"I have never been guilty of any deception, your honor. I claim no wisdom for myself. If it is true that the traction company is a fraud, then it must be that lying spirits have spoken impersonating my husband and my father." "That is a subterfuge," interposed the young woman, Miss Aiken. "She is responsible for her Voices." "You accept money for your services, do you not?" the judge asked of Mrs. Ollnee. "Not now, no sir." "Did you formerly?" "Yes, sir, after my husband died, I was forced to do so in order to educate my son." "Is this your son?" "Yes, sir." The judge addressed himself to Victor. "What do you know of your mother's power as a medium? Do you share her faith?" Victor felt the burning eyes of the angry girl upon him as he replied: "I know very little about it, your honor. I have been away to school ever since I was ten years old." "Mrs. Joyce, you are a believer in Mrs. Ollnee's powers?" "I am, a firm believer." "You've had no reason to doubt the genuineness of these messages?" "Up to the present time I have not." "You will lose heavily in this traction swindle, if it is a swindle, will you not?" "If it has failed, yes, sir." "Does that shake your faith in the medium?" "Not in the slightest, your honor. It is a well-known fact that lying spirits sometimes interpose." During this interrogation, which had proceeded in conversational tone, they had all remained standing before the judge, whose speculative eyes wandered from face to face with growing interest. At last he said to the prosecuting attorney: "From your own statement of it, this case is not to be tried here. I do not feel myself competent at this time to pass upon the questions involved." "She shall not escape," said Miss Aiken, with bitter menace. Mr. Bartol interposed. "We demand a trial by jury, your honor." "You shall have it," responded the judge. The Aikens withdrew sullenly, and the bailiff indicated that the defendant and her party might retire to an inner office while papers were being prepared; and this they did. This room proved to be a bare, bleak place, with benches and yellow wooden chairs, as ugly as a country railway station, wherein a few officers were carelessly lounging about. They all gazed curiously at Mrs. Ollnee and Leo, and one of them muttered to the other, "It's not often that a classy bunch like that comes into court." The indignity of it all caused Leo to forget her own share in the traction company's failure. "It is shameful that you should be dragged here," she said, when the door closed behind them. "Leo!" cried Mrs. Ollnee, in agonized voice. "Do you realize that this failure means almost as much of a loss to you as it does to Louise?" This affected the girl only for an instant. Then she loyally said: "Yes, I know. But I do not blame you for it." Mrs. Ollnee turned to her son. "If all they say is true, Victor, we are the victims of some lying devils--"