Nina’s lawyer argued her case in his best and most forcible style. He brought witnesses to testify to the sweet and gentle nature of the accused. No one that knew her believed that she was guilty. They knew that it was impossible for her to have committed such an act. He admitted that she had had great provocation to anger, and that she had called down the vengeance of heaven upon her triumphant and insolent rival, but he said that the very fact that she had called upon heaven to avenge her wrongs proved that she had not attempted to take the punishment of the cruel coquette into her own young hands. Nay, she had gone away and made two attempts at suicide in order to free her unloving husband that he might be happy with the woman he preferred beyond her. He harangued the court for several hours, and after a brilliant, but almost hopeless effort sat down to listen to the closing speech of the prosecution. CHAPTER XXXVII. THE LETTER. In the slight confusion that ensued upon the closing of the speech for the defense, Virgie Mason and Helen Starr obtained permission to speak to the prisoner. With bitter tears they kissed the fair young face whose expression of hopeless woe almost broke their hearts. They implored her to forgive them because they had been brought to court to testify against her. “We would not have come if we could have helped it,” they said, and Virgie added, indignantly: “I think it’s real mean to make us come against our will, and I for one sha’n’t tell them anything I can help!” “Nor I,” said Helen. But these two fair young girls had never been in a witness box and did not know that they would be subjected to so rigid an examination that they would be sure to tell all they knew. They were indignant when their turn came at the searching questions asked them by the prosecution, and try as they would they could not avoid giving a full and detailed account of the scene in the drawing room at Selwyn Heights, a few hours before the terrible tragedy. Virgie cried out impulsively: “Nina did not mean to hurt her, I am sure, for she called on heaven to punish her for her sin, and if she meant to commit a crime she could not have taken the name of heaven upon her lips.” Miss Strangemore, even, was compelled to go upon the stand and repeat the particulars of the drawing-room scene. Oh, cruel fate, the victim said to herself when even her friends were compelled to condemn her out of their own lips. When all the witnesses had been examined the speech for the prosecution began. This lawyer honestly believed that the prisoner at the bar was guilty, and he tried his best to convince the judge and jury that it was so.