To do Ephraim justice, in giving his evidence as he had given it, he had thought only of screening himself, never dreaming that by so doing he would be strengthening the web of suspicion which seemed to be closing slowly round Mr. Brancker. With all his petty, tortuous ways and crooked modes of reasoning, he shrank from doing anyone a direct injury. If, in his dealings with others, however simple those dealings might be, a roundabout course was sweeter to him than a straightforward one--that was a little weakness which he shared in common with many men far more highly placed than himself. Truth to tell, Ephraim was not framed in the mould out of which your more robust villains are turned out. It might be said of him that, while to serve his own ends he would not have shrunk from pricking anyone with a pin in the dark, had a dagger been thrust into his hand he would have dropped it in terror and slunk away. He had perjured himself to save himself, but nothing had been further from his intention than to do John Brancker an injury. No one had been more surprised than he at the turn Strong's evidence had taken; he was utterly at a loss how to reconcile the statements of the two men. As soon as Edward Hazeldine and Mr. Prestwich were alone, the latter said: "I wish you had heard the evidence this afternoon; it has taken quite an unexpected turn." "An unexpected turn! In what way?" asked Edward, with a quick, suspicious glance at his companion. "As tending to fix a shadow of suspicion on Mr. Brancker." "On Mr. Brancker! What nonsense that must be!" exclaimed Edward, impatiently. "I should probably have been as sceptical as you are, had I not heard the evidence in question," remarked Mr. Prestwich dryly. He then went on to enlighten his companion, detailing the different points of evidence as deposed to by each witness in turn. Edward listened with growing wonder and uneasiness. "That man Strong must have sworn to a lie," he said impetuously, when Mr. Prestwich had done. "I don't think so, and I watched him narrowly. The fellow may be something of a dunderhead, but he seemed very much in earnest in what he said." "Then you mean to imply that John Brancker has not told the truth?"