Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

"But bo is innocent."
! to be proved in be inni'i
"At present we have no means of proving Hint : Mr. '
will bring persons to speak to hia character. !'.i:i
there will always be persons to believe that lie did it. That
is a great misfortune, but wo can't i help This was
ail tlio consolation the Miss Lances could get the day before tho
trial.
They complained to each other; they complained to H;<
Then that good woman closed the door and fell into a fit of
weeping.
" Ah, dear ladies," she cried, "All cannot think as you do.
deed was done in self-defence, but who did it if Peter Sands
did not ? Only against Peter had Gardener any feelings of
vengeance. I can't but believe that he did it, though v.-ero I on
the jury, and sworn to convict only on the evidence, I might
rightly say that the evidence was not enough to prove him
guilty. All Treddington will believe him guilty before this
of us do now is to hold our
day week. The best wo can any
tongues."
So these words represented popular opinion.
The good ladies felt it terribly. But they were faithful.
"If he had done it he would never have denied it, "they said.
At last the day came, and Peter Sands was to be tried for
murder.
lady of seventy years of age, perhaps, not known to any of
Peter's friends except to those who were with her.
She was stately- looking, and attracted immediate attention.
She was dressed in blacksilk,and she wore on her head something
which had more the appearance of a hood than a bonnet ; her
face was easily seen, and was of considerable beauty. She was
BO placed as to be able to ^ee the prisoner, and yet so as not to
be seen by him. She took an opera-glass from a black-silk
bag, and used it frequently. She was observed to look with
great iutentness and very frequently at Peter Sands.
Many persons asked tho name of this lady, and many more
speculated silently as to who she could be. At last some one
saiil that she was Dr. Beauclerk's mother, and this seemed to
satisfy people. This was not true, but as she wus living in Dr,
Beauclerk's house there seemed to-be no reason to doubt the
accuracy of the information.
This lady remained in court for some time, and then left, be-
ing taken away by Father Dunstan.
The business of the trial proceeded as speedily as it could do.
There were no difficulties in the opening of tho business.
The court was densely crowded. The prisoner was very
pale, very quiet.
He gave one glance round, as if to see wind,
friends were there, and then, as if satisfied on that point, his
eyes wandered no more ; but he appeared to be listening with
unmoved attention to the story of his supposed guilt, which
was now laid before the judge and jury, before a great assemblage
of people, before his own best friends, before God and
-.0 attention. He could not have contradicted a single
word till the story came to his buying the kn
history began very early, even with Mr. Bonnet wishing
.. Gardener to retire from the trusteeship, to which, by
el Penwarne's will, he was appointed. All tho story of
Fred Drake and the ninety-seven pounds
all that he
i had ilf lo
.TnmeB '
to do Peter Rome bodily injury ;
cs had
Great str-ss was laid on '.
"ioor on that Saturday,
nieut to keep with the. choir-singers, and it
Gardener might h;
ton that night, as ho often did on S
cording to his wild threats, he, had 9%
;n interview with Peter, }\
been met in the Long M<
Peter did meet him, and I
/believe he did it. Not another soul near the stile; tho instrument
of death found in his pocket a lie ; ready made in his
mouth. The man's gray hairs on the knife, the blood-stains,
the wrist wounded, probably in the struggle ; tho tion, had no doubt accomplished his death.
Such,
knowledge
that the man had threatened to do him harm and to waylay
him, and he had been unlike himself for days. No doubt tho
in outline, was tho story to which I'< '
was made to hold well together, and it was pal, wi'i'
force by the counsel against him, and proved by v
Mr. Breward were brought forward. Oil'
I
;i
'i. It
every point. Father Joseph, Fred Dra! '
articles from your employer's shop did you sell to the pr
at the bar on that day ?"
With a little confusion the young man said : "I don't know
how to answer any better. I sold him two kn.
" But you must mark my words. I did not, say how many
,
I said how many articles did you sell to the pr!
at the bar ?"
"Two."
" Now consider two ';"