"Pray excuse me, my lord, but the charge was not unsupported," said
McRae respectfully.
"How—not unsupported?"
"No, my lord. The judge had for witnesses the three negroes, and—"
"The three negroes!" exclaimed the viscount, recoiling in amazement; but quickly recovering his presence of mind, he added: "Oh! aye! of course! they ran off with my plate, and I suppose they have succeeded in effectually secreting it and eluding discovery. And now I suspect they have been looked up by their old master and persuaded to appear as false witnesses against me. Ha, ha, ha! what a weak device! I am amazed that any magistrate should have ventured upon such testimony to have issued a warrant for my apprehension."
"I beg your pardon, my lord; but theirs was not the only testimony. There were several gentlemen present, fellow-voyagers of Judge Merlin, who testified to the finding of the negroes in a state of slavery in Cuba; their testimony corroborates that of the negroes," said McRae.
Lord Vincent went pale as death.
"What does that mean? Oh, I see! it is all a conspiracy," he said, with an ineffectual effort at derision.
But at that moment there was a bustle outside; the door was thrown open, and another prisoner was brought in by two policemen.
"What is the matter? Who is it now?" inquired McRae, going forward.
"We have got him, sir," said a constable.