The assizes on that occasion were protracted to an unusual length.  The country was in a most excited state, and party feeling ran fearfully high.  Nothing was talked of but the two trials, par excellence, to wit, that of Whitecraft and Reilly; and scarcely a fair or market, for a considerable time previous, ever came round in which there waa not a battle on the subject of either one or the other of them, and not unfrequently of both.  Nobody was surprised at the conviction of the Red Rapparee; but, on the contrary, every one was glad that the country had at last got rid of him.

Poor Helen, however, was not permitted to remain quiet, as she had expected.  When Mr. Doldrum had furnished the leading counsel with his brief and a list of the witnesses, the other gentleman was surprised to see the name of Helen Folliard among them.

“How is this?” he inquired; “is not this the celebrated beauty who eloped with him?”

“It is, sir,” replied Doldrum.

“But,” proceeded the other, “you have not instructed me in the nature of the evidence she is prepared to give.”

“She is deeply penitent, sir, and in a very feeble state of health; so much so that we were obliged to leave the tendency of her evidence to be brought out on the trial.”

“Have you subpoenaed her?”

“No, sir.”

“And why not, Mr. Doldrum?  Don’t you know that there is no understanding the caprices of women.  You ought to have subpoenaed her, because, if she be a leading evidence, she may still change her mind and leave us in the lurch.”

“I certainly did not subpoena her,” replied Doldrum, “because, when I mentioned it to her father, he told me that if I attempted it he would break my head.  It was enough, he said, that she had given her promise—­a thing, he added, which she was never known to break.”

“Go to her again, Doldrum; for unless we know what she can prove we will be only working in the dark.  Try her, at all events, and glean what you can out of her.  Her father tells me she is somewhat better, so I don’t apprehend you will have much difficulty in seeing her.”

Doldrum did see her, and was astonished at the striking change which had, in so short a time, taken place in her appearance.  She was pale, and exhibited all the symptoms of an invalid, with the exception of her eyes, which were not merely brilliant, but dazzling, and full of a fire that flashed from them with something like triumph whenever her attention was directed to the purport of her testimony.  On this subject they saw that it; would be quite useless, and probably worse than useless, to press her, and they did not, consequently, put her to the necessity of specifying the purport of her evidence.