Not a word of vindicating eloquence rose up to clear the innocent.

Nothing that she could do; no devotedness, not any sacrifice, and no treaty of peace, no possible joy to come, nothing could remove the shadow from her child.

She dreamed of the succour in eloquence, to charm the ears of chosen juries while a fact spoke over the population, with a relentless rolling out of its one hard word.

But eloquence, powerful on her behalf, was dumb when referred to Nesta.

It seemed a cruel mystery.