The Argosy — page 394: what you’re looking at

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

The Village Blacksmith, 373 door. I caught it and ran off, but I heard the revolver fired before I got ten yards from the house.” ‘‘ What did you do with the jewel-case containing the diamonds ?” ‘T carried the case down to the hollow tree as fast as I could run. There I forced the lock and found it empty.” Here the Archdeacon, who had been looking dreadfully ill the whole morning, fainted, and had to be carried out of Court by Captain Raleigh and his brother. Mrs. Canter thought his wife, whom she continued to watch narrowly, would have fainted also, she turned so pale when I'reeman swore the casket was empty; but she had recourse to her flask of wine, and by dint of resisting the inclination to faint very strongly she succeeded in retaining her seat. “She has got them as sure as I am a laundress,” said Mrs. Canter in an undertone to Reuben. “Who has what?” asked Reuben, who had not followed his sister’s train of thought. "Never mind. I have found out what I wanted to know, so I may as well go and see to the master and send them two gentlemen back. Men are no nurses; and he is so ill I wish Miss Vera were here. You stop to the end, Reuben, and come and tell me before I go home,” said Mrs. Canter, and then, much to the satisfaction of Mrs. Ryot-Tempest, she left the Court. ** You swear the case was empty when Mark handed it to your” said Mr. Deedes to Freeman. oem ©S; sit.” ‘Stand down, then,” said Mr. Deedes, who then proceeded to wind up the case for the prosecution in an eloquent speech, in which he held forth largely on the cruel wrong done to his client Miss Vera Tempest by the impudent accusation brought against her by Mark Brown, which he trusted was now entirely refuted by the evidence of the last witness. He so carried the Court and the spectators with him that if judgment could have been given at once there is no doubt Mark would have been then and there committed for trial on the charge of perjury ; but his lawyer had first to be heard for the defence. Mr. Jones now rose, and in a shrewd, clever speech, in which he spared no one’s feelings, he maintained that there was no case at all against his client. ‘The only evidence against him was that of a man who, by his own confession, was a thief and a burglar, whose word could not be taken against that of an old, valued, trusted servant like Mark Brown. Had Freeman produced the diamonds, some weight might have been attached to his evidence. The diamonds were kept in the jewel-case; the jewel-case was found, but the diamonds were missing ; someone had stolen them. The question was, who? If Freeman, then he had committed perjury, and so vitiated the rest of his evidence. If not Freeman, then who had CoOnnicooOolKSs (SO) am