"The spell Edward Curtis gave her," Gerald Kirby said, "was
    a mixture of hempseed and sago, flavoured with violet powder, and
    my client instructed her Ladyship to wear it next her heart." (Loud laughter.) Lady Coralie Mars, the next witness, who declared she had sought a
    spell to make the man, she was forced into marrying, fall into a
    trance, just before the marriage ceremony was to take place; and
    that, instead of bringing this about, the spell Edward Curtis had
    sold her had caused her to have St. Vitus's Dance,--was adroitly
    trapped into admitting that she had really wanted her fiancé
    smitten with paralysis. "A wish," Gerald Kirby announced, with a
    dramatic flourish of his hands, "that so aroused my client's
    indignation that, instead of giving her the spell she wanted, he
    gave her one that would make her affianced husband more than ever
    hungry for the marriage hour to arrive. As for St. Vitus's Dance,
    would any woman, with an emotional and hysterical-nature, such as
    obviously was that of Lady Coralie Mars, ever be free from such a
    complaint?" The Hon. Augusta Mapple, who stated that she had visited the
    Modern Sorcery Company, for the purpose of obtaining a spell to
    bring about a defeat of the Government, by afflicting the bulk of
    their supporters with such bilious attacks as would necessitate
    their absence from the House, and that, instead of giving her such
    a spell, Edward Curtis had given her one which had caused every
    member of her household to fall downstairs--admitted, under
    cross-examination, that she had asked for a spell that would make
    every supporter of the Government in the House be suddenly seized
    with tetanus. "A diabolical request, your lordship," Gerald Kirby
    said, "and one to which my client could not possibly accede. Consequently, as a punishment for such cruelty, he sold her a
    spell that would result in her having a sharp attack of toothache. It could not possibly have produced any of the mishaps she
    attributes to it." It is unnecessary to quote further. By far the greater number of these
witnesses, on being cross-examined by Mr. Kirby, who defended with an
ability that has rarely, if ever, been excelled, were made to confess
that they had wanted the spells for a far more subtle and dangerous
purpose than they had previously stated; admissions which, of course,
were highly prejudicial to the case for the prosecution. Shiel lost hope. He had looked forward to the trial with an excitement
that almost bordered on frenzy. It was never out of his mind. He
thought of it at meals, he thought of it at his work, he thought of it
out of doors, and, when he went to bed, he dreamed of it. "I'll save you! I'll save you yet!" he wrote to Gladys. "The trial can
only result in one thing--the breaking up and imprisonment of the
trio." But when he read the papers each day, and saw how, in almost every
instance, evidence which ought to have been damning to the accused,
had been twisted into their favour, his heart sank. There was only one chance now--Lilian Rosenberg. She, of all the staff
employed in the Hall in Cockspur Street, was best acquainted with the
_modus operandi_ of Messrs. Hamar, Curtis and Kelson. "We must get hold of that girl at all costs," H.V. Sevenning remarked
to Shiel. "You say you feel sure she likes you. Work upon her feelings
to show the Firm up." "I don't much like the idea of it," Shiel said, "but I suppose the end
justifies the means." "Of course it does!" Sevenning retorted. "It's your only chance of
saving Miss Martin." Acting on this suggestion, Shiel approached Lilian Rosenberg on the
subject. "What about the spells?" he asked her. "Have you found out yet how
Hamar works them?" "I have only heard him muttering in his room again," she said, her
cheeks paling. "And--you will only laugh at me--I have seen queer
shadows hovering in his doorway and stealing down the passages,
shadows that have terrified me. I never knew what real fear was before
I came to Cockspur Street, and for the past few weeks I have been
almost too afraid to open my room door, for fear I should see
something standing outside." "You have no doubt, I suppose, in your own mind, that the trio
practise sorcery?" "I certainly think they are helped in all they do by evil spirits." "Do you approve of such proceedings?" "I don't think them right. I don't think we have any right to pry into
the Unknown. Some day, undoubtedly, it will be given us to know, but
until that day comes, we had far better leave it alone." "If you think like that," Shiel said, "how can you reconcile yourself
to working for these people?" "How can I help myself?" Lilian Rosenberg answered. "Beggars can't be
choosers. I am not responsible for what they do." "But supposing you knew they were about to commit a very heinous
crime, wouldn't you feel it your duty to try and circumvent them?" "That depends," Lilian Rosenberg said. "If I could stop them without
running any risk of losing my post, then I would probably try to stop
them, but if stopping them meant being 'sacked,' I most certainly
shouldn't. It isn't so easy to get posts nowadays--especially good
paying posts like this. What do you take me for, a fool!" "Then you don't believe in self-sacrifice, even for a friend?" Shiel
said slowly. "That depends on the degree of friendship," Lilian replied. "If it
were for some one I liked very much, then--perhaps!" "Is there any one you like very much! I, somehow, couldn't fancy you
being very fond of any one." "Couldn't you?" Lilian said, with a faint laugh. "You don't think me
capable of any deep affection. You forget, perhaps, that a woman
doesn't always wear her heart on her sleeve." "I confess I don't understand women," Shiel said, "and I had best come
to the point at once. I happen to know that the trio--or at least one
of the trio--is contemplating doing something ultra-abominable--a
cruel and shameful wrong, which I particularly wish to prevent. But I
may not be able to do anything without your help! Will you help me?" "How _can_ I?" Lilian asked. "Why, by finding out something which might be damning evidence against
them, or by stating your opinion in Court. There is only one way of
staying the trio from doing this dastardly thing, and that is by
getting this case, which is now being tried, to go against them." "Well, and supposing, by some chance, the defendants should win! What
would become of me?" "Ah! that is where your self-sacrifice would come in! It would be a
noble action." "How does this wrong, you say they are about to perpetrate, touch on
you personally?" "It touches on some one with whom I am personally acquainted." "Some one you like?" "Yes!" "A relation?" "That I can't say." "Then I can't help you. I am naturally inquisitive; curiosity is, as
you know, a woman's privilege. You must tell me all." "It's for a friend, then!" "A man?" "No," Shiel replied, "for a girl!"