’Would not that be best? and you might probably find out who it was who gave this fraudulent aid.’

‘I could find out everything,’ said Bagwax, energetically; ‘but——­’

‘But what?’

’It is all found out there.  It is indeed, Sir John.  If I could get you to go along with me, you would see that that letter couldn’t have gone through the Sydney post-office.’

’I think I do see it.  But it is so difficult, Mr. Bagwax, to make others see things.’

’And if it didn’t,—­and it never did;—­but if it didn’t, why did they say it did?  Why did they swear it did?  Isn’t that enough to make any Secretary let him go?’

The energy, the zeal, the true faith of the man, were admirable.  Sir John was half disposed to rise from his seat to embrace the man, and hail him as his brother,—­only that had he done so he would have made himself as ridiculous as Bagwax.  Zeal is always ridiculous.  ’I think I see it all,’ he said.

‘And won’t they let the man go?’

’There were four persons who swore positively that they were present at the marriage, one of them being the woman who is said to have been married.  That is direct evidence.  With all our search, we have hitherto found no one to give us any direct evidence to rebut this.  Then they brought forward, to corroborate these statements, a certain amount of circumstantial evidence,—­and among other things this letter.’

‘The Caldigate envelope,’ said Bagwax, eagerly.

’What you call the Caldigate envelope.  It was unnecessary, perhaps; and, if fraudulent, certainly foolish.  They would have had their verdict without it.’

‘But they did it,’ said Bagwax, in a tone of triumph.

’It is a pity, Mr. Bagwax, you were not brought up to our profession.  You would have made a great lawyer.’

‘Oh, Sir John!’

’Yes, they did it.  And if it can be proved that they have done it fraudulently, no doubt that fraud will stain their direct evidence.  But we have to remember that the verdict has been already obtained.  We are not struggling now with a jury, but with an impassive emblem of sovereign justice.’

‘And therefore the real facts will go the further, Sir John.’

’Well argued, Mr. Bagwax,—­admirably well argued.  If you should ever be called, I hope I may not have you against me very often.  But I will think of it all.  You can take the envelopes away with you, because you have impressed me vividly with all that they can tell me.  My present impression is, that you had better take the journey.  But within the next few days I will give a little more thought to it, and you shall hear from me.’  Then he put out his hand, which was a courtesy Mr. Bagwax had never before enjoyed ’You may believe me, Mr. Bagwax, when I say that I have come across many remarkable men in many cases which have fallen into my hands,—­but that I have rarely encountered a man whom I have more thoroughly respected than I do you.’