"Answer, answer," said Master Leslie eagerly. "I was in my father's house at Barnet." "You say you can prove this?" "I can prove it, Sir William, for I was myself there at the time. Also there be servants who can take oath to it." This was spoken by Master Leslie eagerly. "Then how came you to be accused of this crime?" A great fear came into her eyes again, and she looked towards her father pleadingly. At this Master Leslie spoke again. "I have more than one daughter, Sir William, and if this guilt is to be fastened on one of them, it must be fastened upon my daughter Dorcas, who married Sir Charles Denman, and who lived in London. Thus, my daughter here, knew nought of the outrage until after it was committed." "But General Monk's secretary heard her say she was called Constance Denman." "I will explain that, although, as my daughter saith, this is not the proper tribunal for her to be judged, but I will tell the truth so that you may see that you do wrong by detaining her as a prisoner. My daughter Dorcas is the wife of Sir Charles Denman, as I have said. God hath not been pleased to give her the faculties of mind which He hath been pleased to give to my daughter here, and she became the slave of the man she married. It was her husband who commanded her to assume the garb of this my daughter here, it was her husband who commanded her to make it known that she was called Constance. Then," and here Master Leslie's voice became tremulous, "after she had escaped, my daughter Constance, who hath been unjustly imprisoned, in order to save her sister, so great is her love for her, assisted her to keep in safe hiding, and even appeared with Sir Charles Denman as his wife, in order to attract all suspicion upon herself, and save her sister." There was a silence which could almost be felt as he said this, and I saw that the face of Mistress Constance was pale, as I thought with fear and shame. "Thus my daughter here is guilty of nought save of a great and overmastering love for her sister," went on Master Leslie. "To save her she hath allowed herself to be hunted like a fox, to save her she hath travelled alone with her sister's husband." The place had ceased to be a court of justice, and there was scarcely a man there but who forgot that nought was being conducted as the law provided. "By this means she hath succeeded up to now in diverting attention from her sister, neither would she even now have told what I have told." "This is a strange story, Master Leslie," said the presiding justice. "It is strange," said the other, "but I could not stand by and see my innocent child suffer for her sister, and that is why I rode hither through the night, so that she might be set at liberty forthwith." "And where is your guilty daughter?"