“‘I do,’ was the brief reply. Then, after a moment’s silence, he continued: ‘I wish to speak to you on a most unpleasant and delicate matter.’
“I looked at him with some little indignation.
“‘Do you know,’ I asked, ‘that Captain Pierrepont is here?’
“‘He is here by my wish,’ replied my husband, gravely, ‘to bear witness to what I say.’
“There was something so stern in his face—remember, I loved him then—that my eyes filled with tears and my heart beat with fear, yet spirit and pride were both aroused in me.
“‘I object, Sir Alfred; if you have anything to say I am most willing to listen, but not in the presence of Captain Pierrepont.’
“‘A very bad sign; a sure sign of guilt,’ said the captain to my husband.
“I turned to him haughtily.
“‘Why do you, sir, stand here like a shadow between my husband and me?’
“‘Madam,’ he replied, gravely, ‘I am a witness.’