Weekly commercial herald., 1885-09-25

~ AlOO uSL sSaJs pAaCeu lly5elL DeSlQe
her; my hand crept under the cloak She
wore and held her hand.
Surely, it was all a dream-.-a dreadful,
realistic dreaml / should wake and find
myself under the great orange tree in that
courtyard in gay Seville, my half-smoked
cigar and the book which had been lazily
reading lying at my feet; my mother oppo-
site me, laughing at my somnolency, and
Philippa's grave dark eyes looking with
calm everlasting love into my own. ]
should wake and find the cool of the evening
had succeeded to the glare of the afternoon.
we should walk through the merry streets,
lounge in the Alameda, wander through the
glowing Alcazar gardens or drive out miles
ana miles over the fertile smiling plains Or
should even wake and find myself nodding
over my nre in my lonely COTTAGE the stolid
w Willam the only human creature within
nan; Fhllippa's return, the snow storm, the
dreadful discovery, the flight, Seville, the
marriage-all, all dreaml
i, IN Kind of stupor-the temporary reao,
tlon, suppose. consequent upon such fatigue
ana trouble-l gazed around me, and Won
dered where was.
T. What is this great empty building, lit
from one side by large clerartorv windows
raised boxes on either side of the building
OF ecclesiastical design9 What are these
oull gray vacant walls, that lofty ceiling,
crossed and cut into small squares by dark
ratters, this loaded floor on which feet
tall all but noiselesslyi What are those
those small rallied platforms all but adioin-
ing them, and all but ad joining that paneled
oak structure at the end facing mel
What is that rectangular box shaped
erection with overhanging carved cornicei
Let us away from this dismal, colorless
placel Let me wake and find myself amid
the flowers, orange trees, the fair sights and
surroundings OF our Spanish home.
=, No! have but to turn my dazed ey es 10
the centre of space in which we sat to know
that am dreaming no dream; that we must
walt here and learn our fates. That oblonq
wooden enclosure with high sides, topped by
light iron railing, brings reality back to
me. 1t is the prisoners dock. In an hours
tlme man will stand there He will be
brought up those stone steps which lead ia
IL Iro!m below, the topmost flag of which
can just see. He will stand there for hours
AS he leaves the dock, declared innocent OF
guilty, so will our lives be declared happy
or miserable. FF'
4, MY hand holds my wife's yet closer; for
tne last minutes which may be ours to
very fastl
See, the clock under the balcony marks
halt-past nine. The all but deserted court
pegins to assume the appearance OF pre-.
parlng for business. Policemen and other
officials pass to and fro, some arranging
papers, some replenishing ink-bottles. and
placing quill pens ready for the barristers
and solicitors who will soon fill those front
seats. Some one, with what seems to me
bitter irony, places a magnificent bouquet
OF flowers on either hand Of the judges va.
can't chair. What have flowers in common
with such scene as this2 Flowers, too,
which are beautiful enough to recall to
my mind the fair Spanish home, which,
maybe, we shall see no more Flowers in
this den of sorrow! Rather should every
seat every beam, be draped in black
Now the doors of each side of the court
open, and remain open. hear a shuffling
OF many feet People, in a continuous
stream, pass through the entrance, and
wend their way to the portion of the court
allotted to the general public. So fast, SC
thick they come that in ten minutes this
space is thronged almost to suffocation.
Philippa and pressed closer and closer to
each other, as every inch of the bench on
which we are seated is appropriated. The
court is full.
Crowded by respectable-looking, we'll
dressed people, who have gained admission,
as heard, by favor OF the sheriff Yet
respectable as they are, each man, each
woman, ruShes in eagerly and strives for
the best available seat. And for what rea
sonf To see and hear poor wretch tried
for his lifel In my bitter mood look with
hate on these sensation seekers. | hate them
even more when think that their morbid
craving for excitement may be satisfied with
such food as they little expect; and clinch
my teeth as | picture the scene at that mo-
ment when Philippe, in pursuance of her
lmmovable resolution, rises, and makes her
effort to proclaim her own guilt and the
convicted mans innocence. Although ]
strive to force the picture from my mind,
by telling myself that justice cannot err,
that the man will be acquitted, yet again
and again the dread of the worst seizes me,
and hate every face in that crowd, which
may, by and by, bs gaping, with looks Of
wonder and curiosity, at the woman lovel
AS in haze l see some faces which are
familiar to me. A number of gentlemen
enter and seat themselves on the benches
which counsel usually occupy. Some few OF
these l knew by sight They are country
gentlemen from the neighborhood of Rod
ing, who are now called to serve on the
grand july. see also the thin faced, hawk
ish- looking woman who calls herself Mrs.
Wilson. l am thankful that she takes
seat in front of us and does not see us. She,
like ourselves, must know that an innocent
man is this day about to be tried.
so for half an hour l sit, gazing now at
the crowd of people, now at the empty dock
and vacant bench in front of me; listening
ing to the hum of voices which rises from
the packed court; longing for the moment
to come when this dreadful suspense may
end; yet all the same dleading and willing
to put off that moment And all the while
Philippa. in her black garb, close to me and,
unseen by our neighbors, holding my hand.
Hush The door at the back Of the bench
opens, and at ten o'clock to the minute the
black-robed judge appears He bows to the
court, seats himself and by his action signi-
6es that he is ready to begin the business of
the day No trembling prisoner In the dock
ever scanned the judges face with more
anxiety than ! scan his loFdshipis at this
present moment
An old man, too old, it seems to me, for
such responsible post; an amiabIe, pleasant
looking man-not l venture to think, one
who can bear the reputation Of being a
Changing judge" | breathe prayer that
he may this day be able to direct Alright the
course of justice.
Hush Hush! Silence in the COURT Oh,
my poor, sweet wife, let me grasp that hand
yet closer, for the moment which for DAYS
and nights has never been absent from our
minds has comel What will 1t bring usa
,. CHAPTER XIV.