"The _Queen_ versus _Brown!_ What have you got to do with such a case? You, Elinor, of all people in the world! Oh!" he said suddenly as a light, but a dim one, began to break upon him. It was the case of which his friend the judge had spoken, and in which he had been offered a retainer, as a matter of fact, shortly after that talk. He had been obliged to refuse, his time being already fully taken up, and he had not looked into the case. But now it began slowly to dawn upon him that the trial was that of the once absconded manager of a certain joint-stock company, and that this was precisely the company in which Elinor's money had been all but invested by her husband. It might be upon that subject that she had to appear. "Well," he said, "I can imagine a possible reason why you should be called, and yet not a good one; for it was not of course you who were acting, but your--husband for you. It is he that should appear, and not you." "Oh, John," she cried. "Oh, John!" wringing her hands. She had followed his looks eagerly, noticing the light that seemed to dawn over his face with a strange anxiety and keen interest. But John, it was evident, had not got the clue which she expected, and her face changed into impatience, disappointment, exasperation. "You have not heard anything about it," she said; "you don't know." "It was brought to me," he said, "but I could not take it up--no, I don't know--except that it's curious from the lapse of time--twenty years or thereabouts: that's all I know." "The question is," she said, "about a date. There were some books destroyed, and it is not known who did it. Suspicion fell upon one--who might have been guilty: but that on that day--he arrived at the house of the girl--whom he was going to marry: and consequently could not have been there----" "Elinor!" "Yes," she said, "that is what I am wanted for, John, an excellent reason after all these years. I must appear to--clear my husband: and that is how Pippo will find out that I have a husband and he a father. Oh, John, John! support me with your approval, and help me, oh, help me to go away." "Good gracious!" was all that John could say. "I should have gone first and asked you after," she cried, "for you are a lawyer, and I suppose you will think you must not advise any one to fly in the face of the law. And I don't even know whether it will be of any use to fly. Will they have it in the papers all the same? Will they put it in that his wife refused to appear on his behalf, that she had gone away to avoid the summons? Will it be all there for Pippo to guess and wonder at the name and come to me with questions, mother, who is this? and mother, what is that? John, can't you answer me, you that I came to to guide me, to tell me what I must do; have you nothing, nothing to say?" "I am too much bewildered to know what I am doing, Elinor. This is all sprung upon me like a mine: and there was plenty before."