At the Mercy of TiberiusEvans, Augusta J. (Augusta Jane)
History
At the Mercy of Tiberius
Evans, Augusta J. (Augusta Jane)
Rome -- History -- Tiberius, 14-37 -- Fiction
Called to the stand, Simon Frisby testified that "he was telegraph
operator, and night train despatcher for railway in X--. On October the
twenty-sixth, had just gone on duty at 8 P.M. at the station, when
prisoner came in, and sent a telegram to New York. A copy of that
message had been surrendered to the District Solicitor. Witness had
remained all night in his office, which adjoined the ladies'
waiting-room, and his attention having been attracted by the unusual
fact that it was left open and lighted, he had twice gone to the door
and looked in, but saw no one. Thought the last inspection was about
two o'clock, immediately after he had sent a message to the conductor
on train No. 4. Saw prisoner when she came in, a half hour later, and
heard the conversation between her and Burk, the station agent. Was
very positive prisoner could not have been in the ladies' waiting-room
during the severe storm."
Mr. Churchill read aloud the telegram addressed to Mrs. Ignace
Brentano: "Complete success required delay. All will be satisfactory.
Expect me Saturday. B. B."
He commented on its ambiguous phraseology, sent the message to the jury
for inspection, and resumed his chair.
"Lennox Dunbar."
Sister Serena's knitting fell from her fingers; Dyce groaned audibly,
and Judge Dent, sitting quite near, uttered a heavy sigh. The statue
throbbed into life, drew herself proudly up; and with a haughty poise
of the head, her grand eloquent gray eyes looked up at the witness, and
for the first time during the trial bore a challenge. For fully a
moment, eye met eye, soul looked into soul, with only a few feet of
space dividing prisoner from witness; and as the girl scanned the dark,
resolute, sternly chiselled face, cold, yet handsome as some faultless
bronze god, a singular smile unbent her frozen lips, and Judge Dent and
Sister Serena wondered what the scarcely audible ejaculation meant:
"At the mercy of Tiberius!"
No faintest reflection of the fierce pain at his heart could have been
discerned on that non-committal countenance; and as he turned to the
jury, his swart magnetic face appeared cruelly hard, sinister.
"I first saw the prisoner at 'Elm Bluff', on the afternoon previous to
Gen'l Darrington's death. When I came out of the house, she was sitting
bareheaded on the front steps, fanning herself with her hat, and while
I was untying my horse, she followed Bedney into the library. The
blinds were open and I saw her pass the window, walking in the
direction of the bedroom."
Mr. Churchill: "At that time did you suspect her relationship to your
client, Gen'l Darrington?"
"I did not."
"What was the impression left upon your mind?"
"That she was a distinguished stranger, upon some important errand."
"She excited your suspicions at once?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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