Cardinal Leighton was standing-up, blinking and blushing with indignation which distorted his honest placid features. "Holy Father, don't say another word." He twitched round towards his fellow-collegians. "How can you torture the man so!" he cried. "Can't you see what you're doing, wracking the poor soul like this, pulling him in little pieces all over again? Shame on ye!--Holy Father don't say another word." "Oh if I had only known!" cried Van Kristen. "You did! I told you myself; and you didn't believe me!" George fulminated. The youngest cardinal wept into his handkerchief, shaking with sobs. George neither saw nor noted anyone. He was glaring like a python. Demurrers to Leighton's remarks arose. No one wanted to wrack anybody. Questions had been invited. Of course no one believed. But it would be so much more satisfactory--Ragna added. George sat violently still in his chair while they talked: let them talk; and prepared to resume. "If Your Holiness would condescend----" Carvale began. "There is no Holiness here," George interrupted, in that cold white candent voice which was more caustic than silver nitrate and more thrilling than a scream. "If you would do us the favour of just noticing a few heads." "As you please," George chucked at him: "agree among yourselves as to those heads; and you shall have bodies and limbs and finger-nails and teeth to fit them." Their Eminencies began agreeing. George meanwhile went into the secret chamber for ten minutes or so: and returned with his cat on his neck, and his own tobacco-pouch. He was beginning a cigarette; and his gait was the gait of a challenged lion. Sterling presented him with a pencilled slip of paper. He read aloud "Pseudonym: begging letters: debts: luxurious living: idleness: false pretences as to means and position." "I think it right to say that I myself am perfectly satisfied on all those points," said Semphill. "I've read the calumnies--and I call them dastardly calumnies--in the light of my own knowledge of the facts; and I can only say that the worst thing which they've alleged against you is that you've been used to go-about bilking landlords. All the rest is excusable, not to say harmless."