A MADONNA of the cells. 
“ Do you know whose photograph it is ? ” 
asked Nugent. 
“ I do/* said the inspector. 
“ Can you tell me anything about her ? ” 
continued Nugent. 
“ She is a well-known shoplifter/’ replied 
the inspector. 
a That will do/’ said Nugent, with a smile. 
In the meantime, as soon as the letter had 
been read, Mr. Smith had left the court and 
had telephoned to Scotland Yard, as he had 
arranged, for Raydon, the detective. Raydon 
came up to the court in a taxi-cab, and entered 
just as Inspector Harrison left the box. 
Raydon was handed the photograph, which 
he promptly declared to be the photograph 
of a notoriously successful shoplifter, who had 
had a long career for so young a woman, 
although she had only been twice convicted. 
He also swore that the handwriting on the 
back of the photograph was that of the same 
young person. 
Here Mr, Chisholm intervened. “ I should 
like to hear how the detective knows this 
particular handwriting ? ” he asked. 
“ 1 knew the young person in question 
before she took to this line of business, sir/’ 
said Raydon. 
Mr. Fortescue said he had no questions to 
ask. Then Nugent turned to the magistrate 
and said : “ I submit, sir, that the evidence 
as to identity is utterly unreliable, and I ask 
you to discharge the prisoner.” 
Whatever Mr. Chisholm thought of his not 
putting Nina Stewart in the box, he said 
nothing. Certainly there was little to be 
gained by it, and the girl looked hardly fit for 
such an ordeal. After a moment’s thought 
he said : “I have carefully considered the 
evidence in this case, and have come to the 
conclusion, Mr. Fortescue, that you have not 
succeeded in proving identity. I think that 
in these circumstances no jury would 
convict. The prisoner is discharged.” 
As Nina Stewart left the box Nugent said 
hurriedly to Smith, “ Go to her and look after 
her. I want to speak to Mr. Chisholm.” 
It was quite obvious that the magistrate 
desired to speak to him. Indeed, he leant 
over his desk and beckoned to him. When 
Nugent went up to him he said, “ By the way, 
Mr. Nugent, do you know anything of the 
girl you have been defending ? ” 
“ Nothing,” said Nugent, “except that she is 
obviously a lady. But everything I have heard 
about her and her mother seems quite right.” 
“ Do you know, she reminds me very much 
of a Mrs. Stewart I used to know years ago 
when I was living down in your old neigh- 
*93 
bourhood, Mr. Nugent ? Why, surely you 
knew the Stewarts yourself ? ” 
“ 1 don’t think 1 remember,” said Nugent : 
“ and yet somehow 1 rather fancy I did know 
somebody called Stewart.” 
“ Well, I don’t suppose it could be the 
same,” said Mr. Chisholm. “ I don’t see 
how it could be. After all, they were not 
very poor, although they certainly were not 
rich so far as 1 remember. If you hear any- 
thing more about her, or find out anything, 
I wish you’d let me know.” 
“ I will, with great pleasure,” said Nugent. 
When he got outside the court he found 
Mr. Smith standing by the side of a taxi-cab 
into which he had put the girl. Nugent went 
up to the cab. Nina Stewart, though tearless, 
seemed unable to speak, but she shook hands 
with him. 
It had been his intention to ask the solicitor 
to see her home, but when he saw her close at 
hand her appeal to him was so strong that he 
changed his mind. And yet it was not wholly 
his admiration for her — though that was 
strong, seeing that she was really beautiful — 
it was greatly curiosity, after what Mr. 
Chisholm had said to him. Her insistence on 
having him as her counsel seemed capable of 
only one explanation — the explanation that 
Chisholm offered, without knowing that he 
was doing so. 
After he had congratulated her he turned 
to Smith. “ I was going to ask you to 
accompany Miss Stewart to Brixton,” he 
said, “ but I find I have the time to spare, so 
if she will permit me I will take her myself. 
I have something to say to her.” 
So Smith again shook hands with his 
little client and she thanked him once more ; 
and then Nugent got into the cab and told 
the man to drive to Brixton. 
“ 1 wish I could thank you,” said the girl, 
after a little pause ; “ but I don’t know what 
to say.” 
“ Above everything, don’t cry,” said 
Nugent, with a smile. He felt that if she 
did he would be obliged to console her, and 
such consolation might be dangerous. 
“ I — I won’t,” said Nina. Nevertheless, 
she wiped her eyes. “ You have been very 
good to me.” 
“ Nonsense,” said Nugent; “the man that 
did all the work was your friend Smith. But 
that’s not what 1 wanted to talk to you about 
-T want to know how it was you asked him 
to get me to defend you.” 
“ I — I knew your name,” she said. 
Although Nugent could be very subtle in 
examination or cross-examination he was 
