"Who is that?"
"Ainley! You remember——"
"Ainley! Why, man, he——" He broke off suddenly, with a look at the girl.
"Yes?" said Stane, "you need not mind Miss Yardely. She knows I have been in prison."
"Yes!" answered Helen quickly, "and I am very sure he ought not to have been."
"It was a damnable shame!" broke out the policeman. "But the facts were against you at the time, Stane. The hand-writing experts——"
"Oh the likenesses were there, right enough," interrupted Stane, "and I certainly had been in Harcroft's rooms, alone, and I suppose in company with his cheque book. Also I had lost rather a pot of money on the boat-race, and I am bound to admit all the other incriminating circumstances."
"Yes, but you don't know everything. Long after you—er—went down, Jarlock, who was in our set, told me something about Ainley."
"What was that?" asked Stane quickly.
"Well, it was that just at that time, Ainley was broke and borrowing money right and left, and that he had forged Jarlock's name to a bill. Jarlock became aware of the fact through the bill being presented to him for payment, and he tackled Ainley about the business. Ainley owned up, and Jarlock let the thing go, for old acquaintance' sake. But just about the time of your trouble he left the 'Varsity and went on a trip to the Cape, and it was a full year after before he even heard what had befallen you. It made him think of his own affair with Ainley, and when he met me months afterwards he took me into his confidence. We talked the matter over carefully, and knowing you as we both did, we reached the conclusion that you were innocent and that Ainley was the guilty man."