DEC. 27 
THE BUBAL HEW-YOiRKEB. 
845 
fiifrarg Pisttllanj. 
IF WE KNEW 
If we knew the woo and heartache 
Waiting for us down the road, 
If our lips could taste the wormwood. 
If our backs could feel the load. 
Would wo waste the day in wishiusr 
For the time that ne’er can lie ? 
Would we wait with such impatience 
For our.ship* to come from sea ’ 
If we knew the baby fingers, 
Pressed against the window pane. 
Would be cold and still' to-morrow— 
Never trouble us again— 
Would the bright eyes of our darling 
Catch the frown upon our brow ? 
Would the print of rosy fingers 
Vex us then as they do now '! 
Ah, those little ice-cold fingers. 
How they point our memories back 
To the hasty words and actions 
Strewn along our backward track ! 
How those little hands remind us, 
As in snowy grace they lie. 
Not to scatter thorns, but roses. 
For our reaping by and by ! 
Strange we never prize the music, 
Till the sweet-voiced bird has flown : 
Strange that wo should slight the violots 
Till the lovely flowers are gone; 
Strange the summer skies ami sunshine 
Never seem one-half so fair 
As when winter's snowy pinions 
Shake their white down in the air. 
Jjips from which the seal of silence 
None but God can roll away 
Never blossomed in such beauty 
Ah adorns the month to-day , 
And sweet words that freight our memory 
With their beautiful perfume 
Come to us lu sweeter accents 
Through the portals of the tomb. 
Let uh gather up the sunbeams 
Lying all around our path ; 
Let us keel' the wheat and roses, 
Casting out the thorns and chaff; 
Let us find our sweetest comfort 
In the blessings of to-day, 
With the patieut hand removing 
All the briars from our way. 
IN FOLLY’S NET. 
(Continued from page 817.) 
rather confused; “ hut Mrs. Blair’s terror ap¬ 
peared to me exaggerated.” 
“ Do you think any terror exaggerated on such 
an occasion ? If Mrs. Blair had dropped down 
dead Instead of senseless It would not have ap¬ 
peared strange to mo.” 
Dr. Mackenzie left the witness-box looking 
rather ashamed. The few words addressed to 
him hy Sir David had been spoken with clear, 
concise, cutting contempt, and the advocate’s 
steel-blue eyes had matched In their expression 
the disdain of his words. 
The next person called was the butler of Blair 
Gates, Bransby, who repeated, apparently with 
great, reluctance, the words he had overheard used 
by Jean on the New Year’s-nlght before Mr. Blair 
died: 
“ I am weary ot this bondage—! will submit to it 
no longer. If you wUl not give me freedom, I will 
make myself free! I do not care for shame! If 
you will not liberate me—t will liberate myself! 1 
am a desperate woman—so beware!” 
The man spoke huskily, giving his evidence 
most unwillingly. Jean was a favorite among 
the upper servants ot the household. Mr. Blair 
naturally haughty and imperious, had not been so. 
The next name called out, was that of Marla 
Collins, and a murmur went through the court 
when the maid, who was sitting by the prisoner's 
side, rose, and looking very pale and bewildered, 
made her way to t he witness-box. 
“You have been for some years In Mrs. Blair’s 
service, I believe ? ” 
“ Yes, sir." 
“ You have been with her at Blair Gates ?” 
“ Yes, sir.” 
“ 1 believe she was on bad terms with her hus¬ 
band?” 
••She was not happy, sir.” answered Collins, 
with her eyes full of tears. 
“I am going to ask you a question which you 
may take some time to consider. Did you ever, 
at any time, hear Mrs. Blair wish ber husband 
dead?” 
“ No, sir,” said the woman at once. 
“Think well. Did you ever hear her say that 
she would not he happy uuttl he died, or words 
to that effect?” 
Collins hesitated and stammered 
“ You are on your oath, remember.” 
“ I only remember this, sir,” she said at last. 
"Once when she was unhappy, I said happier 
days were in store for her, and she said—” 
“ she said ?” 
“That happier days could only come to her 
when he died. She was In great trouble, my lord,” 
added Collins, turning her streaming eyes on the 
judge, “She did not mean what she said.” 
“ What did she say ? Did he drink it ?” 
She cried out, as if the words hurl her, “Yes 
he drank it." 
“ What followed ?” 
“ she naked mm If she should send to Edinburgh 
for medical aid. and In answer he asked her U she 
wished him io live, as Ills death would set her 
free?” 
“ What answer did she make?” 
“She could not bear that, or words to that effect, 
and he said that he was dying, and asked It her 
hatred would die with him." 
“ Was that alt ?” 
“All that passed between them while 1 was In 
the room; shortly after 1 was called away." 
The next evidence was that of Dr. Mackenzie, 
and the former part, of Ills testimony coincided ex¬ 
actly with that ot his medical colleague. 
“I believe you remained In the room after Mr. 
Fowle?” said the Junior counsel. 
“ l remained with him until he died.” 
“ what passed there after Mr. Powle’s depar¬ 
ture?” 
“But little speech passed. Once Mrs. Blair 
offered her husband a glass of water, but he re¬ 
fused to take It from her hand.” 
“ What did he say?” 
“ Not from her-she hates me.” 
“ What did Mrs. Blair say ?” 
“ she appeared greatly terrified, and wished to 
leave tne room.” 
“ Did you prevent her?” 
“ i said, 4 Your place Is hereand she said she 
could not bear It—to let her go; upon which her 
husband said • Stay.’ ” 
“ What did she say ?" 
“ She said, * it Is cruel to keep me here; you will 
kill me,’" 
“ Did she stay ?” 
“ Yes. shortly after he died ” 
“ How did Mrs. Blah' behave?” 
“Her terror was excessive, especially when 1 
said that her husoand died Irom the effects of 
poison." 
“ will you tell us what passed ?” 
•* She put her hand up to her head, and cried 
out lu a shrill voice 1 No, no,' and moving across 
the room, fainted and fell." 
“ Did you see her again ?" 
“ Yes, 1 attended to a hurt, she received In her 
fall, but she was not conscious.” 
“Did you have any other conservation with 
her ?" 
“ Yes. the next evening she sent for me.” 
“ For what reason ?" 
“She entreated me to oppose a?n examination 
and inquest; to stop it In laot.” 
“ what was your answer ?" 
41 1 said it was impossible.” 
44 Well?” 
“Mrs. Blair said she would give any sum of 
money, make any sacrtUce to prevent It.” 
“ You told her it was Impossible ?” 
44 Yea, and she fainted.” 
“That is all, I t hink, Dr. Mackenzie.” 
But Sir David Calrues Interposed. 
“One moment, if you please, l)r. Mackenzie. 
You say that Mrs. Blair appeared greatly terrlhed 
at hearing the cause of her husband’s death. Do 
you think it unnatural that a young lady should 
feel a certain amount of terror at such u terrible 
occurrence ?" 
♦♦Unnatural! No,” said the witness, looking 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
Coluns went back to her place sobbing loudly, 
and those In court saw that Jean put out her hand 
and took the maid’s again, as If to show her that 
she was not augry with her tor speaking the 
truth. 
There was a slight pause here, the counsel con¬ 
sulted their notes, the jury spoke together in un¬ 
dertones, the-audio nee exchanged remarks: Jean’s 
head sank wearily on the friendly shoulder near 
her, and her eyes closed. 
“ \ ou are not faint, Miss Jean ?” whispered Col¬ 
lins, offering her a vinaigrette; but the answer 
was a shake of the head and a little smile. 
After the pause the name Emily Brett was 
called, and the housekeeper entered the witness 
box, while a murmur ot admiration ran through 
the spectators at her wondrous beamy 
she was dressed in deep mourning, and as she 
threw back her veil the marvellous beauty of her 
face was framed In the heavy crape, while the 
dark, close-tilting dress showed off the queenly | 
perfection of her matchless tigure. Her face was 
flushed, and her eyes glittering with a suppressed 
excitement, her red Ups so (Irmly closed that they 
seemed taut a line of scarier,; she looked fiercely, 
grandly beautltul, but, It. was an evLl beauty, and 
once her eyes turned on the bowed head of ihe 
young mistress or Blair Gates, at the pure, pale 
face on Collin'S shoulder, with a flash ot exulta¬ 
tion in their depths, at which those who noticed 
wondered. 
•• You are t he housekeeper at Blair Gates?” said 
Mr. Donaldson 
Yes,” said the calm, rich voice, coolly. 
“ You were in Mr. Bit ir s service before his mar¬ 
riage?” 
•• Yes, 1 was In his service in Australia.” 
•• You remember his return to Blair Gates with 
his wile v” 
“ certainly.” 
“ Were you surprised ?” 
“No.” 
“ You were prepared ?” 
“ Yes, Mr. Blair had written to me , besides, the 
house had been prep wed for a mistress.” 
** Did Mrs. Blair appear a happy bride ?” 
*• Happy*" a slight sneer crossed the woman's 
beautllul lace. “ Anything bur that.” 
“ Unhappy ?” 
“ Most miserable," 
“ You wore, 1 suppose, never present at any lit¬ 
tle differences between her and Mr. Blair ?” 
“ No, l was only the housekeeper.” 
Oh! the bitterness ot her voice as she uttered 
the words! 
“ But you were aware they did not live happily?” 
<■ of course 1 was— wo all know it,” 
“ Did you know the circumstances of the mar¬ 
riage ?” 
“ Partly.” 
“ who had told you ot them ?” 
“ Mr. Blair He told mo his wife hated him. be¬ 
cause he had married her by a fraud.” 
a murmur of surprise, and some indignation, 
went round the court, Jean lifted her head; bit¬ 
terly as flo had Injured her, she shuddered us she 
heard the dead man so harshly spoken of. 
•• Have you ever hoard Mrs. Blair say bitter 
things to her husband?” 
“ And of him? Yes, on several occasions.” 
“ Which was the flrst ?” 
44 One day In December they were at breakfast. 
I went Into the dining-room, and I heard Mr3. 
Blair say, that, not only did she not love her hus¬ 
band, but that she- hated him, and that she would 
rejoice If she saw him dead at her feet, and"—she 
paused a moment as If to give strength to her con¬ 
cluding words—“ that she would kill him If she 
could ” 
There was a sensation among the spectators at 
the words; one or two watched the speaker nar¬ 
rowly. The prisoner turned, lifting her eyes to 
the beautiful, vindictive face. 
44 How she hates her !” was the thought of more 
than one present Id the court at that moment. 
44 With what a bitter hatred!” 
“ On another occasion ?” 
“ She said she hated him with the bitterest 
hatred!” 
44 And again ?" 
44 Bransby the butler, has already told you." 
“ Yes, I remember; the discussion on New- 
Year’s night was occasioned by Mrs. Blair’s refu¬ 
sal to go to the hall at Sholto ?” 
“ Yea." 
“ It was a very noisy one ; both were excited ?’’ 
44 Very much excited.” 
“ Did Mr. Blair go to the hall alone?” 
44 Yes ” 
44 Mrs. Blair stayed at home ?” 
“ Yes 1 
44 will you tell us what passed that night, Mrs. 
Brett?” 
44 Very soon after Mr. Blair had left, Mrs. Blair 
came downstairs, and went, into the laboratory.” 
“You saw her going In ?” 
“Yes 1 
“Did she say anything to account for her pre¬ 
sence ?” 
44 Yes. she said she was taint, and was getting 
something to take away the faintness." 
“ Did she appear ill ?" 
“ She was very pale when she entered.” 
•* Did she stay long 7” 
" A few minutes only; she came out. almost Im¬ 
mediately.” 
44 What did she do then ?" 
“ .She went straight to her room.” 
- Did you see her again ?” 
44 Not till the next day.” 
44 When was Mr. Blair taken 111 ?” 
•* The nextmorning at breakfast.” 
44 What did he drink at breakfast.?” 
“ He drank tea." 
“ And Mrs. Blair ?” 
44 Coffee." 
" Who made Mr. Blair's tea?” 
“ Mrs. Blair. There was an urn on the table ” 
“ Was the tea which remained .from breakfast 
thrown away ?” 
•• I suppose so.” 
“ Did the doctor's examine the teapot ?” 
44 No It had been washed.” 
• Did Mrs. Blair seem annoyed at your sending 
tor Dr. Mackenzie ?” 
44 Extremely so." 
“ Do you think Mr Blair died In the belief that 
Mrs. Blair had poisoned him ?" 
Objection to this question by the counsel for the 
defence, and the judge told the witness that she 
must not answ er It, as that, was a very usual thing 
tor Mrs. Blair to go Into the laboratory, she suf¬ 
fered from headache and attacks ot taint ness, and 
sometimes she went lu tor drugs tor the servants, 
she also admitted that Mrs. Blair's annoyance 
was not at her having sent for medical aid. but 
because Dr. Mackenzie had been sent for. She 
said Mr Powle was the aoler man. 
It was then proved that arsenic had been found 
In Mrs. Blair's dressing-case when her effects had 
been examined, and with this the ease for the 
prosecution closed. 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
The ease tor the prosecution closed audd a pro¬ 
found silence; people ti ll that things were going 
against poor Jean; that the evidence against her 
was st rong. Very pale and grave grew the races 
of her friends—Lord Ivor’s terribly sad and hag¬ 
gard, though he tiled to smile at, jean when she 
glanced toward him. 
The judge's race was very grave as he consulted 
his notes. He was an elderly man, with a mild, 
benevolent countenance, and he had a fair young 
daughter at home, which may have led him to 
pity the unhappy prisoner. The lawyers looked 
impassive as usual. Sir David's face had not 
changed; but calmest ot ail there—calm with a 
letrlble, awful calm, the calm of one stunned Into 
utter hopelessness -was the accused herself! She 
sat. while and still, with her bands clasped tight ly 
in her lap, and her eyes fixed with a staring, sight¬ 
less look or intolerable pain, straight berore her. 
A new dread sprang Into Lord Ivor’s heart as he 
watched her. Would her brain give way under 
this dreadful pressure.’ Better tears, better any 
agou.v ot despair, than this awful stillness—this 
strango and startling unconsciousness to outer 
things! 
• It will kill her.” thought Lord Sholto, with a 
groan, as he looked at the livid face rrom which all 
youth seemed to have died. 
There wore but tew witnesses for her. and these 
were chiefly from among the servants of her house¬ 
hold and her personal friends, who spoke mainly 
In praise of Jean’s generosity and unstdilshness of 
disposition; the extreme kindliness of nature; the 
tender, loving heart which no sooner saw suffer¬ 
ing than It longed to relieve it; the sensitive feel¬ 
ing which never eared to wouud: the patience 
with which she had accepted the heavy trouble 
which had come Into her young Me, and the te.ti¬ 
de mess with which she treated her husband in 
his flrst symptoms ot suffering, which a servant, 
crossing f lic lawn la »ont of the dining-room win¬ 
dows, had seen. 
That was all, and tt was terribly little where¬ 
with to refute the charge- against her—with which 
to crush the evidence which had been brought for¬ 
ward to prove her guilt. Terribly little 1 those 
who loved her felt It so, and their hearts sank 
heavy as lead; and the Earl of T vor, lifting his 
hand, shaded his face with his Ungers. 
The court was very still when Sir David C’alrnes 
rose to address the Jury; not only was the Inter¬ 
est In the trial very great, hut Sir David's reputa¬ 
tion. the eloquence for which ho was renowned, 
st irred every pulse with excitement, as his rich, 
deep voice—rich aud deep, but clear as a bell—rose 
In the crowded bnildLng, thrilling every heart, as 
a clarion-roll thrills the soldier's heart. 
He spoke as only those speak who have been long 
trained to speak in public; who have mastered 
all the difficulties ot oratory; who have studied Its 
science from their youth upwards, lie spoke elo¬ 
quently, as one who knows and feels the subject of 
his discourse, with the polish of practised power 
Joined to natural talent. There was a breathless 
silence when he spoke, the clear, deep voice pene¬ 
trating. without effort, to the farthest limits of the 
listening throng, and as he spoke the feeling of 
the crowd changed as he swayed them with his 
matchless oratory. 
Bespoke of Jean's position, her gentleness, her 
tenderness; of t.he education which made the 
crime imputed to her almost a ludicrous charge. 
44 Is It. likely—ask yourselves the question—Is tt 
likely that any girl—a young girl gently born and 
tenderly nurtured—should fall so low? Ask your¬ 
selves whether she. whose gentle heart and kindly 
feelings were proverbial among her friends, should 
put her husband to such cruel torture ? Granted 
her marriage was an unhappy one; granted she 
longed for her freedom; are there do other ways 
but death to obtain freedom trom such bondage as 
hers? If her chains galled her she could have rid 
herself from them at less cost than his life. But 
this also her education forbade; she was too pure 
to take these means; too gentle, too good, to take 
those of which she Is accused; but If she turned 
from the lesser sin. Is It likely that she succumbed 
I j the greater? 
“ We have beard the account of her husband's 
ylng hours. That he died from poison there Is. 
nhapplly. no doubt; but to think that his wife 
dmlnistered that poison Is a monstrous, a palpa- 
le invention. We have been told that he shrank 
romher; but I tell you, that when he sent for 
ler, the message given to the housekeeper—the 
irinclpal witness against the accused—was not 
;lven. T tell you that when, at last, In defiance . 
if a supposed command from her husband to keep 
rom bis presence, she entered bis room, he re¬ 
vived her with a gently-uttered reproach, and 
wen appealed to her to deiend him rrom the ln- 
itaccesof those who were trying to induce him to 
;ake some restorative. 4 Tell them to leave me 
done, Jean.’ he said, pleadingly; and when she 
rent over him with the mixture, he allowed her- 
ils wife—to prevail, and took It from her hand, 
t she cried out at the word • poison,’ It was but 
natural, gentlemen of the jury, far she Is young, 
ind Impressionable, and she saw her husband 
lying or some strange, mysterious, sudden Illness. 
It he turned against her at the end, It was because 
one at his bedside Insinuated that the won! ‘poi¬ 
son’ had unduly disturb'd his wile. We have 
heard she pleaded with him to let her send tor 
further advice, but it. was useless: and it. Is not 
surprising that she should shrink from seeing the 
suffering, the death-agony ot a man to whom she 
was bound by no tie of love. The horror at the 
Inquest Is also a natural oue. far you and I, gentle¬ 
men ot the jury, would have felt it also, 
44 And now I must touch on one. point which 
must have appeared strange—the presence of ar¬ 
senic in her dressing-case. In order to account 
for It. I must probe a wound which Is still raw; 
but If I give my client, pain, she will pardon me— 
it is in her interest. The housekeeper has told us 
how, on New Year’s ulght. there was a discussion 
between the husband and wife because she refused 
to go to a ball at Sholto Hall, and that when her 
husband left Mrs. Blair ume down to the labora¬ 
tory. it is quite correct; Mrs. Blair refused to 
attend the ball at Sholto Hall because she wished 
to keep true to the husband whom she did not love, 
by avoiding the presence of the man she loved, 
and who loved her; and when her husband taunt¬ 
ed her with this fact, she was desperate; she was 
trying to do right, and he. In his Ignorance or tolly, 
was trying to force her to do wrong. 
•* When he had left her. stung to the heart by 
bis angry words, she had gone to her room in si¬ 
lence. She had pictured to herself a long life— 
she is young, there Is a long llte before her—and 
she had recoiled from such an existence with a 
sickening shudder, as the bravest man or woman 
would shrink from the approach ot a long and 
terrible bodily suffering; and for a moment the 
thought crossed her 4 Why meet It.’ Why live in 
unhappiness, when the blessed silence of the 
tomb might be hers? Why support existence 
when It was burdensome? when every breath 
was pain ?’ 
•* The means or escape were near at hand. She 
had free access to the room where Mr. Blair kept 
the drugs which he used sometimes in enemical 
experiments, and the medicines which are indis¬ 
pensable in a country house at some distance 
from medical aid. Why not make use of some of 
the deadly drugs there and so win peace? He- 
member. she Isa woman, desperate with suffering, 
and death allured her with a terrible power. All 
that made life worth Uvlng for was dead to her- 
the body only was left to perish; all hope had al¬ 
ready died with all happiness, 
••She went Into the laboratory, and took from 
among the drugs sufficient —ay. and more 
than sufficient—arsenic to obtain the repose she 
craved, and went back to her room with a terri¬ 
ble resolution she would act herself tree. Far 
behind bec -goue tor ever—was a past which had 
n I for many years been one long cloudless suushiue; 
l, before her lay a future which looked unutterably 
l- gloomy and drear. 
•* The temptation was terrible, but she fought 
a- against it desperately. She remembered its sin 
h —Its terrible guilt—and she prayed, with a pas- 
r- slon and earnestness which she had never felt be- 
je fore, for strength to conquer and to endure,—To 
Lk * be continued. 
