90 THE MONK. 



trial. Colonel Hamilton used every means to procure all the infor- 

 motion that might tend to favour his young friend's cause, and inva- 

 lidate the testimony of his principal accuser. Both the priest and 



his brother were strangers in the town of , no one knew from 



whence they came, or had even seen them before. 



''At length the dreaded morning arrived, and the justice-hall was 

 crowded with persons anxious to witness the- trial. Arthur walked 

 through the chamber with a firm step, and took his place at the bar 

 with a calm and almost proud look. His youth and the natural 

 ingenuousness of his countenance and manner, together with the 

 deep anguish marked on the brow of his father as he stood near to 

 him, and listened with painful intensity to each word that passed, 

 would have excited compassion in every breast, and produced a feel- 

 ing of pity and commiseration in every heart. But the crime of 

 murder, with which the prisoner was charged, was almost unprece- 

 dented in that peaceful valley, and its author was viewed with the 

 utmost abhorrence and detestation ; so that every kindlier feeling 

 and sentiment were forgotten. All the particulars of the case were 

 now examined, and every circumstance tended to corroborate the 

 charge of murder, with which he stood accused. When called upon 

 for his defence, he made the following statement. It was true, he 



said, that he had left the town of on the day in question in 



company with the priest, and had journeyed with him for some dis- 

 tance ; when at length they reached a wild and lonely spot in the 

 road, his companion suddenly turned upon him, and, grasping his 

 arm, presented a pistol to his head and demanded his money : at 

 first he thought of resisting, but this he soon found to be impossible; 

 he therefore tried to remonstrate, and said he had n6 money with 

 him ; the priest pointed to a valuable ring which Arthur wore on 

 his finger ; this he took off and gave up, in hopes it might satisfy ; 

 but the other swore, with a savage imprecation, that he would have 

 something more, and was about to commence rifling his person, 

 when, watching an opportunity, Arthur shook off the robber's hold, 

 and closed with him. The struggle was brief; for the pistol, by 

 some mischance, went off, and the contents lodged in the side of the 

 ruffian, who instantly fell. As soon as Arthur had in some degree 

 recovered the first surprise, he began to examine the state of his an- 

 tagonist. Life was not totally extinct, but he had no means at 

 hand of reviving the vital spark, or even of staunching the blood ; 

 he therefore carried the insensible man a short distance from the 

 path, in order to place him under the shelter of a rock, intending as 

 speedily as possible to procure some further assistance. Whilst oc- 



