"Neither the one nor the other!" Mrs. Battle brought her plump little hands down on the arms of the chair with a muffled but emphatic smack. "Never outside of this room shall we breathe our convictions, or our certain knowledge that she kept a revolver in her room--may I not speak for all?" There was a hissing murmur caused by the letter _s_. "And it will be no negative defence, either. We'll stand by her publicly, visit her constantly, keep up her spirits, never give her a hint of our suspicions, and attend the trial in a body. Our attitude cannot fail to impress the world. We are the representative women of Elsinore; we have known her all our lives; it is our duty to flaunt our faith in the eyes of the public. The moral effect will be enormous--also on the jury." "It is very splendid of you." Alys sighed. Their motives were mixed, of course, poor dears; brains were not their strong point, and they were all feeling young again with their sense of participation in the great local drama, but there was no questioning their loyalty, even that of Mrs. Battle, who would inherit the reins of leadership were Mrs. Balfame forced to retire. Alys wished she could be swept along with them, but her indorsement of their programme was from the head alone. "What do the men think?" she asked. "I guess they don't know what to think," said Mrs. Battle complacently. "They're not as clever as we are, and besides, they never could understand that type of woman. Whatever they think, though,--that is to say, if they do suspect her,--they'll never let on. They weren't any too fond of Dave these last years, and they're no more anxious than we are to have Elsinore disgraced--especially with all those lots on the edge of the West End unsold. They're hoping for a boom every minute. The trial will be bad enough. And those terrible reporters! They've been here a dozen times." "That reminds me," interrupted Alys. "I promised four of the best of the women reporters I would try to get them an interview with Mrs. Balfame. Do you think you could manage it? She might not listen to me. And--and--if she is a murderess, I don't think I can see her just yet." "Youth is so hard!" Mrs. Battle sighed. "But I suppose it is as well that you, an unmarried young woman, and with your way to make, should keep in the background. But why should she see those women? Answer me that. It would be more dignified for her to ignore the press hereafter." "Perhaps. But they are predisposed in her favour, being women, and would write her up in such a way as to make friends for her among the public. It is important, if she is to be tried for her life, that she should not be thought a monster, that she should make all the friends possible. The jury might convict her, and it would then be necessary, appeals also failing, to get up a petition."