I beseech you,
Wrest once the law to your authority:
To do a great right, do a little wrong.
SHAKSPEARE.
My watch, Sir, has indeed comprehended two auspicious persons.
IBID.
Whilst Lady Gayland struggled to recover her own composure, she felt
how important it was to prepare Lucy’s mind for the ordeal which she
had so soon to go through in the shape of a legal investigation into
all these transactions, and previous to which it was so important
that her tranquillity should in some measure be restored. She knew
the unfair inferences which might by possibility be drawn from
her present disordered state; how often, in the hard judgment of
technical men, the effects of modest embarrassment and awe-struck
inexperience may be perverted into the confusion and contradictions
of guilt; and in this case the probability of such a misconstruction
was increased by the overwhelming nature of the recent sorrows which
oppressed her. Yet all the assistance which she could give her to
support her through so severe a trial, Lady Gayland felt, must be
in previous advice, for to it she must go alone and unaccompanied.
However much the interest she now felt in her new _protégée_ might
make her wish to accompany her, she was aware that her presence, as a
female guest of Sir North’s, at a legal investigation in his private
room, into a deed of blood and violence, would be rather misplaced.
She therefore attempted to sustain the impression of the last idea,
which seemed to have so powerful an effect on Lucy’s feelings, and
to enforce upon her a due sense of the unpleasant duty to which she
was shortly to be summoned, and from which she could not shrink,
saying, “If that dreadful scene to which you have alluded with such
natural sensations of horror, is actually impressed upon your mind
as a fact, you should endeavour to recollect that you are now in
the power, and shortly will be summoned into the presence of those
who have a right to ask all you know on the subject. You would, of
course, be most careful not to make a matter of grave accusation
against any one that which may have been merely the workings of your
own distempered imagination; but if you can really feel assured that
you actually saw that which you described, however painful it may be
to the retiring gentleness of your character to bear witness against
any one, you have now no choice; you owe it not only to the memory
of him you mourn, but also your duty to that superior power who has
ordained that through you justice should in this instance be done on
guilt, commands you to speak, without fear or shrinking, the plain
and simple truth.”
“What! and myself twine the rope round his neck. Ugh! no, no!”
muttered Lucy, shuddering: “my first, best, my only friend, whose
only fault was loving me too well; who has thought of his Lucy far,
far off, when, what was night to him, was day to me. No; if they have
tortures here, let them use them, rather than I will utter one word
against poor George.”
Lady Gayland felt now completely perplexed: she thought she knew the
language of passion; she thought she could not be completely deceived
in her estimate of artless innocence; and yet it was difficult
to reconcile such contradictory expressions of strong affection,
as it seemed, at the same time, for the slayer and the slain; him
who had fallen a victim to lawless violence, and the perpetrator
of the deed. The fact was, that Lucy’s affectionate disposition
unconsciously impelled her to vent her feelings in exaggerated terms,
when speaking of either of them; principally from the self-reproaches
with regard to both, which she mixed up with the horrors of the last
four-and-twenty hours. She could not bear to reflect that the last
words on Churchill’s lips, before his untimely end, were unrequited
professions of love for her, which love had, indeed, been the cause
of his death: as little could she bear to recollect that it was to
her alleged fickleness, though there never had been any positive
pledges to confirm such an accusation, that George had attributed
all his progressive errors, and but too plainly traced his last
dreadful act of guilt.
Lady Gayland’s object in seeking Lucy Darnell in her present
temporary confinement, had been, if possible, to soothe the sorrows
of an unfortunate female. But it was no part of her intention to
gratify her own curiosity through the medium of that involuntary
half-confidence which those sorrows themselves might be the
means of eliciting. The sort of mystery which to her seemed to
hang over Lucy’s connexion, both with the murdered man and him
who was in custody, induced her to avoid, rather than to press,
any farther questions on that part of the subject; and she was
confining her counsel to general advice, not to get herself into
farther difficulties by an apparent attempt to thwart the ends of
justice, when Mrs. Jones re-entered the room to inform her that the
Lawyer from Mayton was arrived, and Mr. Spencer was taking off his
shooting-gaiters, and Sir North was almost ready for what Mrs. Jones
called his _justiciary_ business.
Lady Gayland rose to leave her _protegée_ with an anxious feeling
as to the conduct she would pursue during her approaching trial: in
spite of the doubt she was left in as to her connexion with some
of the parties concerned in these transactions, the course of the
interview with her had excited in her monitress’s breast a powerful
interest in her behalf.
It was impossible not to be prepossessed in her favour by her
personal appearance; though the obscurity of the darkened room
in which they were, had prevented Lady Gayland from seeing her
thoroughly. It is not merely on its victim man, that beauty in woman,
when apart from rivalry, produces an irresistibly forcible effect.
Lady Gayland, with all her occasional off-hand manner of speaking,
and with the frequent temptations opened to an ever-ready fancy
of ridiculing personal defects, could never be accused of having
made an ill-natured remark upon a rival beauty; and, certainly, she
could very well spare any occasional advantage which such use of her
satirical powers might have been sufficient to promise. But here, not
only the immeasurable distinction of their different rank in life,
but the present position of one of the parties, would have prevented
the idea of possible rivalry: and certainly, whatever may be thought
the best light for commanding admiration; for exciting sympathy,
there is nothing like beauty in distress.
Lucy was, on her side, so much touched by the unexpected interest
shown in her fate by so superior a being as Lady Gayland, that,
before parting with her, she promised faithfully, that in the
examination to which she was about to be subjected, she would
endeavour to be composed; and that at any rate she would be perfectly
candid, on every part which related to herself, who she was and
whence she came; and that as far as she could, without injuring those
she wished to save, she would explain the whole transaction.
Lady Gayland, however, could not satisfy herself perfectly with this
conditional promise. She felt a great inclination still, if possible,
to be present at the examination; and in passing through the
entrance-hall, in her way down, she found Sir North and Mr. Spencer
in close conference; the former with a light, calfskin-covered,
legal-looking, quarto volume under his arm; the other drawing the
_charge_, not of the prisoners, but of his gun. The case had,
however, been opened to him, as he was saying,
“Oh, certainly, Sir North; it will be the su-mmit of _ea_-rthly
_fe-li-ci_-ty to me, to render myself, in the most _di-mi_-nutive
degree, your servi_cea_ble sl_a_-ve. It is, as you justly assumed,
one of the most _co_-mpli-_ca_-ted departm_e_-nts of your judicial
functions. The advice of a pr_o_-fessional man is not only expedient,
but I may say indisp-_e_-nsable to a rural Archimedes. I suppose we
must attack them under the 9th of George II. Chap. 35. for running
unlawful goods. Apropos, Sir North--that black bitch, Juno, has
taken to running hares; we had better put her into the indictment;
’p_o_-n my soul we had--ha! ha! If, according to the 9th of George
II. this ch_a_-rge could be extr_a-ac_ted, I mean substantiated, it
would be the most _e-li_-gible mode of p_ro_c_ee_ding; if not, we
must pr-_o_-c_ee_d against them under the 5th of George III. Chapter
13. In the mean time, I will just change these,” sticking out
conceitedly a worsted-clad fragment of a column, which was called
a leg, and which it would have been well for him if he could have
changed.
In all this he had shown as usual, that, with the greatest
pretensions to accurate information, and professions of the desire
to serve, his knowledge was never useful, and his assistance always
contingent upon his own convenience.
Lady Gayland joined Sir North, as Mr. Spencer left him. “My dear Sir
North, I am very anxious to interest you in favour of that young
girl, who is about to be examined before you; I am sure that her
connexion with these lawless parties is accidental and recent; but I
foresee that she will be terribly alarmed at the whole proceeding.
Now, what I want of you is no hard task,--it is only to recollect as
_much_ as possible, that _she_ is a very pretty young girl, and as
_little_ as possible, that you are the ‘great Justice Midas.’ I beg
pardon,” she said, seeing that that last allusion was unfortunate;
“all I meant was, that I hoped you would be the good-natured,
indulgent person, you are to _all_ of our sex, and not endue any
additional dignity on this occasion. Now just promise me that,” she
said, in her most coaxing manner.
Sir North, who, in the fascination of her address, forgot Justice
Midas, answered,
“My dear Lady Gayland, I have not now to inform you, that to me your
_will_ alone is law; only recollect, it must not only be law to me,
but must appear so to the professional gentlemen I have called in, or
else--”
“Nay, Sir North, take care, or I shall come myself, and see whether
you administer accurately what you own you consider as your only law,
my sovereign will and pleasure.”
Sir North would generally have thought himself only too much
flattered at Lady Gayland making him her _butt_, in any manner
which at the moment might hit her fancy, or chime in with her merry
humour; but just at present, principally from its novelty, his
magisterial dignity was his hobby, on which account her threatened
presence, bringing with it the imminent danger of ridicule, was
particularly unpleasant to him; and he, therefore, bowed himself
away, with as much of a negative as he dared to put upon any proposal
of hers, vented in disjointed, half-sentences, “Fear--perfectly
impossible--distract attention--syren voice--imperative
duty--strictly private--magisterial functions--lives at stake--”
Lady Gayland, looking after him, only muttered, “Full of wise saws,
and modern instances, and so he plays his part;” for she evidently
saw that it would be impossible under these circumstances, with any
delicacy, to press her desire to attend, and therefore, gave it up,
and retired to her own room, to wait the result.