Part 34 (1/2)

”It is this; that as Mrs. Blondelle was known to have possessed jewels of great value, some miscreant came here with the intention to rob her of them.”

”Well, and what then?” asked the Judge.

”That this miscreant entered either by the outer door, or by one of these windows, approached the bed of his victim, who, being awake and seeing him, shrieked, either before or at the moment of receiving the death wound, and then fainted.”

”Humph! what next?” grunted the Judge.

”That first shriek brought my wife running to the rescue. At the sound of her approach, of course the murderer turned and fled, escaping through the outer door or window.”

”An ingenious story, and a plausible explanation, Mr. Berners; but one, I fear, that will never convince a jury, or satisfy the public,”

remarked Judge Basham.

”Nay, and it will na satisfy mysel' neither! It'll na do, gentlemen! The murderer didna come through the outer door, nor the windows either! For mysel' fastened them a' before I went to my bed! And yesel's found them fastened when ye cam!” said the Scotch girl Janet, who had now entered the room with the child in her arms.

”But he may have come through the door, my good girl,” suggested Mr.

Berners, whose very blood seemed to freeze at this testimony of the maid.

”Nay, nay, laird! that will na do either. The murderer could na hae come by the outer door, for mysel' bolted it before I went to bed! And it was still bolted when my puir leddy--Oh, my puir bonny leddy! oh! my puir dear murdered mistress!” broke forth from the girl in sudden and violent lamentations.

”Compose yourself, and tell us all about the bolted door,” said Judge Basham.

”Aweel, sir, the door was bolted by mysel', and bolted it stayed until that puir leddy started out of her bed and tore the bolt back, and fled away from before the face of her murderer! too late! oh, too late! for she carried her death wound with her.”

”So you see, Mr. Berners, your theory of the murder falls to pieces.

This girl's testimony proves that the murderer could not have entered the room, from this floor,” said Judge Basham.

”Then he _must_ have been concealed in the room,” exclaimed Lyon, desperately.

”Nay, nay! that will na do either, laird. Na mon was hid in the room.

Mysel' looked into all the closets, and under the bed, and up the chimney, as I always do before I go to sleep. I could na sleep else.

Nay, nay, laird! The murderer came in neither by outer door nor window, nor yet lay hidden in the room; for mysel' had fastened the outer door and window, and searched the room before I slept. Nay, nay, laird! The murderer cam by the only way left open--left open because we thought it was safe--the way leading from Mistress Berners' room down to the little stairs, and through this door which was not bolted,” persisted the Scotch girl.

Lyon Berners' heart seemed turned to ice by these last words.

Nevertheless he summoned fort.i.tude to say:

”We must examine and see if there has been a robbery committed. If there _has_ been one, then, of course, in the face of all this woman's evidence, it will prove that the robber has done this foul deed.”

”I do not see clearly that it will,” objected Judge Basham. ”However, we will make the examination.”

”Your honors need na tak the trouble. Mysel' saw to that too. See, the bureau drawers and wardrobes are all fast locked as me leddy saw me lock them hersel'. And the keys are safe in the pocket of my gown. Nay, nay, lairds, naething is stolen,” said Janet.

Nevertheless, Mr. Berners insisted on making the examination. So Janet produced the keys and opened all the bureau drawers, boxes, wardrobes, etc. All things were found in order. In the upper bureau drawer, caskets of jewels, boxes of laces, rolls of bank-notes and other valuables were found untouched. Nothing was missing.

In a word, no clue was found to the supposed murderer and robber; but, on the other hand, every circ.u.mstance combined to fix the deed on Sybil.

Lyon Berners felt a faintness like death coming over him, and subduing all his manhood. Unblenchingly, in his own person, he would have braved any fate. But that his wife--his pure, high-toned, magnanimous Sybil, should be caught up and ground to pieces by this horrible machinery of circ.u.mstance and destiny! Was this a nightmare? His brain was reeling.

He felt that he might go mad. Like the drowning man, he caught at straws. Turning to the Scotch girl, he demanded somewhat sternly: