as to who it was that had really administered
that poison to the dead lady. She could not but
feel, ignorant as she was of all things connected
with the law, that it was on this man's statement,
on its consistency and credibility, that her
fate hinged. Her common sense told her this,
and so she listened to every word of that
evidence with an attention that did not wander.

The trial was a long one, and, though near its
end, could not be completed on the day of its
commencement. It was getting dark, too, the
days being now very short, and it was agreed
that what yet remained to be got through must
be postponed till next day.

Another night of bitter suspense for Gabrielle
and for her husband. Only one more, it is true,
for next morning all must be decided. Still
that one was terrible. The excitement about
the court and its purlieus, and indeed through
all the town, on the evening of this day, was
very great. The evening papers were sought
after eagerly, though they had of necessity gone
to press before the business of the day was over;
still they had something to tell, and they were
quickly bought up. And then there were
rumours—rumours of great dissensions existing
among the jury; that one of them had said that
he would starve before he would convict that
innocent young creature, and that another had
affirmed that there were points against her which
he could not get over—rumours that the old
judge had told some one that he felt as if it were
one of his own daughters standing there before
him, and that his heart ached for the young lady
—rumours that Cornelius Vampi, the astrologer,
had vowed that if the verdict went against her,
the prisoner, he would surely destroy himself,
as having helped, by selling the laudanum, to
bring about the dreadful result.

And so all had to remain in suspense, till the
coming day should make the end known to
them.

CHAPTER XXXV. LAST STAGE BUT ONE.

THE morning dawned bright and clear upon
the day that was to decide the fate of Gabrielle
Penmore—the day that was to see her branded
as a murderess, and consigned to the condemned
cell, or led forth into the sunlight, almost with
the crown of martyrdom upon her head; not
only without a stain upon her character, but
free from the very faintest shadow of a suspicion
even, as pure from any such thing as a newly
born infant. One of these two things must
result from that day's inquiry. There was no
middle course. The sun had never risen upon
a day fraught with a more momentous issue,
nor had any inquiry ever been entered on in a
court of law on which a more important
question hinged. Life or death. Honour or shame.

The two principal actors in this tremendous
drama—for the husband was included with the
wife in the powerful interest which the trial had
awakened in the public mind—both showed
many symptoms of the wearing condition of
anxiety in which the previous night had been
spent. Both appeared to be thoroughly worn
out, and it was very evident that there had been
little or no rest for either of them during the
dark hours which had intervened since they
appeared in court on the day before. A curious
observer might even have thought that there
was something of a change for the worse visible
in the looks of others besides these two, and
that the judges, the jury, and even the spectators
themselves, wore a kind of haggard look, more
than had been observable yesterday.

The work still left to be done now, was not
to be compared in quantity to what had been
got through on the previous day. There were
two or three witnesses only to be examined and
cross-examined, after which would come the
prosecutor's reply on the defence, the judge's
summing up, and—the verdict.

The trial commenced on this second day with
the recal of some of the witnesses who had
given evidence on the previous day, in order
that they might be re-examined on certain
points. Cornelius Vampi was thus recalled, that
he might testify to the strong animus shown
towards the prisoner by Jane Cantanker, first,
when she had applied to him for a charm which
might ensure the ruin of the accused, and
secondly, when he had met her, as has been
already described, triumphing in the captivity of
the accused, outside the jail of Newgate. The
doctor was also re-examined as to the exact
amount of laudanum found in the body of the
deceased, but no additional facts of any sort of
importance were at this time elicited.

The first new witness called at this time was
old Smaggsdale, who came up to corroborate
the evidence of his master as to the identity of
the lady who paid such frequent visits to the
herbalist's shop with the original of the portrait
which Vampi had already sworn to. Every
effort was made to shake the testimony of this
witness, and he was especially asked in
cross-examination how he could speak confidently on
this question when the lady had always been so
closely veiled. Old Smagg, however, stuck to
his point. On one of the two occasions on
which the deceased had unveiled herself to the
philosopher, Smaggsdale had been present. He
was also able to swear to the lady's bag, which
was produced.

Julius Lethwaite was next called. His
evidence bore on the discovery of that bottle, at
whose finding the reader has assisted. The
greatest interest was manifested by all present
as he told that tale which we know already.
The bottle which had been identified by
Cornelius Vampi was now sworn to by
Lethwaite as the phial which he had seen in the
escritoire belonging to the late Miss Carrington.
The evidence of this witness was felt to be of
such extreme importance, that some attempt
was made by the prosecution to detract, if
possible, from the value of his testimony. The
case was assuming a new aspect since these
final witnesses for the defence had appeared.

Mr. Pry rose then to cross-examine this last
witness..

Mr. Pry. You are acquainted personally with