The Argosy — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

114 The Sapphire Cross. A malicious titter ran through the audience, and all the latent fire of Lucia’s nature sprang into flame. ‘ Ah!” she cried impetuously, ‘the rich and the happy, how can they know the pity of the poor for one another?” She paused for one instant before the sudden rush of thoughts long felt but until now felt formlessly and mutely. Then while the colour mounted to her delicate face, she resumed in low, vehement tones of inspiration: ‘‘ Gifts may give us softer beds, and less scanty food. ‘They may deprive cold and want and desolation of a portion of their sting ; but they cannot give us joy, or hope; they cannot lessen the years of waiting for a success that never comes, or lighten the burden of frustrated endeavour ; or sweeten the bitterness of a wasted youth. We—we who feel them—alone can know what monotony and weariness of soul may add to the anguish of the poor.” The effect of these words, poured forth with such unstudied ardour, was simply electrical. ‘The moment before Lucia had excited only curiosity, piquantly flavoured by evil suggestion; now she had won everything that was best and highest in the sympathies of her listeners. On their faces shone the light of an enthusiasm reflected from hers ; a burst of applause greeted her concluding phrase, and in not a few eyes sparkled generous tears. ‘“We require evidence as to the prisoner from you, not social theories,” said the President sharply, as soon as he could make him- self heard ; but this time his sarcasm found no echo of amusement. On the contrary there was that inarticulate murmur of comment in the Court which testifies to excited public feeling. ‘The tide of emotion had completely turned in Guido’s fayour. Lucia’s simplest answers appeared to have gained a new significance, and the mere tones of her voice seemed to go straight to the hearts of those who heard her. In vain the President rang his bell, and the little usher furiously shouted ‘‘ Silenzio;” the examination proceeded amidst outbreaks of illogical derision and unreasoning applause, and the Court had to be cleared at last, and an interval of halfan hour elapsed before the public was readmitted to hear the Royal Procurator’s speech. That exalted functionary rose to begin his charge in the very worst of tempers. He hated scenes at all times, and the late scene had been of a nature peculiarly to exasperate him. He was known to make his pride and boast of the fact that he had obtained more con- demnations than any Public Prosecutor of his nation, and his day. He was not eloquent, for eloquence in a fiery sense is not an attribute of his office, but he was master of a particular kind of frigid sarcasm, that withered the pity and almost paralysed the justice of a jury. Very dexterously now did he begin his speech. Coldly alluding to the enthusiasm just displayed by the audience, he treated it as a mere hysterical efflorescence, which a little intelligent analysis of the evidence must soon destroy. He was, he said, far too well acquainted with the a a / = nal™ 2 w EONNIE OOO KS (E@)