarities which made the face so easily recognisable. (To bd Continued).