Transcriber’s note Variable spelling and hyphenation have been retained. Minor punctuation inconsistencies have been silently repaired. A list of the changes made can be found at the end of the book. Formatting and special characters are indicated as follows: _italic_ AN OPEN VERDICT A Novel BY THE AUTHOR OF ‘LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET’ ETC. ETC. ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES VOL. III. [Illustration] LONDON: JOHN MAXWELL AND CO. 4, SHOE LANE, FLEET STREET, 1878 [_All rights reserved_] CONTENTS TO VOL. III. CHAP. PAGE I. PATERNAL DIPLOMACY 1 II. MR. PIPER IS ACCEPTED 18 III. A WEDDING MARCH 30 IV. KENRICK’S RETURN 49 V. MR. SCRATCHELL GOES TO LONDON 60 VI. THE SECOND MRS. PIPER 74 VII. IN THE CHURCHYARD 88 VIII. KENRICK’S WEDDING DAY 112 IX. JILTED 122 X. MRS. PIPER’S DAY 132 XI. CAPTAIN STANDISH 154 XII. AT HER CHARIOT WHEELS 168 XIII. PLAYING WITH FIRE 183 XIV. A TURN OF FORTUNE’S WHEEL 202 XV. MR. PIPER ASSERTS HIMSELF 216 XVI. CAPTAIN STANDISH CHOOSES A HORSE 230 XVII. VANESSA’S VISIT 244 XVIII. OPENING HIS EYES 257 XIX. A SHORT RECKONING 274 XX. LET SILENCE BE ABOUT HER NAME 289 XXI. ‘BUT PROVE ME WHAT IT IS I WOULD NOT DO’ 308 XXII. FAIR STILL, BUT FAIR FOR NO ONE SAVING ME 321 EPILOGUE 343 AN OPEN VERDICT. CHAPTER I. PATERNAL DIPLOMACY. ‘WHAT!’ roared Mr. Scratchell, scarlet of visage, ‘you are asked to marry a man with fifteen thousand a year, and you refuse? Did anybody ever hear of such lunacy?’