A struggle was going on within her, it was a struggle that had never ceased from the instant she first entered the room.  One moment she found she could pray that Marshall might speak; and the next terror shook her lest he would, and declare North’s innocence and his own guilt.  She slipped from his bedside and stealing to the window parted the long curtains with trembling hands.  She felt widely separated in spirit from her husband; he seemed strangely indifferent to her; only his bitter sense of injury and hurt remained, his love had become a dead thing, since his very weakness carried him beyond the need of her.  She belonged to his full life and there was nothing of tenderness and sympathy that survived.  A slight noise caused her to turn from the window.  Marshall was endeavoring to draw himself higher on his pillow.

“Here—­lift me up—­” he gasped, as she ran to his side.

She passed an arm about him and did as he desired.

“That’s better—­” he panted.

“Shall I call the doctor?”

He shook his head and, as she withdrew her arm, lay back weak and shaken.

“I tell you I am hurt internally!” he said.

“Let me call the doctor!” she entreated.

“What can he do?”

“Marsh, if you believe this—­” she began.

“You’re thinking of him!” he snarled.

“I am thinking of you, Marsh!”

“He threw you over for the Herbert girl!” he said with an evil ghastly smile.  “Do you want to save him for her?”

“You don’t need to tell all, Marsh—­” she said eagerly.

“That’s you!” and he laughed under his breath.  “I can’t imagine you advocating anything absolutely right!  If I tell, I’ll make a clean breast of it; if I don’t I’ll lie with my last breath!”

He was thinking of Joe Montgomery now, as he had thought of him many times since he drew himself up out of that merciless yellow flood into which the handy-man had flung him.  Evelyn looked at him wonderingly.  His virtues, as well as his vices, were things beyond her comprehension.

The door opened, and Moxlow came into the room.  At sight of him, Langham’s dull eyes grew brilliant.

“I thought you would never get here!” he said.

“This is too bad, Marsh!” said his law partner sympathizingly, as Evelyn yielded him her place and withdrew to the window again.

“Where’s Taylor?” asked Langham abruptly.

“He’s had to go to the jail, he was leaving the house as I got here,” replied Moxlow.

There was the noise of voices in the hail, one of which was the colonel’s, evidently raised in protest, then a clumsy hand was heard fumbling with the knob and the door was thrown open, and Joe Montgomery slouched into the room.

“Boss, you got to see me now!” he cried.

The prosecuting attorney sprang to his feet with an angry exclamation.

“Let him alone—­” said Langham weakly.