"And that he means to go through his trial, and to plead guilty to a charge of murder, so that the real criminal should escape." "Yes!" "And that he is prepared to hang--to hang, mind you!" reiterated Sir Thomas with almost cruel bluntness, "if he is condemned in order to allow the real criminal to escape?" "Yes." "And you yourself have no notion as to who this person maybe?" "No." "Is there anybody, do you think, who is likely to know more about Luke de Mountford's past and present life than you do yourself?" "Yes," she said, "Lord Radclyffe." "Old Radclyffe?" he ejaculated. "Why, yes. Lord Radclyffe adored Luke before this awful man came between them. He had him with him ever since Luke was a tiny boy. There's no one in the world for whom he cared as he cared for Luke, and the affection was fully reciprocated. My belief is that Lord Radclyffe knows more about Luke than any one else in the world." "But old Rad is very ill just now, unfortunately." "It would kill him," she retorted, "if anything happened to Luke, whilst he was being coddled up as an invalid, almost as a prisoner, and no news allowed to reach him." Sir Thomas was silent for a moment, obviously buried in thought. That he was still incredulous was certainly apparent to Louisa's super-sensitive perceptions, but that he meant to be of help to her, in spite of this incredulity was equally certain. Therefore she waited patiently until he had collected his thoughts. "Well, my dear," he said at last, "I'll tell you what I will do. To-morrow morning I'll go and see if I can have a talk with old Rad----" "To-morrow morning," she broke in gravely, "Luke will be dragged before the magistrate--the first stage of that awful series of humiliations which you yourself say, Uncle Ryder, that no man who is innocent can possibly endure!" "I know, my dear," he said almost apologetically, "but I don't see now how that can be avoided." "We could see Lord Radclyffe to-night!" "To-night?" he exclaimed. "Why, it's nearly ten o'clock." "In matters of this sort, time does not count." "But old Rad is an invalid!" "He may be a dead man to-morrow, if he hears that Luke--Luke, who was the apple of his eye, who is the heir to his name and title, is being dragged in open court before a police-magistrate, charged with an abominable crime." "But the doctor, I understand, has forbidden him to see any one." "I think that the matter has passed the bounds of a doctor's orders. I would go and force my way into his presence without the slightest scruple. I know that any news that he may glean about Luke, within the next few days, will be far more fatal to him, than the few questions which I want to ask him to-night."