Claire, when counsel’s explanation fell upon her ears, sat upright, pale and rigid.
She recollected Steinbach’s warning, and in an instant the vile, dastardly plot of Hinckeldeym and his creatures became revealed to her.
They would condemn this man to whom she owed her life as a low-bred thief, and at the same time declare that he was her latest lover!
For her it was the end of all things—the very end!
Chapter Twenty Six.
Place and Power.
The grey-faced London magistrate had remanded the prisoners in custody for seven days, and the papers that evening gave a brief account of the proceedings under the heading: “Smart Capture of Alleged Jewel-Thieves.”
During the return journey to Worthing Claire remained almost silent at Leucha’s side. The girl, whose gallant lover had thus been snatched from her so cruelly, was beside herself in utter dejection and brokenness of heart. Surely they were a downcast pair, seated in the corners of an empty first-class carriage on the way back to the seaside town which possessed no further charm for them.