The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 35: what you’re looking at

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said, to yield to his convictions, against his inclina- tions, and believe her guilty. And although the web of testimeny surrounding Robe had appeared to spread out and enmesh himeelf,— yet, knowing him- self to be innocent, he naturally concluded that the net, despite of all Counsellor Sharply’s artful pul)- ings and astute twistings, would close in again upon her whom he painfally and sorrowfully regarded as the true culprit.“ But now, thet second random question thrown out by the bdarrister,—that: query’ THE MYSTERIES. against Fernanda for the é buat ruin her beyond all possibility of redeniption for the past. His continued silence, and the effect produced npon-his countenance and manner by the conflict. ing feelings and bewilderiog thoughts which ‘had thus swayed ‘him from the moment when Counsellor Sharply first put the question above alluded to, all tended to prejadice him sorely in the eyes of the magistrate and strengthen the suspicions which every one present had already cher against which suggested the possibility of another woman | him. having committed the foul deed,—produced a sud: den aud most exciting revulsion in the’ ideas of the Hon. Arthur Eaton; and he wag led to reflect, all m a moment, that it was indeed possible—nay, even probable that Rose was innocent and that some other female was the assassin. But that other female—who could she bef The ‘answer’ was readily suggested by a crowd of past'citcumstances to the young gen- tleman’s imagination ; ; and he saw in a moment that if Rosé -wére not really aad murderess, then Fernanda must be!-: Quick'as a flight of birds sweeps through the ambient air,‘ did this train of reflections traverse the mind of Arthur Eaton; and therefore was it that he pressed ‘his‘hand to his throbbing brows—there- fore was it that for nearly a minute he remained ab- sorbed ‘in profound and painful thought. - “You heard my last question, sir,” observed Mr. Counsellor Sharply, who soon grew impatient: “may I request an answer toit? Or shall I repeat it for your behoof? It was whetber the deceased William Dudley. was: known to be connected with any woman in whose breast he might have inspired feel- ings of a nature calcolated to prompt her to the commission of this black crime ” Eaton was about to reveal everything, when it struck him that were he to tear away the veil which covered the past he would be devoting the name of Dudley to infamy and execration, and he would like- wise be denouncing Fernanda to the whole world for crimes which he had forgiven, merely because he now suspected her of a new iniquity of which she might prove to be totally guiltless. And if thus denounced, she would be arrested at once—and he must appear against her—and, condemned as a prisoper, she would inevitably perish on the scaffold. Thus even if'she shotld be préved innocent in re- spect t6 Dudley’s death, the revelation of the reasons which ‘Jed him to suspect her of that crime would send her‘all the same to the gibbet;—and this was what Eaton'would not have happen for worlds! No—because he had seduced her—he had injared her cruelly at the beginning—he had goaded her as it were to desperation ;—becaase, also, he had patdoned: her for what she had done to him, and she was now settled honourably and respectably in the world. These were the reasons wherefore he did not seek, and could never desire, to punish her for the past ; and unless he were well assured that she was indeed guilty of a new crime, and this crime of the blackest dye, he would not take any | measure that might tend tocompromise her. Thus at the very instant when, in reply to Counsellor Sharply’s reiterated question, he was about to reveal all'those strange and terrible circumstances with which the reader is so well acquainted, a second thought:sealed his lips ; and he resolved to pause ere he addpted any step, which, ifrashiy and inconsider- ately taken, might involve an unjust socusation Gee - ;. =, ; - Well, T see that I must not hope for any satis- factory replies: from this gentleman,” eaid ‘ the barristér.' “But I will yet ask’him one more ques- tiou,” he continued, in’a sinister tone: “and that is—how it ‘was'likely to happen'that William Dudley was murdered with his own hnifev?s - ‘With his‘own' knife £ repeated Arthur Eaton, in an‘ amazement which was truly most uofeigned, but which was easily mistaken ‘or the sudden ex- citement and alarm attendant on the discovery of an incident associated with conscious guilt. “ Yes—with his own knife !” reiterated Counsellor Sharply. “May I request your worship to produce and inspect the wedpon And while the magistrate was complying with this demand, a silence so breathless pervaded the court that a pin might have been heard to drop. And Rose Fester could hear the palpitations of her own heart as it beat violently and rapidly in the virgin bosom that remained upheaved and motien- less with a profound suspense, : -“¥ observe upon the handle of this knife,” at length said the magistrate, “the initials W. D.” - A murmur of surprise mingled ‘with the pro- foundest interest passed through the court; and nearly all eyes were instantaneously ‘turned. upon Rose Foster as much as to assare her that she would soon be proved innocent. Then those looks were in another moment all centred on‘Arthur Eaton, who was so amazed by this new incident that he felt as if he were dounderifg in the mazes ‘of a troubled dream where hdrror,' peril, and wonder were all confusedly blended. For the inferetcd té bé deduced from the ciroum- stance. respecting the knife was too clear not to strike him as well as everybody present. It seemed to sliow that ‘inasmuch as Dadley was proved by the surgeon to'‘have been murdered and had not committed suicide, it could only have been some one closely connected with him or living in the same house who could have obtained possession of that weapon wherewith the murder was accomplished. “ Your worship will please to observe,” said ‘Mr. Counsellor Sharply, “that it was upon discovering those initials on the knife this morning that I requested the postponement of the proceedings, and that I likewise wrote upon a slip of paper the demand that Mr. Eaton should be detained until the issue of the adjourned examination. If your worship had not assented to that proposition, I should have at once applied in open court for s warrant against “ You dare not accuse me, sir,” exclaimed Arthur, his cheeks flushing with indignation: “I am inno- oent——nay, lam incapable—utterly emer wd such a crime-——” -. “And I also am innocent [* . exclaimed Hove } clasping her hands and burstibg into tears —for’ now that she saw the tarn the’ proceedings - ‘were ‘so > (COU (C DOO (CO