But he brought no one, and had learned very little.  He too had been at Ahalala and at Nobble.  At Nobble the people were now very full of the subject and were very much divided in opinion.  There were Crinketters and anti-Crinketters, Caldigatites and anti-Caldigatites.  A certain number of persons were ready to swear that there had been a marriage, and an equal number, perhaps, to swear that there had been none.  But no new fact had been brought to light.  Dick Shand had not been found,—­who had been living with Caldigate when the marriage was supposed to have been solemnised.  Nor had that register been discovered from which the copy of the certificate was supposed to have been taken.  All through the Colony,—­so said this agent,—­a very great interest was felt in the matter.  The newspapers from day to day contained paragraphs about it.  But nobody had appeared whom it was worth while to bring home.  Mrs. Henniker, of the hotel at Nobble, had offered to swear that there had been no marriage.  This offer she made and repeated when she had come to understand accurately on whose behalf this last agent had come to the Colony.  But then, before she had understood this, she had offered to swear the reverse; and it became known that she was very anxious to be carried back to the old country free of expense.  No credible witness could be found who had heard Caldigate call the woman Mrs. Smith after the date assigned to the marriage.  She no doubt had used various names, had called herself sometimes Mrs. Caldigate, sometimes Mrs. Smith, but generally, in such documents as she had to sign in reference to her mining shares, Euphemia Cettini.  It was by that name that she had been known in Sydney when performing on the stage, and it was now alleged on her behalf that she had bought and sold shares in that name under the idea that she would thus best secure to herself their separate and undisturbed possession.  Proof was brought home that Caldigate himself had made over to her shares in that name; but Mr. Seely did not depend much on this as proof against the marriage.

Mr. Seely seemed to depend very little on anything,—­so little that Caldigate almost wished that he had carried out his threat and thrown up the case.  ‘Does he not believe you when you tell him?’ his wife asked.  Caldigate was forced to confess that apparently the lawyer did not believe him.  In fact, Mr. Seely had even said as much.  ’In such cases a lawyer should never believe or disbelieve; or, if he does, he should never speak of his belief.  It is with your acquittal or conviction that I am concerned, in which matter I can better assist you by cool judgment than by any fervid assurance.’  All this made Caldigate not only angry but unhappy, for he could not fail to perceive that the public around him were in the same mind as Mr. Seely.  In his own parish they believed him, but apparently not beyond his parish.  It might be possible that he should escape,—­that seemed to be the general opinion; but then general opinion went on to declare that there was no reason for supposing that he had not married the woman merely because he said that he had not done so.