Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-03-02
make more hideous and unna.ur,l-uv mis-.

unnAturnl-nU xrfs
tress murdered in her bed! No an,v., -
when knocked; again no answer. tn. 80.
tains at the bedside were close drawn hn,
through the open shutters q fery 6ooa os
light fell red upon the carpet and the crr.
tains- ay. and on the corner Of the snow vhit.
eounterpsnce, red also. 1t was blood, /
thought there had been q rain Of blood; upon
the handles Of the drawers, upon the toilet
over, on the dressing case, upon the towels
iu the basin-everywhere where the murder
er's hands had been after their deadly work;
and in the bed-I dared not look in bed; but
In that great swing-glass, where / had deck
ed myself but few hours ago, / saw il all,
ana every mirror in the room was picturing
Ine same sight-there lay the corpse, the muir
ueTSa I,s woman with her gaping throat.
They thought at frst that I was murdered
too, lying so stiff and cold in that death cham
per. answered nothing to their questions,
eitner In the house or in the prison knew
nothing, nor could have told tkem bsd
known, until Joseph came Itseemed 70 ma
then quite natural that he should be with me-
nothing praiseworthy, nothing This dear
lll.le engaged young persons eyes began to
get redder about the rims at this renipiscence
and her story to assume an incoherent ss we'll
aschoky character } L did not understand how
much 1 owed him; how, not having heard
from me for some time, and reading in A ma
per that an English lady's maid had been
taken up in Paris for a murder in the Rue
St. HOnOre, but that she refused speak, and
even had perhaps in reality lest her senses
he started off at once, giving up his employ
and borrowing and begging what he could,
and knowing no word of French but the name
Of that one street, he hurried to me; 30 that
my mind came back again and L could tell
them what l knew. All he did, he said, was
less than lie ought to have done, because he
had behaved i'll to me Of old, (Which, am
sure, dear Joseph never had no thought of
doing) He stood by me in court-in the
prisoners place along with me he stood and
shared my shame. / told about the Jewels
and of my trying them on; how every thing
was safe, and the doors locked, aud the cham
Der widow too hign to be climbed up to.
though a man might have let himself down
from it into the yard.
And then L learned for the FIRST time that
all that afternoon and night the murderer
had laid hidden under my mistress bed; that
be must have been there all that time-think
the ornaments; that there was murder waiting
in that chamber all the while; il made me
shudder even then, amidst that crowded court,
with Joseph by noe. They thought il very
strange, they said, that since there was so
much time before him between my mistress
departure and return, that he had not mur-
1ered me instead. He had carried Of all the
ewels-those in the draw as well as those
which my poor mistress had worn that very
from the moment he had drop
bed into the courtyard, the police could fhd
10 trace Of him. A mere suspicion fell upon
he brother of the gate porter; but it was 60
vague that he was not put upon his trial.
A great sum was offered in reward for the ap-
orehension of the murderer, making up, with
What was offered by my late mistress family,
nearly f400 She died without a will, poor
ady, and they were not disposed to give me
my thing beyond the wages due to me.
After my scquittal, q collection for mine and
Ioseph's benefit was made by some good peo-
Die; but the money only sufhced to bring US
back 70 England. Joseph had to work out
leavy debt, incurred upon my account, and
went into service again at once, resolving to
10 my best to help him. At the end of two
'ears, poor fellew, except that be had dischar-
'ed his obligation, he was but little better OF
han at their beginning, land despairipg of
YER getting a living for us both in the old
ountry," he sailed twelve months ago for
ydney. Whichever Of rs frst got rich, It
Tss arranged, should cross the seas after the
ther; and until very lately, it seemed that We
night each step where we were, engaged
oung persons, till we died.
i was nursery maid in my new place, and
Tas taking the youngest child across Hyde
ark one afternoon, when / was followed by an
npertinent man; 1 had my "ugly" on, for
he sun was hot, SO that my face might have
'een like Venus, for ell he knew to the con-
rary; and otherwise, hatter myself, was
lot diss greeable looking. At all events, L
ttracted the wretch, who kept close behind
ne. He was an Gbominsble person, with q
oreign appearanee-which L had reason
nOugh for disliking-and eyes that looked
fferent ways, but neither of them nice ways,
o that was glad enough to get in sight Of
he policemen about the marble arch. He
sw that there was no time to be lost, If be
1eant to get good look at me at all, 50 he
assed me on a sudden, very quickly turned
ound, and looked up iRto my face. / gave
i'm very tolerable stare, too, because knew
would disappoint him, after his great expec-
ations; and it did so; and not only that, for
made him give a sort Of villainous grin,
1bich l hope may never see again, and he
roke out, as if he could not help it for the
fe of hir, with Veil, we may be plain in
be face, but we are unexceptionable behind"
cried out " Murder" and Police" as loud
8 could, and the man was secured at once.
10 human being except the one who had been
nder the bed, her murderer, could have
nown those words, which had spoken alone
efore madame's toilet glass He denied ev-
rythipg of course, and said it was an unjust
but in q little more than half an
Iour, telegraphic message from the Paris
authorities set his mind at ease in this respect.
nd demanded his presence in that city He
ras the elder brother of the gate-porter, whom
had never before seen; and what L had 70
ell, in addition to the previous suspicious
gainst him, procured his conviction.
He was sent to the gslleys for life. This
uby ring. which be wore upon his little fn-
er, I identified as having been in the jewel
raw that very night. 1t was bestowed upon
20 after the trial by the heir-at-law, and i
btainsd beside the f400 reward. II I had
cen pretty, you see, there would not Ihave
cen any occasion for me to have remarked
pom it that evening, and L might have re.
lsined, mywhole life long, an engaged young
erson.