Fleming_Guy_Earlscourts_Wife.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
had known \^'lrren for many years, and always
had the highest respect for her personallv and for t'.ie
whole family. visited the cottajje often in passini;-.
and had met his brother there. frequently jested hiui
f3
*'
fri
r?"
i"^ made
ifl since
cems to
^ that
and let
,!
witli a
n ua
should
pe, old
favor.
spite
taken
e had
other.
many
years
nevor
1 hini
1 did
)ndo[i
- the
: had
red it
had
pris-
had
anie
the
was
ih!e
nan
avs
the
iini
ja is^htor, ' nac
.icV' li.; brothct* .vcn.
i/tli, but '-lid no:
day. .; surpriscc
kd :;ogether.
- several limes, biv
'lloweci o stand
sym
sorrow wis
iuitc ghastly as he
. ed convulsively in
yes followed him,
lad istened to his
ius r:^uilt had lingcrec
'lour.
ivery wish
felf:
left
the
hi:
dc
about hiis attentions to the bailiff's pret'
never considered them serious. m
to on the evening oi the
hear of the girl's tlight until the nex
and shocked when informed they ha
tried to speak with him on the sub) ".
had always been rebuffed.
was cross-examine unci
down. emotion had been very '41 eat.
pathy for his delicate health and
through the court. face wa .
the witness box, his hand was pre
region of his heart. 's dark
handsome face set and stern.
liberate perjury, and if any doubt
in his mind it was dispelled in ..
came nc -.i, and \vith
to save his friend, did more to l.aiig !iim ihan ill rest.
had known , an( .ulmired her c;s every one
else did. not aware that ^v ^arlscourt had been her
lover, and believed that the neetiiii^ the railway had been
mere chance, as he had been old. . had
stayed at his lodgings for two c ys .)revious to his departure
from . had been hsent .on duty n ly all of
the of , .^^"ound i.he .jrisonei in his cham-
bers upon his return late it light. lad^ sat ogethcr
smoking and talking for i couple r^ lours aefore .; lo
bed. next mcrni'v iboit daylight, ic lad rccii
in the room adjoining 'rcssin^', limself )y candlelip;hl.
and asked him what he .3 -^ettin?^, ip 'n he niddle nf ih
night for. prisoner ^ad answered t ^-as la'f pas:
seven, that he had a pressing engagement for :vght. "
is a lady in the case, ," he had said, 'ano adic'^,
brook of no delay." came back about half past ninr
covered with snow. said he had been out riding, and
was tremendously hungry. breakfasted together. .\t
a little before eleven he left, and two hours later saw him
go off on the noon train for .
was having all this reluctantly ex-
torted from him, a messenger had made his way to the pris-
oner's counsel, , , and placed a note in his hand.
was of evident importance, for the face of the lawyer flushed
up with surprise and delight as he read it.
the case for the prosecution closed with everything
pointing to the guilt of the prisoner, . rose, and
after a few prefatory remarks on the evidence given he
observed that, in regard to the silence of -the prisoner as to
1
i
r:
286
" ."
his doings on the moriftnp: of that memorable .s
, had admitted that there was a lady in
the casa, and this was the truth, but that lady was not the
murdered j;irl, as he was prepared to show the court, f(jr
his client had been from eight til^ nine in the morninp;, the
time when the murder was committed at , in com-
pany of tiiis lady and her maid. had prevented her
hearing of . iCarlscourt's arrest until yesterday, when she
was away in her home in the country. -day she was
here !
door of the witness box opened and a lady stood
there, tall, elegan^, veiled. lifted one gloved hand and
flung back her veil, and four hundred eager eyes fell and
fixed on the proudly beautiful face of l^aulina .
was white as marble as she faced the bench. and once
only she looked at the prisoner. dropped his head, and
until he stood up free he did not raise it a.^ain.
. leaned forward and blandly spoke.
" name, madam, if you please?"
the legal gentlemen present was we'l known
by reputation, the celebrated beauty, who only a
few weeks ago had refused to marry t'-e of -
erland. the beautiful wealthy heiress and belle stood
licrc in a police court, to vindicate {he innocence of
a man suspected of murder ! came and stepped forward.
an instant the blood rose up bright in her pale face.
, in that sweet vibrating voice, that had always been
one of her chief charms, s!ie spoke:
" am called , but it is not my name. ;
when you have heard what am here to say you will under-
stand."
were scores present who knew her well, but with
the exception of two none of them understood what this
meant. her father stood confounded.
and without hesitation she told the storv of her
marriage to . took her upwards of an
hour. grew faint and giddy before it was done.
reeled with the last words she looked like death, and as
permission was given her to stand down she had to grasp the
rails to keep from falling. second later she was in her
father's arms lifeless and cold. the first time in her
life had fainted entirely away.
maid, , was called to the stand, and gave
her evidence with a clearness and precision that cirried con-
viction to every hearer. vindicated completely.
swore positively to the time, at the hour when the murder
had been c^^^niittecl ^Mr. had beea evcoc iasUot
wit
or
call!
(
r
" ."
287
her and her mistress. cross-examinaHon could shake
or aher her.
was free !
this moment a man nished into tlie courtroom
called out: "1 ( to be sworn. name is
."
sight of the newcomer a grayibh ])allor had spread over
the fate of . game was up! had
thought safe in for life, and yonder he
stood, speaking the words that told his life away.
was a singing in his ears, a nli.^t before his eves, for a mo-
ment a sharp, sudden pain in his left side. had reason
to dread those swift keen pangs. medical men looked
grave when he spoke of them, and warned him to avoid
agitation of all kinds. made no attempt whatever to
leave the court; a fascination he was powerless to control
chained him to the spot where he stood. life perhaps
depended on his escape now, but he stood there listening as
greedily as the most unconcerned spectator.
-gustus told the shameful story in all
its details: the mock marriage, which turned out to be a
real one, the heartless manner in which the poor girl had
been neglected wlien her noble husband had tired of her,
which he had done in a vcrv short time, his ambition to marry
the rich , and his reasons for wishing to get rid
of the wife who had become so distasteful to him.
the close of this recital was dismissel
and the heavy hand of fell with grim
satisfaction on the shoulder of , who.i;eemcd
dazed and looked straight before him with a sightless stare.
led him from the courtroom. went peacefully.
he looked back. saw his brother surrounded by
an eager throng shaking hands and congratulating him.
glance met. turned away. had looked his last on
the face of the brother he had hated all his life.
night, alone in his cell, he thought of free,
and himself here. was the husband of , and he
was the murderer of . would inherit the title and
estates; his children and 's would grow up amid the
green beauty of ; and he
vision of a gray dawn rose before him of a gaping,
eager crowd of a scaffold, ghastly in the chill light of a
condemned man, led forth to die. fell down on the bed
with a cry of anguish and despair, and lay still.
next morning when the jailer brought in his break-
fast, he was surprised to find his prisoner still asleep.
approached the bed, bent down, listened for his breathing,
"^
:i66
a
."
placed . ' . . upon tlu* region r,i \u, lic.irt. felt the pul-c,
and stood tipiij^lit. . was dead! 'icndlc
and al)ne in the (hsnial |)ri.son room the dark sf)irit ol '
's murderer liad j^one fortli to answer for \{-
crimes.
the sun set tlial day. the ceremony per-
formed hy the -ondon registrar was repeated hv the rector
of )eckliaven in 's parlor. miiuito
after tlie hen diction had heen pronounced there stood -
'ore them a . gai-lookinj; jjfeiitienian who took (iuy aside
and whispered in his ear tlie news of his brother's death
jjave him : patij^, the thouj^ht of how he died; but therv
was a creature on earth who really rej^retted the dead
man. in the hour of her marriajije was
. left l'nj;land at once and went abroad for
their honeymoon. . ' * ' -
. and . 'sle went to .vndith , where the first
happy monfis of their clandestine marriage had been spent.
\'aue died so(n after, and made her
home with them, and found tiic tenderesl of fathers in -
ert [.isle. }
, spring, summer passed, and when lav
bright on the green glades and waving trees of
;-. and came home. alto-
gether as they went, for a nurse accompanies them,
and there is a dark-eyed baby in long robes, whom they call
"." and who is the heir of .
miles away, in h'ane's studio, there hangs a
picture of a smiling girlish face. is famous and
wealthy now. and meet often in .so-
ciety and are very sincere friends. best wishes are for
her and 's happiness, but he never goes to .
has no thought of marrying again. woman in this
world will ever be to him again quite what "" was in
that lovely of years ago. s.