Litchfield enquirer., 1864-07-07
WHOLE NO. 2O49

serious charge of murder would have laid aside all dellcacy, and have used every means in his power at once to prove his innocence, instead of, as Francois had done, leaving the simplest means of attaining that end to the very last But despite all this apparently log ical reasoning, could not help feeling on h. comprehensible doubt.
 For eight weeks matters remained in this position and so far as could learn, nothing further had been ascertained for or against Francois. He was still in prison awaiting his trial, which had been considerably delayed for some reason known only to the chief of the criminal department, who, I understood, was still busy. preparing the acte d accusation. A great deal of the public curiosity about the murder had calmed down but the police con. tinued their vigilant inquiry. Eugene had been six weeks gone to England, and was beginning to wonder why he had not written to me as he had promised. But consoled myself with the thought that it did not matter much whether he wrote or not. So went on quietly, studying and attending to my patients.
 I was looking over an old newspaper, which somebody had sent me from England one day, and was reading the obituary-what strange attraction or magnetism is it which makes every Englishman in foreign country read carefully over that driest of all columns in Q newspaper ?-when I came upon the notice of the death of Edward B--, Esq, Georges father. l glanced hastily at the date of the paper it was the 22nd of September, and tho death was reported to have taken place on the 2Oth-two days previous. Strange that none of us had heard of this long before. Now began to think it strange indeed that Eugene had not written to me. But remembered that he would now be the sole heir to the fortune of Mr' B., which understood was con. siderable, and he would be too much engross- ed with his new circumstances to think of me. Twas awakened up in the middle of the night by the porter, to attend poor woman who had been brought in apparently lifeless. dressed myself as speedily as possible, and went down to the lodge. There laying on one of the benches before large fire saw thin smatia. ted figure, in whose cadaverous cheeks and sunken eyes l recognized the once beautiful Louise C.. She had been found lying on the ground, near to the hospital, in her present insensible state, by some young men who were on their way home. I soon discovered that she had sunk under exhaustion and privation ; and afterwards found that she was suffering from severe cancer in the throat, which from neglect had passed the power of all human skill to heal. By forcing open her mouth I managed to get a small quantity of wine pour. ed down her throat, and in short time she recovered sufficiently to take some soft food. l then had her removed to one of cur best wards, and after giving one of the nurses the necessary instructions for the care of the sisR woman, returned to my couch pondsring deeply upon the strange occurrences of the past few weeks, and by some subtle instinctive pow. CT of the mind connecting the unfortunate con. dition of poor Louise C. with them all. In what manner she was associated with these occurrences, I had no idea.
 CONCLUDED NEXT wEEK.1