CHAPTER XVII.
As the third day of the trial wore away, the dense crowd in thecourt-room became acquainted with the sensation of having been unjustlydefrauded of the customary public peruisite; because the monotonousproceedings were entirely devoid of the spirited verbal duels, themicroscopic hair splitting, the biting sarcasms of opposing counsel,the brow-beating of witnesses, the tenacious wrangling over invisiblelegal points, which usually vary and spice the routine and stimulatethe interest of curious spectators. When a spiritless fox disdains todouble, and stands waiting for the hounds, who have only to rend it,hunters feel cheated, and deem it no chase.
To the impatient spectators, it appeared a very tame, one-sided, andanomalous trial, where like a slow stream the evidences of guilt oozed,and settled about the prisoner, who challenged the credibility of nowitness, and waived all the privileges of cross-examination. Now andthen, the audience criticised in whispers the "undue latitude" allowedby the Judge, to the District Solicitor; but their "exceptions" wereinformal, and the prosecution received no serious or important rebuff.
Was the accused utterly callous, or paralyzed by consciousness of hercrime; or biding her time for a dramatic outburst of vindicatingtestimony? To her sensitive nature, the ordeal of sitting day after dayto be stared at by a curious and prejudiced public, was more torturingthan the pangs of Marsyas; and she wondered whether a courageous Romancaptive who was shorn of his eyelids, and set under the blistering sunof Africa, suffered any more keenly; but motionless, apparentlyimpassive as a stone mask, on whose features pitiless storms beat invain, she bore without wincing the agony of her humiliation. Very whiteand still, she sat hour by hour with downcast eyes, and folded hands;and those who watched most closely could detect only one change ofposition; now and then she raised her clasped hands, and rested herlips a moment on the locked fingers, then dropped them wearily on herlap.
Even when a juryman asked two searching questions of a witness, sheshowed no sign of perturbation, and avoided meeting the eyes in thejury-box, as though they belonged to basilisks. Was it only three dayssince the beginning of this excruciating martyrdom of soul; and howmuch longer could she endure silently, and keep her reason?
At times, Sister Serena's hand forsook the knitting, to lay a soft,caressing touch of encouragement and sympathy on the girl's shoulder;and Dyce's burning indignation vented itself in frequent audiblegrating of her strong white teeth. So passed Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, in the examination of witnesses who recapitulated all thathad been elicited at the preliminary investigation; and each nook andcranny of recollection in the mind of Anthony Burk, the station agent;of Belshazzer Tatem, the lame gardener; of lean and acrid MissAngeline, the seamstress, was illuminated by the lurid light of Mr.Churchill's adroit interrogation. Thus far, the prosecution had beenconducted by the District Solicitor, with the occasional assistance ofMr. Wolverton, who, in conjunction with Mr. Dunbar, had appeared asrepresentative of the Darrington estate, and its legal heir, Prince;and when court adjourned on Wednesday, the belief was generallyentertained that no defence was possible; and that at the last moment,the prisoner would confess her crime, and appeal to the mercy of thejury. As the deputy sheriff led his prisoner toward the rear entrance,where stood the dismal funereal black wagon in which she was broughtfrom prison to court, Judge Dent came quickly to meet her.
"My niece, Miss Gordon, could not, of course, come into the court-room,but she is here in the library, with her aunt, and desires to see youfor a moment?"
"Tell her I am grateful for her kind motives, but I wish to see no onenow."
"For your own sake, consider the--ah! here is my niece."
"I hope you need no verbal assurance of my deep sympathy, and myconstant prayers," said Leo, taking one passive hand between hers, andpressing it warmly.
"Miss Gordon, I am comforted by your compassion, and by your unwaveringconfidence in a stranger whom your townsmen hold up as a 'femalemonster'. Because I so profoundly realize how good you are, I amunwilling that you should identify yourself with my hopeless cause. Mysufferings will soon be over, and then I want no shadowy reflex castupon the smiling blue sky of your future. I have nothing more to lose,save the burden of a life--that I shall be glad to lay down; but you--!Be careful, do not jeopardize your beautiful dream of happiness."
"Why do you persist in rejecting the overtures of those who couldassist, who might successfully defend you? I beg of you, consent toreceive and confer with counsel, even to-night."
"You will never understand why I must not, till the earth gives up herdead. You tremble, because only one more link can be added to the chainthat is coiling about my neck, and that link is the testimony of theman whose name you expect to bear. Miss Gordon"--she stooped closer,and whispered slowly: "Do not upbraid your lover; be tender, cling tohim; and afford me the consolation of knowing that the unfortunatewoman you befriended, and trusted, cast not even a fleeting shadowbetween your heart and his. Pray for me, that I may be patient andstrong. God bless you."
Turning swiftly, she hurried on to the officer, who had courteouslywithdrawn a few yards distant. As he opened the door of the wagon, hehanded her a loosely folded sheet of paper.
"I promised to deliver your answer as soon as possible."
By aid of the red glow, burning low in the western sky, she read:
"Mr. Dunbar requests that for her own sake, Miss Brentano will granthim an interview this evening."
"My answer must necessarily be verbal. Say that I will see no one."
To the solitude and darkness of prison she fled for relief, as intosome merciful sheltering arms; and not even the loving solicitude ofMrs. Singleton was permitted to penetrate her seclusion, or share herdreary vigil. Another sleepless night dragged its leaden hours to meetthe dawn, bringing no rest to the desolate soul, who silently grappledwith fate, while every womanly instinct shuddered at the loathsomedegradation forced upon her. Face downward on her hard, narrow cot, sherecalled the terrible accusations, the opprobrious epithets, andtearless, convulsive sobs of passionate protest shook her from head tofoot.
Tortured with indignation and shame, at the insults heaped upon her,yet sternly resolved to endure silently, these nights were veritablestations along her Via Dolorosa; and fortified her for the dailyflagellation in front of the jury-box.
On Thursday a slow, sleeting rain enveloped the world in a gray cowl,bristling with ice needles; yet when Judge Parkman took his seat atnine o'clock, there was a perceptible increase in the living mass,packed in every available inch of space.
For the first time, Mr. Dunbar's seat between his colleagues wasvacant; and Mr. Churchill and Mr. Wolverton were conversing in ananimated whisper.
Clad in mourning garments, and with a long crape veil put back from herface, the prisoner was escorted to her accustomed place; and braced bya supreme effort for the critical hour, which she felt assured was athand, her pale set features gleamed like those of a marble statueshrouded in black.
Called to the stand, Simon Frisby testified that "he was telegraphoperator, and night train despatcher for railway in X--. On October thetwenty-sixth, had just gone on duty at 8 P.M. at the station, whenprisoner came in, and sent a telegram to New York. A copy of thatmessage had been surrendered to the District Solicitor. Witness hadremained all night in his office, which adjoined the ladies'waiting-room, and his attention having been attracted by the unusualfact that it was left open and lighted, he had twice gone to the doorand looked in, but saw no one. Thought the last inspection was abouttwo o'clock, immediately after he had sent a message to the conductoron train No. 4. Saw prisoner when she came in, a half hour later, andheard the conversation between her and Burk, the station agent. Wasvery positive prisoner could not have been in the ladies' waiting-roomduring the severe storm."
Mr. Churchill read aloud the telegram addressed to Mrs. IgnaceBrentano: "Complete success required delay. All will be satisfactory.Expect me Saturday. B. B."
He commented on its ambiguous phraseology, sent the m
essage to the juryfor inspection, and resumed his chair.
"Lennox Dunbar."
Sister Serena's knitting fell from her fingers; Dyce groaned audibly,and Judge Dent, sitting quite near, uttered a heavy sigh. The statuethrobbed into life, drew herself proudly up; and with a haughty poiseof the head, her grand eloquent gray eyes looked up at the witness, andfor the first time during the trial bore a challenge. For fully amoment, eye met eye, soul looked into soul, with only a few feet ofspace dividing prisoner from witness; and as the girl scanned the dark,resolute, sternly chiselled face, cold, yet handsome as some faultlessbronze god, a singular smile unbent her frozen lips, and Judge Dent andSister Serena wondered what the scarcely audible ejaculation meant:
"At the mercy of Tiberius!"
No faintest reflection of the fierce pain at his heart could have beendiscerned on that non-committal countenance; and as he turned to thejury, his swart magnetic face appeared cruelly hard, sinister.
"I first saw the prisoner at 'Elm Bluff', on the afternoon previous toGen'l Darrington's death. When I came out of the house, she was sittingbareheaded on the front steps, fanning herself with her hat, and whileI was untying my horse, she followed Bedney into the library. Theblinds were open and I saw her pass the window, walking in thedirection of the bedroom."
Mr. Churchill: "At that time did you suspect her relationship to yourclient, Gen'l Darrington?"
"I did not."
"What was the impression left upon your mind?"
"That she was a distinguished stranger, upon some important errand."
"She excited your suspicions at once?"
"Nothing had occurred to justify suspicion. My curiosity was aroused.Several hours later I was again at 'Elm Bluff' on legal business, andfound Gen'l Darrington much disturbed in consequence of an interviewwith the prisoner, who, he informed me, was the child of his daughter,whom he had many years previous disowned and disinherited. In referringto this interview, his words were: 'I was harsh to the girl, so harshthat she turned upon me, savage as a strong cub defending a crippled,helpless dam. Mother and daughter know now that the last card has beenplayed; for I gave the girl distinctly to understand, that at my deathPrince would inherit every iota of my estate, and that my will had beencarefully written in order to cut them off without a cent.'"
"You were led to infer that Gen'l Darrington had refused herapplication for money?"
"There was no mention of an application for money, hence I inferrednothing."
"During that conversation, the last which Gen'l Darrington held onearth, did he not tell you he was oppressed by an awful presentimentconnected with his granddaughter?"
"His words were: 'Somehow I am unable to get rid of the strange,disagreeable presentiment that girl let behind her as a farewelllegacy. She stood there at the glass door, and raised her hand: 'Gen'lDarrington, when you lie down to die, may God have more mercy on yourpoor soul, than you have shown to your suffering child.'
"I advised him to sleep off the disagreeable train of thought, and as Ibade him good night, his last words were:
"'I shall write to Prince to come home.'"
"What do you know concerning the contents of your client's will?"
"The original will was drawn up by my father in 187-, but last May,Gen'l Darrington required me to re-write it, as he wished to increasethe amount of a bequest to a certain charitable institution. Theprovisions of the will were, that with the exception of variousspecified legacies, his entire estate, real and personal, should begiven to his stepson Prince; and it was carefully worded, with theavowed intention of barring all claims that might be presented byEllice Brentano or her heirs."
"Do you recollect any allusion to jewelry?"
"One clause of the will set aside a case of sapphire stones, with thedirection that whenever Prince Darrington married, they should be wornby the lady as a bridal present from him."
"Would you not deem it highly incompatible with all you know of theGen'l's relentless character, that said sapphires and money should havebeen given to the prisoner?"
"My surmises would be irrelevant and valueless to the Court; and facts,indisputable facts, are all that should be required of witnesses."
"When and where did you next see the prisoner?"
Cold, crisp, carefully accentuated, his words fell like lead upon theears of all present, whose sympathies were enlisted for the desolatewoman; and as he stood, tall, graceful, with one hand thrust within hisvest, the other resting easily on the back of the bench near him, hisclear cut face so suggestive of metallic medallions, gave no more hintof the smouldering flame at his heart than the glittering ice crown ofEiriksjokull betrays the fierce lava tides beating beneath its frozencrust.
"At 10 o'clock on the same night, I saw the prisoner on the roadleading from town to 'Elm Bluff', and not farther than half a mile fromthe cedar bridge spanning the 'branch', at the foot of the hill wherethe iron gate stands."
"She was then going in the direction of 'Elm Bluff?'"
"She was sitting on the ground, with her head leaning against a pinetree, but she rose as I approached."
"As it was at night, is there a possibility of your having mistakensome one else for the prisoner?"
"None whatever. She wore no hat, and the moon shone full on her face."
"Did you not question her about her presence there, at such an hour?"
"I asked: 'Madam, you seem a stranger; have you lost your way?' Sheanswered, 'No, sir.' I added: 'Pardon me, but having seen you at "ElmBluff" this afternoon, I thought it possible you had missed the road.'She made no reply, and I rode on to town."
"She betrayed so much trepidation and embarrassment, that yoursuspicion was at once aroused?"
"She evinced neither trepidation nor embarrassment. Her manner washaughty and repellent, as though designed to rebuke impertinence. Nextmorning, when informed of the peculiar circumstances attending Gen'lDarrington's death, I felt it incumbent upon me to communicate to themagistrate the facts which I have just narrated."
"An overwhelming conviction of the prisoner's guilt impelled you todemand her arrest?"
"Overwhelming conviction rarely results from merely circumstantialevidence, but a combination of accusing circumstances certainly pointedto the prisoner; and following their guidance, I am responsible for herarrest and detention for trial. To the scrutiny of the Court I havesubmitted every fact that influenced my action, and the estimate oftheir value decided by the jurymen, must either confirm the cogency ofmy reasoning, or condemn my rash fallibility. Having under oathconscientiously given all the evidence in my possession, that theprosecution would accept or desire, I now respectfully request, thatunless the prisoner chooses to exercise her right of cross-examination,my colleagues of the prosecution, and his Honor, will grant me a finaldischarge as witness."
Turning toward Beryl, Judge Parkman said:
"It is my duty again to remind you, that the cross-examination ofwitnesses is one of the most important methods of defence; as therebyinaccuracies of statement regarding time, place, etc., are oftendetected in criminal prosecutions, which otherwise might remainundiscovered. To this invaluable privilege of every defendant, I callyour attention once more. Will you cross-question the witness on thestand?"
Involuntarily her eyes sought those of the witness, and despite hislocked and guarded face, she read there an intimation that vaguelydisquieted her. She knew that the battle with him must yet be fought.
"I waive the right."
"Then, with the consent of the prosecuting counsel, witness isdischarged, subject to recall should the necessities of rebuttal demandit."
"By agreement with my colleagues, I ask for final discharge, subject toyour Honor's approval."
"If in accordance with their wishes, the request is granted."
The clock on the turret struck one, the hour of adjournment, and ererecess was declared, Mr. Churchill rose.
"Having now proved by trustworthy and unquestioned witnesses, a darkarray of facts, which no amount
of additional testimony could eitherstrengthen, or controvert, the prosecution here rest their case beforethe jury for inspection; and feeling assured that only one conclusioncan result, will call no other witness, unless required in rebuttal."
Desiring to be alone, Beryl had shut out even Sister Serena, and as theofficer locked her into a dark antechamber, adjoining the court-room,she began to pace the floor. One tall, narrow window, dim with insidedust, showed her through filmy cobwebs the gray veil of rain fallingceaselessly outside, darkening the day that seemed a fit type of hersombre-hued life, drawing swiftly to its close, with no hope of rift inthe clouds, no possibility of sunset glow even to stain its grave. Oh!to be hidden safely in mother earth--away from the gaping crowd thatthirsted for her blood!--at rest in darkness and in silence; with themaddening stings of outraged innocence and womanly delicacy stilledforever. Oh! the coveted peace of lying under the sod, with onlynodding daisies, whispering grasses, crystal chimes of vernal rain,solemn fugue of wintry winds between her tired, aching eyes and thefair, eternal heavens! Harrowing days and sleepless, horror-hauntednights, invincible sappers and miners, had robbed her of strength; andthe uncontrollable shivering that now and then seized her, warned herthat her nerves were in revolt against the unnatural strain. The endwas not far distant, she must endure a little longer; but that lastbattle with Mr. Dunbar? On what ground, with what weapons would heforce her to fight? Kneeling in front of a wooden bench that lined oneside of the room, she laid her head on the seat, covered her face withher hands, and prayed for guidance, for divine help in her hour ofsupreme desolation.
"God of the helpless, succor me in my need. Forbid that throughweakness the sacrifice should be incomplete. Lead, sustain, fortify mewith patience, that I may ransom the soul I have promised to save."
After a time, when she resumed her walk, a strange expedient presenteditself. If she sent for Mr. Dunbar, exacted an oath of secrecy, andconfided the truth to his keeping, would it avail to protect hersecret; would it silence him? Could she stoop so low as to throwherself upon his mercy? Therein lay the nauseous lees of her cup ofhumiliation; yet if she drained this last black drop, would any pledgehave power to seal his lips, when he saw that she must die?
The deputy sheriff unlocked the door, and she mechanically followed him.
"I wish you would drink this glass of wine. You look so exhausted, andthe air in yonder is so close, it is enough to stifle a mole. This willhelp to brace you up."
"Thank you very much, but I could not take it. I can bear my wrongseven to the end, and that must be very near."
As he ushered her into the court-room, Judge Dent met her, took herhand, and led her to the seat where Dyce and Sister Serena awaited herreturn.
"My poor child, be courageous now; and remember that you have somefriends here, who are praying God to help and deliver you."
"Did He deliver His own Son from the pangs of death? Pray, that I maybe patient to endure."
One swift glance, showed her that Mr. Dunbar, forsaking his formerplace beside the district attorney, was sitting very near, just infront of her. The jurymen filed slowly into their accustomed seats, andthe judge, who had been resting his head on his hand, straightenedhimself, and put aside a book. There was an ominous hush pervading thedense crowd, and in that moment of silent expectancy, Beryl shut hereyes and communed with her God. Some mystical exaltation of soulremoved her from the realm of nervous dread; and a peace, that thisworld neither gives nor takes away, settled upon her. Sister Serenauntied and took off the crape veil and bonnet, and as she resumed herseat, Judge Parkman turned to the prisoner.
"In assuming the responsibility of your own defence you have adopted aline of policy which, however satisfactory to yourself, must, in theopinion of the public, have a tendency to invest your cause withpeculiar peril; therefore I impress upon you the fact, that while thelaw holds you innocent, until twelve men agree that the evidence provesyou guilty, the time has arrived when your cause depends upon yourpower to refute the charges, and disprove the alleged facts arrayedagainst you. The discovery and elucidation of Truth, is the supreme aimof a court of justice, and to its faithful ministers the defence ofinnocence is even more imperative than the conviction of guilt. The lawis a Gibraltar, fortified and armed by the consummate wisdom ofsuccessive civilizations, as an impregnable refuge for innocence; andhere, within its protecting bulwarks, as in the house of a friend, youare called on to plead your defence. You have heard the charges of theprosecution; listened to the testimony of the witnesses; and havingtaken your cause into your own hands, you must now stand up and defendit."
She rose and walked a few steps closer to the jury, and for the firsttime during the trial, looked at them steadily. White as a statue ofPurity, she stood for a moment, with her wealth of shining auburn haircoiled low on her shapely head, and waving in soft outlines around herbroad full brow. Unnaturally calm, and wonderfully beautiful in thatsublime surrender, which like a halo illumines the myth of Antigone, itwas not strange that every heart thrilled, when upon the strained earsof the multitude fell the clear, sweet, indescribably mournful voice.
"When a magnolia blossom or a white camellia just fully open, issnatched by violent hands, bruised, crushed, blackened, scarred byrents, is it worth keeping? No power can undo the ruin, and since allthat made it lovely--its stainless purity--is irrevocably destroyed,why preserve it? Such a pitiable wreck you have made of the young lifeI am bidden to stand up and defend. Have you left me anything to livefor? Dragged by constables before prejudiced strangers, accused ofawful crimes, denounced as a female monster, herded with convicts, canyou imagine any reason why I should struggle to prolong a disgraced,hopelessly ruined existence? My shrivelled, mutilated life is in yourhands, and if you decide to crush it quickly, you will save me muchsuffering; as when having, perhaps unintentionally, mangled someharmless insect, you mercifully turn back, grind it under your heel,and end its torture. My life is too wretched now to induce me to defendit, but there is something I hold far dearer, my reputation as anhonorable Christian woman; something I deem most sacred of all--theunsullied purity of the name my father and mother bore. Because I aminnocent of every charge made against me, I owe it to my dead, to lifttheir honored name out of the mire. I have pondered the testimony; andthe awful mass of circumstances that have combined to accuse me, seemsindeed so overwhelming, that as each witness came forward, I have askedmyself, am I the victim of some baleful destiny, placed in the groovesof destroying fate-foreordained from the foundations of the world tobear the burden of another's guilt? You have been told that I killedGen'l Darrington, and stole his money and jewels, and destroyed hiswill, in order to possess his estate. Trustworthy witnesses have swornto facts, which I cannot deny, and you believe these facts; and yet,while the snare tightens around my feet, and I believe you intend tocondemn me, I stand here, and look you in the face--as one day wethirteen will surely stand at the final judgment--and in the name ofthe God I love, and fear, and trust, I call you each to witness, that Iam innocent of every charge in the indictment. My hands are asunstained, my soul is as unsullied by theft or bloodshed, as yoursinless babes cooing in their cradles.
"If you can clear your minds of the foul tenants thrust into them, tryfor a little while to forget all the monstrous crimes you have heardascribed to me, and as you love your mothers, wives, daughters, go backwith me, leaving prejudice behind, and listen dispassionately to mymost melancholy story. The river of death rolls so close to my wearyfeet, that I speak as one on the brink of eternity; and as I hope tomeet my God in peace, I shall tell you the truth. Sometimes it almostshakes our faith in God's justice, when we suffer terribleconsequences, solely because we did our duty; and it seems to mebitterly hard, inscrutable, that all my misfortunes should have comeupon me thick and fast, simply because I obeyed my mother. You,fathers, say to your children, 'Do this for my sake,' and lovingly theyspring to accomplish your wishes; and when they are devoured by agony,and smothered by disgrace, can you sufficiently pity them, blindar
tificers of their own ruin?
"Four months ago I was a very poor girl, but proud and happy, becauseby my own work I could support my mother and myself. Her health failedrapidly, and life hung upon an operation and certain careful subsequenttreatment, which it required one hundred dollars to secure. I wascompeting for a prize that would lift us above want, but time pressed;the doctor urged prompt action, and my mother desired me to come South,see her father, deliver a letter and beg assistance. As long aspossible, I resisted her entreaties, because I shrank from thedegradation of coming as a beggar to the man who, I knew, haddisinherited and disowned his daughter.
"Finally, strangling my rebellious reluctance, I accepted the bittertask. My mother kissed me good-bye, laid her hands on my head andblessed me for acceding to her wishes; and so--following the finger ofDuty--I came here to be trampled, mangled, destroyed. When I arrived, Ifound I could catch a train going north at 7.15, and I bought a returnticket, and told the agent I intended to take that train. I walked to'Elm Bluff,' and after waiting a few moments was admitted to Gen'lDarrington's presence. The letter which I delivered was an appeal forone hundred dollars, and it was received with an outburst of wrath, aflood of fierce and bitter denunciation of my parents. The interviewwas indescribably painful, but toward its close, Gen'l Darringtonrelented. He opened his safe or vault, and took out a square tin box.Placing it on the table, he removed some papers, and counted down intomy hand, five gold coins--twenty dollars each. When I turned to leavehim, he called me back, gave me the morocco case, and stated that thesapphires were very costly, and could be sold for a large amount. Headded, with great bitterness, that he gave them, simply because theywere painful souvenirs of a past, which he was trying to forget; andthat he had intended them as a bridal gift to his son Prince's wife;but as they had been bought by my mother's mother as a present for heronly child, he would send them to their original destination, for thesake of his first wife, Helena.
"I left the room by the veranda door, because he bade me do so, toavoid what he termed 'the prying of servants.' I broke some clusters ofchrysanthemums blooming in the rose garden, to carry to my mother, andthen I hurried away. If the wages of disobedience be death, then fatereversed the mandate, and obedience exacts my life as a forfeit. Thinkof it: I had ample time to reach the station before seven o'clock, andif I had gone straight on, all would have been well. I should havetaken the 7.15 train, and left forever this horrible place. If I hadnot loitered, I should have seen once more my mother's face, haveescaped shame, despair, ruin--oh! the blessedness of what 'might havebeen!'
"Listen, my twelve judges, and pity the child who obeyed at allhazards. Poor though I was, I bought a small bouquet for my sick motherthe day that I left her, and the last thing she did was to arrange theflowers, tie them with a wisp of faded blue ribbon, and putting them inmy hand, she desired me to be sure to stop at the cemetery, find hermother's grave in the Darrington lot, and lay the bunch of blossoms forher upon her mother's monument. Mother's last words were: 'Don't forgetto kneel down and pray for me, at mother's grave.'"
The voice so clear, so steady hitherto, quivered, ceased; and the heavylashes drooped to hide the tears that gathered; but it was only for afew seconds, and she resumed in the same cold, distinct tone:
"So I went on, and fate tied the last millstone around my neck. Aftersome search I found the place, and left the bunch of flowers with a fewof the chrysanthemums; then I hastened toward town, and reached thestation too late; the 7.15 train had gone. Too late!--only a half hourlost, but it carried down everything that this world held for me. Iused to wonder and puzzle over that passage in the Bible, 'The stars intheir courses fought against Sisera!' I have solved that mystery, forthe stars in their courses' have fought against me; heaven, earth, man,time, circumstances, coincidences, all spun the web that snared myinnocent feet. When I paid for the telegram to relieve my mother'ssuspense, I had not sufficient money (without using the gold) to enableme to incur hotel bills; and I asked permission to remain in thewaiting-room until the next train, which was due at 3.05. The room wasso close and warm I walked out, and the fresh air tempted me to remain.The moon was up, full and bright, and knowing no other street, Iunconsciously followed the one I had taken in the afternoon. Very soonI reached the point near the old church where the road crosses, and Iturned into it, thinking that I would enjoy one more breath of the pineforest, which was so new to me. It was so oppressively hot I sat downon the pine straw, and fanned myself with my hat. How long I remainedthere, I know not, for I fell asleep; and when I awoke, Mr. Dunbar rodeup and asked if I had lost my way. I answered that I had not, and assoon as he galloped on, I walked back as rapidly as possible, somewhatfrightened at the loneliness of my position. Already clouds weregathering, and I had been in the waiting-room, I think about an hour,when the storm broke in its fury. I had seen the telegraph operatorsitting in his office, but he seemed asleep, with his head resting onthe table; and during the storm I sat on the floor, in one corner ofthe waiting-room, and laid my head on a chair. At last, when thetempest ended, I went to sleep. During that sleep, I dreamed of my oldhome in Italy, of some of my dead, of my father--of gathering grapeswith one I dearly loved--and suddenly some noise made me spring to myfeet. I heard voices talking, and in my feverish dreamy state, thereseemed a resemblance to one I knew. Only half awake, I ran out on thepavement. Whether I dreamed the whole, I cannot tell; but theconversation seemed strangely distinct; and I can never forget thewords, be they real, or imaginary: "'There ain't no train tilldaylight, 'cepting it be the through freight.'
"Then a different voice asked: 'When it that due?'"
"'Pretty soon I reckon, it's mighty nigh time now, but it don't stophere; it goes on to the water tank, where it blows for the bridge.'"
'"How far is the bridge?'"
"'Only a short piece down the track, after you pass the tank.'"
"When I reached the street, I saw no one but the figure of an old man,I think a negro, who was walking away. He limped and carried a bundleon the end of a stick thrown over his shoulder. I was so startled andimpressed by the fancied sound of a voice once familiar to me, that Iwalked on down the track, but could see no one. Soon the 'freight' camealong; I stood aside until it passed, then returned to the station, andfound the agent standing in the door. When he questioned me about mymovements; I deemed him impertinent; but having nothing to conceal,stated the facts I have just recapitulated. You have been told that Iintentionally missed the train; that when seen at 10 P.M. in the pinewoods, I was stealing back to my mother's old home; that I entered atmidnight the bedroom where her father slept, stupefied him withchloroform, broke open his vault, robbed it of money, jewels and will;and that when Gen'l Darrington awoke and attempted to rescue hisproperty, I deliberately killed him. You are asked to believe that I am'the incarnate fiend' who planned and committed that horrible crime,and, alas for me! every circumstance seems like a bloodhound to bay me.My handkerchief was found, tainted with chloroform. It was myhandkerchief; but how it came there, on Gen'l Darrington's bed, onlyGod witnessed. I saw among the papers taken from the tin box and laidon the table, a large envelope marked in red ink, 'Last Will andTestament of Robert Luke Darrington'; but I never saw it afterward. Iwas never in that room but once; and the last and only time I ever sawGeneral Darrington was when I passed out of the glass door, and lefthim standing in the middle of the room, with the tin box in his hand.
"I can call no witnesses; for it is one of the terrible fatalities ofmy situation that I stand alone, with none to corroborate myassertions. Strange, inexplicable coincidences drag me down; not themalice of men, but the throttling grasp of circumstances. I am thevictim of some diabolical fate, which only innocent blood will appease;but though I am slaughtered for crimes I did not commit, I know, oh! Iknow, that BEHIND FATE, STANDS GOD!--the just and eternal God, whom Itrust, even in this my hour of extremest peril. Alone in the world,orphaned, reviled, wrecked for all time, without a ray of hope, I,Beryl Brentano, deny every accusation broug
ht against me in this cruelarraignment; and I call my only witness, the righteous God above us, tohear my solemn asseveration: I am innocent of this crime; and when youjudicially murder me in the name of Justice, your hands will be dyed inblood that an avenging God will one day require of you. Appearances,circumstances, coincidences of time and place, each, all, conspire tohunt me into a convict's grave; but remember, my twelve judges,remember that a hopeless, forsaken, broken-hearted woman, expecting todie at your hands, stood before you, and pleaded first and last--NotGuilty! Not Guilty!--"
A moment she paused, then raised her arms toward heaven and added, witha sudden exultant ring in her thrilling voice, and a strange raptsplendor in her uplifted eyes:
"Innocent! Innocent! Thou God knowest! Innocent of this sin, as theangels that see Thy face."
At the Mercy of Tiberius Page 17
