, 1884-12-28

At first l thought ! was going or had gone
mad. The thoughts which rushed through
m mind were disjointed, and wanted coher-
once. An innocent man accused OF the
crimel To be tried on the twentiethl The
twentieth! and now IL is the sixteenth
Fresh evidences forthcomingl The fools-the
utter foolsi This the boosted detective skill
To arrest on suspicion, to bring to trial a
man who must be ignorant OF everything
connected with the murdorl What Is to be
donel What can be donel Oh, my wifei
nv poor, darling wifsi
Then, / believe, l cried like a child 1t
sesmed TO me that all was lost There was
)ut one thing TO be done-one course TO be
AIKEN My darling must give herself up TO
Justice, and by her confession free this luck
loss wretch who now stands in peril of his
ifc. She must bear the shame Of the trial,
and trust to human Justice and the mercy
which she had a right to expect Oh, IL was
pitiful, pitifuli For a long while no alterna-
tiys Course suggested itself TO me.
Human justicel What is Justice I See
how IL can errl 1t can arrest, try, and-oh.
horrible thoughtl-perhaps condemn to
death an innocent mani How then would
il faro with Pbilippa ? Who, now that mar
riage has senled my lips, was there to prove
her madness when she slew that mani l
ragged at the thought. It seemed to me that
w. wvro hard and fast in the tolls. ! might,
IL Is true, cell William, my Servant, to swear
that nor manner was strange and wild upon
that night 1 might call the nurses to prove
$500 NN N4eJ "1f a. kUG WIS EN(ONa
ering from an attack Of mania. But would
they DO credited Would not a clever Law.
yer soon convince twelve ordinary men that
1t was not her dine which prompted the
crime, but the crime which produced the
madness We were indeed Ineshed and
bound; hemmed in on every sida; helpless
and, it seemed, hopelessl
And Philippa must be told rhisf Unjust
tell hsrl How could Inerve myself to make
the truth known to her-now, Of all times,
when her health was all but restored; when
akind Of sad but placid acquiescence IN what
fate had wrought seemed to be gradually
coming over her; now, when | was once
more building up hopes OF happiness for her
rs well as for mel For Iknew-ahl think OF
this, and pity me-that before another half
year should pass there might be given to my
wife and me Il gift which would go far to-
ward sweeping away the memories Of gloom
and horror which had OF late spread over
our lives. ] even dared to hope, TO feel GER
tain, that as she gHzed into baby owes. as
she pressed a tiny head to her bosom, some,
nay, much of the lost sweetness and glory OF
life might return TO my love. HLl sNl 1rl
Think OF this, and picture me lying on the
ground that day, with the damning intelIi-
gonce fresh on my mind % Think that in a
few hours i must return TO my home and tell
my wife that the bolt had falleni There was
no a~iternativel ai.lfi InIrl O. Il fnil .f.
No ~alternativel Stay, there is an ~alterna-
tivel The blood seemed TO courss wildly
through my veins, m heart beat hercely,
my lips grew dry, and a choking sensation
came over me, as for the first time the sim
Pile yet certain way Of cutting the knot of
my difficulties flashed across my mind So
simple, so chsy It at first appeared, that |
laughed at my stupidity in not having seen
IL at once.
Tear that aeoursed paper to pieces, Basil
Northi Scatter those pieces to the winds.
Forget what you have read. Go back to
your luxurious, fiower-bed ecked home. Meet
the one you love with a smile upon your
face-you have forced smiles before noAgf
Groet her as usual Say nothing Of this
mornings news. Keep your own counsel;
bury oil you ave learned in your secret
heart Do this, and be happy forever morel
But the mantle man who in a few days,
time Is TO be tried for anotheris acti Wen,
what of mimi The fool will doubtless be ac-
quilted FOOL Yes, it is the right term for
one who can bring himself under suspicion.
But II justice runs on the wrong track until
tho end-if that man diesl
What theni What il this miserable life.
what arc o hundred lives, when weighed
against Philippa's happlnessl What Is con
scicnc"i What is right and wrongi What
Is tho phantom which men call honori
What, rfter all, is crimei Be silent, and
forsrt. You are asked to do no more. You
have ~rirl-es, youth, health and strong will,
ITO be O~0nffnued)