THE TRIAL.
At length the day for the trial arrived, and the place was crowded. At
the appearance of Edith there arose a murmur of universal sympathy and
pity. All the impressions which had been formed of her were falsified.
Some had expected to see a coarse masculine woman; others a crafty,
sinister face; others an awkward, ill-bred rustic, neglected since her
father's trial by designing guardians. Instead of this there appeared
before them a slender, graceful, youthful form, with high refinement and
perfect breeding in every outline and movement. The heavy masses of her
dark hair were folded across her brow, and wreathed in voluminous folds
behind. Her pallid face bore traces of many griefs through which she had
passed, and her large spiritual eyes had a piteous look as they wandered
for a moment over the crowd.
No one was prepared to see any thing like this, and all hearts were at
once touched. It seemed preposterous to suppose that one like her could
be otherwise than innocent.
The usual formulas took place, and the trial began. The witnesses were
those who had already been examined. It was rumored that Sir Lionel
Dudleigh was to be brought forward, and “Wiggins,” and Mrs. Dunbar, but
not till the following day.
At the end of that day the opinion of the public was strongly in favor
of Edith; but still there was great uncertainty as to her guilt or
innocence. It was generally believed that she had been subject to too
much restraint, and in a foolish desire to escape had been induced to
marry Dudleigh. But she had found him a worse master than the other, and
had hated him from the first, so that they had many quarrels, in which
she had freely threatened his life. Finally both had disappeared on the
same night. He was dead; she survived.
The deceased could not have committed suicide, for the head was missing.
Had it not been for that missing head, the theory of suicide would have
been plausible.
The second day of the trial came. Edith had seen her father on the
previous evening, and had learned something from him which had produced
a beneficial effect, for there was less terror and dejection in her
face. This was the first time that she had seen him since his illness.
There was one in the hall that day who looked at her with an earnest
glance of scrutiny as he took his place among the witnesses.
It was Sir Lionel Dudleigh, who had come here to give what testimony he
could about his son. His face was as serene as usual; there was no
sadness upon it, such as might have been expected in the aspect of a
father so terribly bereaved; but the broad content and placid bonhomie
appeared to be invincible.
The proceedings of this day were begun by an announcement on the part of
the counsel for the defense, which fell like a thunder-clap upon the
court. Sir Lionel started, and all in the court involuntarily stretched
forward their heads as though to see better the approach of the
astonishing occurrence which had been announced.
The announcement was simply this, that any further proceedings were
useless, since the missing man himself had been found, and was to be
produced forthwith. There had been no murder, and the body that had been
found must be that of some person unknown.
Shortly after a group entered the hall. First came Frederick Dalton,
known to the court as “John Wiggins.” He still bore traces of his recent
illness, and, indeed, was not fit to be out of his bed, but he had
dragged himself here to be present at this momentous scene. He was
terribly emaciated, and moved with difficulty, supported by Mrs.
Dunbar, who herself showed marks of suffering and exhaustion almost
equal to his.
But after these came another, upon whom all eyes were fastened, and even
Edith's gaze was drawn away from her father, to whom she had longed to
fly so as to sustain his dear form, and fixed upon this new-comer.
Dudleigh! The one whom she had known as Mowbray. Dudleigh!
Yes, there he stood.
Edith's eyes were fixed upon him in speechless amazement. It was
Dudleigh, and yet it seemed as though it could not be Dudleigh.
There was that form and there was that face which had haunted her for so
long a time, and had been associated with so many dark and terrible
memories--the form and the face which were so hateful, which never were
absent from her thoughts, and intruded even upon her dreams.
Yet upon that face there was now something which was not repulsive even
to her. It was a noble, spiritual face. Dudleigh's features were
remarkable for their faultless outline and symmetry, and now the
expression was in perfect keeping with the beauty of physical form, for
the old hardness had departed, and the deep stamp of sensuality and
selfishness was gone, and the sinister look which had once marred those
features could be traced there no more.
It was thinner than the face which Edith remembered, and it seemed to
her as if it had been worn down by some illness. If so, it must have
been the same cause which had imparted to those features the refinement
and high bearing which were now visible there. There was the same broad
brow covered with its clustering locks, the same penetrating eyes, the
same square, strong chin, the same firm, resolute month, but here it was
as though a finer touch had added a subtle grace to all these; for about
that mouth there lingered the traces of gentleness and kindliness, like
the remnant of sweet smiles; the glance of the eye was warmer and more
human; there was also an air of melancholy, and over all a grandeur of
bearing which spoke of high breeding and conscious dignity.
This man, with his earnest and even melancholy face and lofty bearing,
did not seem like one who could have plotted so treacherously against a
helpless girl. His aspect filled Edith with something akin to awe, and
produced a profound impression upon the spectators. They forgot the
hatred which they had begun to feel against Dudleigh in the living
presence of the object of their hate, and looked in silence first at
Edith, then at the new-comer, wondering why it was that between such as
these there could be any thing less than mutual affection. They thought
they could understand now why she should choose him as a husband. They
could not understand how such a husband could become hateful.
In all the court but one object seemed to attract Dudleigh, and that was
Edith. His eyes had wandered about at first, and finally had rested on
her. With a glance of profoundest and most gentle sympathy he looked at
her, conveying in that one look enough to disarm even her resentment.
She understood that look, and felt it, and as she looked at him in
return she was filled with wonder.
Could such things be? she thought. Was this the man who had caused her
so much suffering, who bad blasted and blighted the hopes of her life?
or, rather, had the man who had so wronged her been transformed to this?
Impossible! As well might a fiend become changed to an archangel. And
yet here he was. Evidently this was Dudleigh. She looked at him in
speechless bewilderment.
The proceedings of the court went on, and Dudleigh soon explained his
disappearance. As he spoke his voice confirmed the fact that he was
Dudleigh; but Edith listened to it with the same feelings which had been
excited by his face. It was the same voice, yet not the same; it was the
voice of Dudleigh, but the coldness and the mockery of its intonations
were not there. Could he have been playing a devil's part all along, and
was he now coming out in his true character, or was this a false part?
No; whatever else was false, this was not--that expression of face, that
glance of the eye, those intonations, could never be feigned. So Edith
thought as she listened.
Dudleigh's explanation was a simple one. He had not been very happy at
Dalton Hall and had concluded to go away that night for a tour on the
Continent. He had left so as to get the early morning train, and had
traveled on without stopping until he reached Palermo, from which he had
gone to different places in the interior of Sicily, which he mentioned.
He had climbed over the gate, because he was in too much of a hurry to
wake the porter. He had left his valise, as he intended to walk. He had,
of course, left his dog at Dalton, because he couldn't take him to the
Continent. He had forgotten his watch, for the reason that he had slept
longer than he intended, and dressed and went off in a great hurry. The
pocket-book which he left was of no importance--contained principally
memoranda, of no use to any but himself. He had no idea there would have
been such a row, or he would not have gone in such a hurry. He had heard
of this for the first time in Sicily, and would have come at once, but,
unfortunately, he had a attack of fever, and could not return before.
Nothing could have been more natural and frank than Dudleigh's
statement. A few questions were asked, merely to satisfy public
curiosity. Every one thought that a trip to Sicily was a natural enough
thing for one who was on such bad terms with his wife, and the
suddenness of his resolution to go there was sufficient to account for
the disorder in which he had left his room.
But all this time there was one in that court who looked upon the
new-comer with far different feelings that those which any other had.
This was Sir Lionel Dudleigh.
He had heard the remark of the counsel that Dudleigh had returned, and
looked toward the door as he entered with a smile on his face. As he saw
Dudleigh enter he started. Then his face turned ghastly white, and his
jaw fell. He clutched the railing in front of him with both hands, and
seemed fascinated by the sight.
Near him stood Mrs. Dunbar, and Dalton leaned on her. Both of these
looked fixedly at Sir Lionel, and noticed his emotion.
At the sound of Dudleigh's voice Sir Lionel's emotion increased. He
breathed heavily. His face turned purple. His knuckles turned white as
he grasped the railing. Suddenly, in the midst of Dudleigh's remarks, he
started to his feet, and seemed about to say something. Immediately in
front of him were Dalton and Mrs. Dunbar. At that instant, as he rose,
Mrs. Dunbar laid her hand on his arm.
He looked at her with astonishment. He had not seen her before. She
fixed her solemn eyes on him--those eyes to which had come a gloom more
profound, and a sadness deeper than before. But Sir Lionel stared at her
without recognition, and impatiently tried to shake off her hand.
“Who are you?” he said, suddenly, in a trembling voice--for there was
something in this woman's face that suggested startling thoughts.
Mrs. Dunbar drew nearer to him, and in a whisper that thrilled through
every fibre of Sir Lionel's frame, hissed in his ear,
“_I am your wife--and here is my brother Frederick!_”
Over Sir Lionel's face there came a flash of horror, sudden, sharp, and
overwhelming. He staggered and shrank back.
“Claudine!” he murmured, in a stifled voice.
“Sit down,” whispered Lady Dudleigh--now no longer Mrs. Dunbar--“sit
down, or you shall have to change places with Frederick's daughter.”
Sir Lionel swayed backward and forward, and appeared not to hear her.
And now his eyes wandered to Dalton, who stood gazing solemnly at him,
and then to Dudleigh, who was still speaking.
“Who is that?” he gasped.
“Your son!” said Lady Dudleigh.
[Illustration: “HE LOOKED AT HER WITH ASTONISHMENT.”]
At this instant Dudleigh finished. Sir Lionel gave a terrible groan, and
flung up his arms wildly. The next instant he fell heavily forward, and
was caught in the arms of his wife. A crowd flew to his assistance, and
he was carried out of court, followed by Lady Dudleigh.
There was a murmur of universal sympathy.
“Poor Sir Lionel! He has been heartbroken, and the joy of his son's
safety is too much.”
After this the proceedings soon came to an end.
Edith was free!
Dalton tried to get to her, but in his weakness sank upon a seat, and
looked imploringly at his daughter. Seeing this, Dudleigh sprang to his
assistance, and gave his arm. Leaning heavily upon this, Dalton walked
toward Edith, who was already striving to reach him, and, with a low
cry, caught her in his arms.
Sir Lionel had been taken to the inn, where Lady Dudleigh waited on him.
After some time he recovered his senses, and began to rally rapidly. It
had been feared that it was apoplexy, but, fortunately for the sufferer,
it turned out to be nothing so serious as that. After this Lady Dudleigh
was left alone with her husband.
Ten years of separation lay between these two--a separation undertaken
from causes that still existed to alienate them beyond the hope of
reconciliation. Yet there was much to be said; and Lady Dudleigh had
before her a dark and solemn purpose.
On the next day Sir Lionel was able to drive out. Lady Dudleigh seemed
to have constituted herself his guardian. Sir Lionel's face and
expression had changed. The easy, careless bonhomie, the placid content,
the serene joyousness, that had once characterized him, were gone. In
the place of these there came an anxious, watchful, troubled look--the
look of a mind ill at ease--the furtive glance, the clouded brow. It was
as though in this meeting Lady Dudleigh had communicated to her husband
a part of that expression which prevailed in her own face.
Sir Lionel seemed like a prisoner who is attended by an ever-vigilant
guard--one who watches all his movements, and from whom he can not
escape. As he rolled along in his carriage, the Black Care of the poet
seemed seated beside him in the person of Lady Dudleigh.
While Sir Lionel thus recovered from the sudden shock which he had felt,
there was another who had endured a longer and severer course of
suffering, and who had rallied for a moment when his presence was
required, but only to sink back into a relapse worse than the illness
from which he had begun to recover. This was Frederick Dalton, who had
crawled from his bed twice--once to his daughter's prison, and once to
the scene of her trial. But the exertion was too much, and the agitation
of feeling to which he had been subject had overwhelmed him. Leaning
heavily on Dudleigh, and also on Edith, he was taken by these two to his
carriage, and thence to the inn; but here he could walk no further. It
was Dudleigh who had to carry him to his room and lay him on his
bed--and Dudleigh, too, who would intrust to no other person the task of
putting his prostrate form in that bed. Dudleigh's own father was lying
in the same house, but at that moment, whatever were his motives, Dalton
seemed to have stronger claims on his filial duty, and Edith had to wait
till this unlooked-for nurse had tenderly placed her father in his bed.
The doctor, who had found Sir Lionel's case so trifling, shook his head
seriously over Frederick Dalton. Dudleigh took up his station in that
room, and cared for the patient like a son. The day passed, and the
night, and the next morning, but Dalton grew no better. It was a strange
stupor which affected him, not like paralysis, but arising rather from
exhaustion, or some affection of the brain. The doctor called it
congestion. He lay in a kind of doze, without sense and without
suffering, swallowing any food or medicine that might be offered, but
never noticing any thing, and never answering any questions. His eyes
were closed at all times, and in that stupor he seemed to be in a state
of living death.
Edith's grief was profound; but in the midst of it she could not help
feeling wonder at the unexpected part which Dudleigh was performing. Who
was he that he should take so large a part in the care of her father?
Yet so it was; and Dudleigh seemed to think of nothing and see nothing
but that old man's wasted and prostrate form.
For the present, at least, departure from the inn was of course out of
the question. Edith's position was a very distressing one. Every
feeling of her heart impelled her to be present at her father's bedside,
but Dudleigh was present at that same bedside; and how could she
associate herself with him even there? At first she would enter the
room, and sit quietly by her father's bedside, and on such occasions
Dudleigh would respectfully withdraw; but this was unpleasant, and she
hardly knew what to do.
Two or three days thus passed, and on the third Dudleigh requested an
interview, to ask her, as he said, something about “Mr. Wiggins”--for
this was the name by which Mr. Dalton still was called. This request
Edith could not refuse.
Dudleigh entered with an air of profound respect.
“Miss Dalton,” said he, laying emphasis on that name, “nothing would
induce me to intrude upon you but my anxiety about your father. Deep as
your affection for him may be, it can hardly be greater than mine. I
would gladly lay down my life for him. At the same time, I understand
your feelings, and this is what I wish to speak about. I would give up
my place at his bedside altogether if you wished it, and you should not
be troubled by my presence; but I see that you are not strong enough to
be sole nurse, or to undertake the work that would be required of you,
and that your own affection for him would impose upon you. You yourself
are not strong, and you must take care of yourself for his sake. I will
not, therefore, give up to you all the care of your father, but I will
absent myself during the afternoon, and you will then have exclusive
care of him.”
Edith bowed without a word, and Dudleigh withdrew.
This arrangement was kept up, and Edith scarcely saw Dudleigh at all.
She knew, however, that his care for her father was incessant and
uninterrupted. Every thing that could possibly be needed was supplied;
every luxury or delicacy that could be thought of was obtained; and not
only were London physicians constantly coming up, but from the notes
which lay around, she judged that Dudleigh kept up a constant
correspondence with them about this case.
* * * * *