Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-15

trace of violent passion or mean cruelty; 10 was a delicate, even beautiful young face, very pure in outline, and very pale"
 ''She was apprehended little way from the garden door of the bath-houSe, you say"
 ''Yes, looking 'dazsd like the policeman said" I replied "1 can understand his using the expression now that have seen J her"
 Nothing further occurred for about a week, when we received q visit from a stranger. My aunt could hardly be per suaded to see him, so certain did she feel that his visit must be connected with this disagreeabe affair. For my own part was anxious to hear any thing that would throw light upon it. If he is," I said, "he may, perhaps, see the uselessness of mixing us up in it. We had better see him"
 We found clergyman, MT. Edward Hold fast, chaplain of W jail, a tall, thin man with a worn but kindly face.
 'You have come, hope" said my aunt, Ito set us free from the disagreeable and, may say, absurd position in which we find ourselves. will not answer for the conse- Quence if I am taken to a stuffy court and made to say all sorts of things, when know nothing. My poor, dear husband-"
 Quite so, my dear madame" said MT. Holdfast; "the evidence is most unsatisfac- tory, and propose taking some steps which may save-mjnd, I only say may save, in the event of my experiment proving success ful-all necessity for public trial. Could you make up your minds to being present at Q private examination of the witnesses and the prisoner, conducted on the scene of the -the-at the bath -house!" Without waiting for the tremulous negative on my aunt's lips, he continued, "I can elicit nothing from the prisoner, but she steadily repeats when
 r,nh woman and nothing of a murder and once she said: Send for my father,' and then correcting herself hastily-'Bht no-itwould kill him to find me herep So she refuses her address. We have advertised, of course, though she does not seem to see the neces- sity of accounting for her presence in this neighborhood."
 "Then," interrupted my aunt, ''you think, as we do, that it Is impossible this poor young lady can be really guilty"
 But Rev Edward Holdfast had not been chaplain of jail without learning how to keep his own counsel.
 ''It is not for me to pronounce any opln- ion, but" he continued, "I am sure neither you nor your niece will refuse what assist ance you can render to a lady of delicate nature like yourselves, who, if innocent, should be spared the horrors of public trial of this kind"
 We secretly questioned the legality of Mir. Holdfast's inquiry, still more so it's efficacy. But not daring to entangle herself in argu- mentS of legal nature, my aunt wisely ao- Quiesced, and promised to appear on the fol- lowing day at the bath-house. This really was very brave of her, all things considered, but the appeal to her humanity had con quered, thought. I could form no satis- factory conclusion as to Mir Holdfast's in tentions. The idea of a suicide had been flatly contradicted by medical evidence at the Coroner's inquest; it had been clearly proved impossible for such a gash to have been inflicted by the woman herself. Per haps Mir. Holdfast doubted this, and wanted by examination of the place to prove the con- trary; but this could certainly have been done without our assistance. Did he wish to watch tho effect of the terror of the place on some other person he suspecteda There was something very unpleasant in the thought of assisting at such & scene. Did he hope that the prisoners unaccountable silence might be broken, and that, face to face with the scene she would continue q denial that could not but carry conviction into the minds of those who would have to witness against herF But no, it was idle to surmise; the determined restraint and si- fence, beyond just what he had chosen to communicate, formed complete barrier to his intentions
 "She must be bailed out" said my aunt, ''otherwise no one would allow her to appear, and who can have bailed her except the chaplain himselfN'
 timidly suggested it was hardly bail ing matter.
 "He seemed fearfully anxious for her escape; did you see how his face worked and twitched9 He was nearly flying out at me when he thought 1 wouldn't come. I was too frightened to say no, that was the fact; not frightened, of course, but 1t Is awkward to have gentlemen getting into rages in ones own drawing room" "Yes, aunt, the china!'
 Don't talk nonsense, Ellice. It's my inn pression, though you pretend he wasn't ex- cited, that If he can't hit on plan of clear ing that young woman he'll elope with her ! He has pretty woman in tragic circum- stances on his hands, and he means to save her somehow; what better method--"
 "If he thinks her innocent" I reply, 1 rather staggered at my aunt's extraordinary idea. It was certainly true that he had ap- peared terribly anxious, that he had sup pressed his anxiety with conscious effort he had the traces of sleepless nights and strong emotion on his face, but the fate of a human being was hanging in the balance, and natural humanity, quickened by the ! thought, to account for unusual feeling.
 "Don't tell me-" continued my aunt, ''that if she were not a pretty girl there would be SO much fuss in that mans mind 1t isn't his business to say who's guilty and who's not, and to my mind he is very little 1 fit to do either"
 On the afternoon of the day appointed my aunt and found ourselves at the "Foly.' We crossed the large central room, or 1 iginaly designed for the pump room, now used as a young mems institute, and well supplied with illustrated papers of extreme antiquity. It opened on an unroofed tur1 inclosure, intended as an exercising ground for patients occupied in assimilating the mineral waters, but it usually served a: drying ground for the "attendsnt's" linen There was no linen there to-day, however i Instead were two benches accommodating 1 the already assembled witnesses, and beyond was the fatal bathroom. I hardly dared look toward it, so near was still the horror of the place. We took our seats among { mixed assembly of gaping farm laborers, ont or two tradesmen, and ladies. There was { conspicuous absence of any of the gentlemen of the neighborhood. Did MT. Holdfast feal that his proceedings might be called 1T