In 1959, in the state of New Essex, a witch was on trial. Or
so she seemed to many of the jurors who would ultimately
decide her fate, and to the people who thronged the crowded
courtroom, many of them friends of the murdered woman. On
trial for poisoning her former lover's wife, she would--if
found guilty--be executed.
Callista Blake is nineteen years old at the time of her trial.
She has a very slight physical deformity, and the much greater
mental ones of apparent aloofness, fierce independence of
mind, a laconic and sometimes sarcastic wit, marked but
unconventional artistic talent, avowed atheism, and a complete
inability to compromise. Added to all this, although she is
not beautiful by any of the usual criteria, men find her
overwhelmingly attractive. No wonder the good people of
Winchester and Shanesville dislike her, fear her, and,
subconsciously, at least, think she is a witch. No wonder they
do not believe Callista's story that she had mixed the deadly
potion of Monkshood and brandy for herself at a moment of
suicidal depression, and had been prevented by a miscarriage
from saving Nancy Doherty, who had drunk the stuff
accidentally. The circumstantial evidence against Callista
could not be more damning, yet there are one or two people
unshakeably convinced of her innocence.
This is the story of their struggle in the courtroom to save
her. On her side are one witness--Edith Nolan, her friend and
former employer--her defending counsel--Cecil Warner, a sick,
aging man who loves her--and Terence Mann, who in his role as
judge is obliged to attempt impartiality but, trying his first
case carrying the death penalty, is appalled that the fate of
a human being can be at the mercy of anything so haphazard as
the adversary system and the whim of a jury. We see Callista's
ordeal and the events that brought her to it from the
viewpoints of all these people, as well as that of Callista
herself. We see T. J. Hunter, the formidable District Attorney
(they call him hunter Hunter), Jim Doherty, only too willing
to accept his confessor's view that he was an innocent
ensnared by a temptress of whom he is now happily free,
Callista's well-meaning stepfather, hopelessly dominated by
her overbearing, histrionic mother, the perfect Gertrude to
Callista's Hamlet, and many others who indirectly hold
Callista's life in their hands. We gradually learn the history
of Callista's passionate affair with Jim, told with a
compassion and insight which contrast poignantly with the
chilling ritual of the courtroom.
Edgar Pangborn knows and understands the people he writes
about. And with irresistible force he shows that no one is
good enough or wise enough to hold the power of life and
death.
Mr. Pangborn, who lives at Vorheesville, New York, attended
Harvard and the New England Conservatory of Music. He is the
author of three previous novels: _West of the Sun_, (1952), _A
Mirror for Observers_ (1953), and _Wilderness of Spring_
(1958). He has also contributed short stories to various
magazines.
_Jacket design by Paul Bacon_
_ST MARTIN'S PRESS_
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note, continued:
In general every effort has been made to replicate the original text
as faithfully as possible, including some instances of non-standard
spelling and punctuation (for example, ellipses spacing and size).
Hyphenation has been standardized. The transcriber notes that one of
the main characters, "Ann Doherty," is anomalously referred to as
"Nancy" once on p. 43, and again in the jacket flap notes; this has
not been altered. Another main character is often referred to by his
initials, "T. J."; on p. 79 and beyond this becomes "T.J."; this has
also not been altered.
The following changes were made to repair apparently typographical
errors:
copyright statement below title page "for permisison to use a"
permisison changed to permission
p. 28 "eatingly loudly and cheerfully" eatingly changed to eating
p. 68 "There she goes snifflling" snifflling changed to sniffling
p. 94 "Walton Road betwen 9:10" betwen changed to between
p. 111 "my own langugage far simpler" langugage changed to language
p. 121 "solitary as as any other" as as changed to as
p. 121 "instance: What do do?" first do changed to to
p. 122 "Adante does not mean Adagio" Adante changed to Andante
p. 206 "I'll be such an actesss" actesss changed to actress
p. 228 "doddle-pad rather angrily crossed" doddle changed to doodle
p. 246 "a fairly advanced science notice" notice changed to noticed
p. 275 "and then--"to keep you and me" --"to changed to --'to
jacket flap text "her defending council" council changed to counsel