"Supposing he had been guilty—she would willingly take his place?"
"Yes."
"There was no sacrifice too great to make for him—her future husband?"
"None."
"She had come to-day with no other object than to save him?"
"Yes," Ruby replied again. "That is why I made the affidavit now before the Court."
Then the counsel's manner, entirely changed, and instead of leading her easily and pleasantly with smiling questions that she had only to agree to with an eager "Yes," he began to ask her questions which she found it difficult to answer at all; and presently he made her contradict herself.
"Now, please be careful, Miss Strode; you distinctly told us just now that you wrote the note to the bank asking them to give the money to the messenger boy, and now you say that it was written by the prisoner. What are we to understand?"
Poor Ruby was by now thoroughly frightened, and hardly knew what she was saying. "I—I mean Mr. Dale wrote it for us, and I sent it. You see, I did not want him to get into trouble!"
"Oh! So you knew he would get into trouble if he was found out?"