Gratia's Trials — page 145: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

136 | GRATIA’S TRIALS. likes de little tray o’ cheeny brought up to her room ebery night, arter de cups is washed, an’ it’s Marianne’ business. Well, it done happened dat Marianne had a beau las’ night an’ done forgot de cheeny till arter ten o'clock. Didn't dar to tell me,” added Scipio, with dignity, ‘‘for I’d reproved her so often for just de same ting, so she waited till I'd gone to bed, an’ den crept up stairs in her stockin’ feet wid de tray in her hands. But when she came to de libry door she see de light shinin’ out on de floor, an’ she did't dare ‘to keep on, les’ somebody should come out an’ catch her. So she done set de tray on de stairs—Mrs. Falconer’s dressin’- room door was part open, too, an’ dat was jus’ beyond— an’ Marianne she t’ought she could easily come up early in de mornin’ afore any one was stirin’, an’ put de tray in de dressin’-room, and nobody be none the wiser! An’ if Mass’ Bob had come down arter dat he mus’ hab tumbled ober de tray, an’ de half-light—nobody couldn’t a-seen it from above— an’ roused de whole house, besides bréakin’ his own neck. An’ dat de way I knows he didn't, sah.” ‘‘A very ingenious chain of evidence,” said the coroner, smiling. ‘‘ Now let us have Marianne up at once.” Marianne’s testimony corroborated that of the old negro in every particular. ‘Did you observe that your mistress’ dressing-room door was open?’ asked One ek the J jurymen. ‘*A little way, sir.’ 2 ‘‘ Was the light burning then ?” “Yes, sir; turned down very low, I should judge. f ‘‘Was your mistress in the habit of leaving a light all night ?” ‘Yes, sir. Mrs. Falconer was nervous nights. I wouldn’t have minded ¢ha/, sir, but I was afraid Mr. Miller would open the library door and see me, and he was mortal particular about that fancy china,” “Tt seems that your carelessness has for once done your | comicbooks-com 39