Within the Maze: A Novel, Vol. 1 (of 2)Wood, Henry, Mrs.
General
Within the Maze: A Novel, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Wood, Henry, Mrs.
English fiction -- 19th century
"I don't know, my lord. I suppose he forgot to bring it in when he
came in to dinner. Sir Adam is naturally very careless indeed."
One of the jury spoke. "Witness, what was it that you wanted with your
master when you went out that evening?"
"A telegram had come for him, sir, and I went to take it to him."
"What did the telegram contain? Do you know?"
"I believe it came from Foxwood, sir."
"From Foxwood?"
"The telegram was from my mother, Mrs. Andinnian," spoke up the
prisoner, in his rather loud, but perfectly calm voice, thereby
electrifying the court. "It was to tell me she had arrived safely at
Foxwood Court: and that the day for my uncle Sir Joseph's funeral was
not then fixed."
The prisoner's solicitor, in a great commotion, leaned over and begged
him in a whisper to be silent.
"Nay," said the prisoner aloud, "if any information that I can give is
required, why should I be silent?" Surely there had never before been
a prisoner like unto this one!
The next witness was Rose Turner. She was accompanied by her uncle and
a solicitor; was dressed handsomely in black, and appeared to be in a
state of extreme nervous agitation. Her face was ashy pale, her manner
shrinkingly reluctant, and her voice was so low that its accents could
not always be caught. In the simple matter of giving her name, she had
to be asked it three times.
Her evidence told little more than had been told by the opening
counsel.
Mr. Scott had persecuted her with his attentions, she said. He wanted
her to promise to marry him when he should be established in practice,
but she wholly refused, and she begged him to go about his business
and leave her alone. He would not; and her aunt had rather encouraged
Mr. Scott; they did not know what kind of private character he bore,
but supposed of course it was good. Martin Scott had twice kissed her
against her will, very much to her own annoyance; she had told Mr.
Andinnian of it--who had always been very kind to her, quite like a
protector. It made Mr. Andinnian very angry; and he had then
threatened Martin Scott that if he ever again attempted to molest her,
he would shoot him. She was sure that Martin Scott understood that Mr.
Andinnian was not joking, but meant to do what he said. So far, the
witness spoke with tolerable readiness: but after this not a word
would she say that was not drawn from her. Her answers were given
shrinkingly, and some of them with evident reluctance.
"You went out on a visit in May: where was it to?" questioned the
counsel.
"Birmingham."
"How long did you stay there?"
"I was away from home five weeks altogether."
"When did you return home?--You must speak a little louder, if you
please."
"On the evening of the twenty-second of June."
"That was the day before the murder?"
"It was not a murder," returned the witness, with emotion. "Sir Adam
Ardinnian was quite justified in what he did."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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