"Great Heavens! Why?" Mrs. Warren pushed forward a lounging chair. "Sit here, dear, you look utterly worn out."
"I am." The senator dropped wearily into the seat and stretched himself in comfort. "Baker insists that Goddard is an accessory after the fact." He ceased speaking, and drew out his cigar case and selected one of its contents. Mrs. Warren threw herself on the sofa near at hand and waited in silence for her husband to continue his remarks. "The judge advocate, also, is firmly convinced that Goddard knows more of what took place in Lloyd's bedroom than he will admit."
"I agree with the judge advocate," admitted Mrs. Warren. "It was only too obvious this afternoon that Major Goddard was trying to shield Nancy."
"And by so doing he has accomplished more harm than good." Warren paused and watched the smoke from his cigar as it curled slowly upward. "And what is worse, he has shown that he himself believes she is guilty."
"But, oh, Tom, how he loves her!"
"Yes," Warren's face softened. "He lied like a man. I wish to God he hadn't been caught!"
"Tom—you—you—don't believe Nancy killed that man?" The question seemed forced from her.
Warren hesitated. "Nancy swore to me that she was innocent; and yet—the deeper we go into this affair the more evidence we find that she only could have murdered Lloyd."
"But, Tom, we have only heard the prosecution's side of the case, so far. Your defence will surely throw some light favorable to Nancy's cause."
Again Warren hesitated and twirled his beard with nervous fingers; then burst out, "I wouldn't give that"—he snapped his fingers derisively—"for my defence! Louise, except Miss Metoaca, there is not one person I can call as a witness in Nancy's behalf. God help the girl! My only hope is to shake or discredit the testimony of the Government's witnesses."