第11章

"Theprisoneratthebarcalledatmyshoponthedateindicatedonmyregister，somedayslaterthanthedateindicatedintheregisterofMr。Kinlay。Hewishedtopurchasesixpenny—worthofarsenic。Myassistant，towhomhehadaddressedhimself，calledme。Itisaruleinmyshopthatnoonesellspoisonsbutmyself。

Iaskedtheprisonerwhathewantedthearsenicfor。Heansweredthathewanteditforkillingratsathishouse，calledGleninch。

Isaid，’HaveIthehonorofspeakingtoMr。Macallan，ofGleninch？’Hesaidthatwashisname。Isoldhimthearsenic——aboutanounceandahalf——andlabeledthebottleinwhichIputitwiththeword’Poison’inmyownhandwriting。Hesignedtheregister，andtookthearsenicawaywithhim，afterpayingforit。"

Thecross—examinationofthetwomensucceededinassertingcertaintechnicalobjectionstotheirevidence。Buttheterriblefactthatmyhusbandhimselfhadactuallypurchasedthearsenicinbothcasesremainedunshaken。

Thenextwitnesses——thegardenerandthecookatGleninch——woundthechainofhostileevidencearoundtheprisonermoremercilesslystill。

Onexaminationthegardenersaid，onhisoath：

"Ineverreceivedanyarsenicfromtheprisoner，orfromanyoneelse，atthedatetowhichyourefer，ofatanyotherdate。I

neverusedanysuchthingasasolutionofarsenic，oreverallowedthemenworkingundermetouseit，intheconservatoriesorinthegardenatGleninch。Idisapproveofarsenicasameansofdestroyingnoxiousinsectsinfestingflowersandplants。"

Thecook，beingcallednext，spokeaspositivelyasthegardener：

"Neithermymasternoranyotherpersongavemeanyarsenictodestroyratsatanytime。Nosuchthingwaswanted。Ideclare，onmyoath，thatIneversawanyratsinoraboutthehouse，oreverheardofanyratsinfestingit。"

OtherhouseholdservantsatGleninchgavesimilarevidence。

Nothingcouldbeextractedfromthemoncross—examinationexceptthattheremighthavebeenratsinthehouse，thoughtheywerenotawareofit。Thepossessionofthepoisonwastraceddirectlytomyhusband，andtonooneelse。Thathehadboughtitwasactuallyproved，andthathehadkeptitwastheoneconclusionthattheevidencejustified。

Thewitnesseswhocamenextdidtheirbesttopressthechargeagainsttheprisonerhometohim。Havingthearsenicinhispossession，whathadhedonewithit？Theevidenceledthejurytoinferwhathehaddonewithit。

Theprisoner’svaletdeposedthathismasterhadrungforhimattwentyminutestotenonthemorningofthedayonwhichhismistressdied，andhadorderedacupofteaforher。ThemanhadreceivedtheorderattheopendoorofMrs。Macallan’sroom，andcouldpositivelyswearthatnootherpersonbuthismasterwasthereatthetime。

Theunder—housemaid，appearingnext，saidthatshehadmadethetea，andhadherselftakenitupstairsbeforeteno’clocktoMrs。

Macallan’sroom。Hermasterhadreceiveditfromherattheopendoor。Shecouldlookin，andcouldseethathewasaloneinhermistress’sroom。

Thenurse，ChristinaOrmsay，beingrecalled，repeatedwhatMrs。

Macallanhadsaidtoheronthedaywhenthatladywasfirsttakenill。Shehadsaid（speakingtothenurseatsixo’clockinthemorning），"Mr。Macallancameinaboutanhoursince；hefoundmestillsleepless，andgavememycomposingdraught。"Thiswasatfiveo’clockinthemorning，whileChristinaOrmsaywasasleeponthesofa。Thenursefurthersworethatshehadlookedatthebottlecontainingthecomposingmixture，andhadseenbythemeasuringmarksonthebottlethatadosehadbeenpouredoutsincethedosepreviouslygiven，administeredbyherself。

Onthisoccasionspecialinterestwasexcitedbythecross—examination。Theclosingquestionsputtotheunder—housemaidandthenurserevealedforthefirsttimewhatthenatureofthedefensewastobe。

Cross—examiningtheunder—housemaid，theDeanofFacultysaid：

"DidyouevernoticewhenyouweresettingMrs。EustaceMacallan’sroomtorightswhetherthewaterleftinthebasinwasofablackishorbluishcolor？"Thewitnessanswered，"Inevernoticedanythingofthesort。"

TheDeanofFacultywenton：

"Didyoueverfindunderthepillowofthebed，orinanyotherhidingplaceinMrs。Macallan’sroom，anybooksorpamphletstellingofremediesusedforimprovingabadcomplexion？"Thewitnessanswered，"No。"

TheDeanofFacultypersisted：

"DidyoueverhearMrs。Macallanspeakofarsenic，takenasawashortakenasamedicine，asagoodthingtoimprovethecomplexion？"Thewitnessanswered，"Never。"

Similarquestionswerenextputtothenurse，andwereallansweredbythiswitnessalsointhenegative。

Here，then，inspiteofthenegativeanswers，wastheplanofthedefensemadedimlyvisibleforthefirsttimetothejuryandtotheaudience。Bywayofpreventingthepossibilityofamistakeinsoseriousamatter，theChiefJudge（theLordJusticeClerk）

putthisplainquestion，whenthewitnesseshadretired，totheCounselforthedefense：

"TheCourtandthejury，"saidhislordship，"wishdistinctlytounderstandtheobjectofyourcross—examinationofthehousemaidandthenurse。IsitthetheoryofthedefensethatMrs。EustaceMacallanusedthearsenicwhich——herhusbandpurchasedforthepurposeofimprovingthedefectsofhercomplexion？"

TheDeanofFacultyanswered：

"Thatiswhatwesay，mylord，andwhatweproposetoproveasthefoundationofthedefense。WecannotdisputethemedicalevidencewhichdeclaresthatMrs。Macallandiedpoisoned。Butweassertthatshediedofanoverdoseofarsenic，ignorantlytaken，intheprivacyofherownroom，asaremedyforthedefects——theprovedandadmitteddefects——ofhercomplexion。Theprisoner’sDeclarationbeforetheSheriffexpresslysetsforththathepurchasedthearsenicattherequestofhiswife。"

TheLordJusticeClerkinquireduponthisiftherewereanyobjectiononthepartofeitherofthelearnedcounseltohavetheDeclarationreadinCourtbeforetheTrialproceededfurther。

TothistheDeanofFacultyrepliedthathewouldbegladtohavetheDeclarationread。Ifhemightusetheexpression，itwouldusefullypavethewayinthemindsofthejuryforthedefensewhichhehadtosubmittothem。

TheLordAdvocate（speakingontheotherside）washappytobeabletoaccommodatehislearnedbrotherinthismatter。SolongasthemereassertionswhichtheDeclarationcontainedwerenotsupportedbyproof，helookeduponthatdocumentasevidencefortheprosecution，andhetoowasquitewillingtohaveitread。

Thereupontheprisoner’sDeclarationofhisinnocence——onbeingchargedbeforetheSheriffwiththemurderofhiswife——wasread，inthefollowingterms：

"Iboughtthetwopacketsofarsenic，oneachoccasionatmywife’sownrequest。Onthefirstoccasionshetoldmethepoisonwaswantedbythegardenerforuseintheconservatories。Onthesecondoccasionshesaiditwasrequiredbythecookforriddingthelowerpartofthehouseofrats。

"Ihandedbothpacketsofarsenictomywifeimmediatelyonmyreturnhome。Ihadnothingtodowiththepoisonafterbuyingit。

Mywifewasthepersonwhogaveorderstothegardenerandcook——notI。Ineverheldanycommunicationwitheitherofthem。

"Iaskedmywifenoquestionsabouttheuseofthearsenic，feelingnointerestinthesubject。Ineverenteredtheconservatoriesformonthstogether；Icarelittleaboutflowers。

Asfortherats，Ileftthekillingofthemtothecookandtheotherservants，justasIshouldhaveleftanyotherpartofthedomesticbusinesstothecookandtheotherservants。

"Mywifenevertoldmeshewantedthearsenictoimprovehercomplexion。SurelyIshouldbethelastpersonadmittedtotheknowledgeofsuchasecretofhertoiletasthat？Iimplicitlybelievedwhatshetoldme；viz。，thatthepoisonwaswantedforthepurposesspecifiedbythegardenerandthecook。

"IassertpositivelythatIlivedonfriendlytermswithmywife，allowing，ofcourse，forthelittleoccasionaldisagreementsandmisunderstandingsofmarriedlife。AnysenseofdisappointmentinconnectionwithmymarriagewhichImighthavefeltprivatelyI

conceivedittobemydutyasahusbandandagentlemantoconcealfrommywife。Iwasnotonlyshockedandgrievedbyheruntimelydeath——IwasfilledwithfearthatIhadnot，withallmycare，behavedaffectionatelyenoughtoherinherlifetime。

"Furthermore，IsolemnlydeclarethatIknownomoreofhowshetookthearsenicfoundinherbodythanthebabeunborn。Iaminnocentevenofthethoughtofharmingthatunhappywoman。I

administeredthecomposingdraughtexactlyasIfounditinthebottle。IafterwardgaveherthecupofteaexactlyasIreceiveditfromtheunder—housemaid’shand。IneverhadaccesstothearsenicafterIplacedthetwopackagesinmywife’spossession。

Iamentirelyignorantofwhatshedidwiththemorofwhereshekeptthem。IdeclarebeforeGodIaminnocentofthehorriblecrimewithwhichIamcharged。"

WiththereadingofthosetrueandtouchingwordstheproceedingsontheseconddayoftheTrialcametoanend。

Sofar，Imustown，theeffectonmeofreadingtheReportwastodepressmyspiritsandtolowermyhopes。Thewholeweightoftheevidenceatthecloseoftheseconddaywasagainstmyunhappyhusband。WomanasIwas，andpartisanasIwas，Icouldplainlyseethat。

ThemercilessLordAdvocate（IconfessIhatedhim！）hadproved（1）thatEustacehadboughtthepoison；（2）thatthereasonwhichhehadgiventothedruggistsforbuyingthepoisonwasnotthetruereason；（3）thathehadhadtwoopportunitiesofsecretlyadministeringthepoisontohiswife。Ontheotherside，whathadtheDeanofFacultyproved？Asyet——nothing。Theassertionsintheprisoner’sDeclarationofhisinnocencewerestill，astheLordAdvocatehadremarked，assertionsnotsupportedbyproof。

Notoneatomofevidencehadbeenproducedtoshowthatitwasthewifewhohadsecretlyusedthearsenic，anduseditforhercomplexion。

MyoneconsolationwasthatthereadingoftheTrialhadalreadyrevealedtomethehelpfulfiguresoftwofriendsonwhosesympathyImightsurelyrely。ThecrippledMr。Dexterhadespeciallyshownhimselftobeathoroughgoodallyofmyhusband’s。Myheartwarmedtothemanwhohadmovedhischairagainstthebedsidetable——themanwhohadstruggledtothelasttodefendEustace’spapersfromthewretcheswhohadseizedthem。

IdecidedthenandtherethatthefirstpersontowhomIwouldconfidemyaspirationsandmyhopesshouldbeMr。Dexter。Ifhefeltanydifficultyaboutadvisingme，Iwouldthenapplynexttotheagent，Mr。Playmore——thesecondgoodfriend，whohadformallyprotestedagainsttheseizureofmyhusband’spapers。

Fortifiedbythisresolution，Iturnedthepage，andreadthehistoryofthethirddayoftheTrial。

CHAPTERXVIII。

THIRDQUESTION——WHATWASHISMOTIVE？

THEfirstquestion（DidtheWomanDiePoisoned？）hadbeenanswered，positively。Thesecondquestion（WhoPoisonedHer？）hadbeenanswered，apparently。Therenowremainedthethirdandfinalquestion——WhatwasHisMotive？Thefirstevidencecalledinanswertothatinquirywastheevidenceofrelativesandfriendsofthedeadwife。

LadyBrydehaven，widowofRear—AdmiralSirGeorgeBrydehaven，examinedbyMr。Drew（counselfortheCrownwiththeLordAdvocate），gaveevidenceasfollows：

"Thedeceasedlady（Mrs。EustaceMacallan）wasmyniece。Shewastheonlychildofmysister，andshelivedundermyroofafterthetimeofhermother’sdeath。Iobjectedtohermarriage，ongroundswhichwereconsideredpurelyfancifulandsentimentalbyherotherfriends。Itisextremelypainfultometostatethecircumstancesinpublic，butIamreadytomakethesacrificeiftheendsofjusticerequireit。

"Theprisoneratthebar，atthetimeofwhichIamnowspeaking，wasstayingasaguestinmyhouse。Hemetwithanaccidentwhilehewasoutridingwhichcausedaseriousinjurytooneofhislegs。TheleghadbeenpreviouslyhurtwhilehewasservingwiththearmyinIndia。Thiscircumstancetendedgreatlytoaggravatetheinjuryreceivedintheaccident。Hewasconfinedtoarecumbentpositiononasofaformanyweekstogether；andtheladiesinthehousetookitinturnstositwithhim，andwhileawaythewearytimebyreadingtohimandtalkingtohim。Myniecewasforemostamongthesevolunteernurses。Sheplayedadmirablyonthepiano；andthesickmanhappened——mostunfortunately，astheeventproved——tobefondofmusic。

"Theconsequencesoftheperfectlyinnocentintercoursethusbegunweredeplorableconsequencesformyniece。ShebecamepassionatelyattachedtoMr。EustaceMacallan，withoutawakeninganycorrespondingaffectiononhisside。

"Ididmybesttointerfere，delicatelyandusefully，whileitwasstillpossibletointerferewithadvantage。Unhappily，myniecerefusedtoplaceanyconfidenceinme。ShepersistentlydeniedthatshewasactuatedbyanywarmerfeelingtowardMr。

Macallanthanafeelingoffriendlyinterest。Thismadeitimpossibleformetoseparatethemwithoutopenlyacknowledgingmyreasonfordoingso，andthusproducingascandalwhichmighthaveaffectedmyniece’sreputation。Myhusbandwasaliveatthattime；andtheonethingIcoulddounderthecircumstanceswasthethingIdid。IrequestedhimtospeakprivatelytoMr。

Macallan，andtoappealtohishonortohelpusoutofthedifficultywithoutprejudicetomyniece。

"Mr。Macallanbehavedadmirably。Hewasstillhelpless。Buthemadeanexcuseforleavinguswhichitwasimpossibletodispute。

Intwodaysaftermyhusbandhadspokentohimhewasremovedfromthehouse。

"Theremedywaswellintended；butitcametoolate，anditutterlyfailed。Themischiefwasdone。Myniecepinedawayvisibly；neithermedicalhelpnorchangeofairandscenedidanythingforher。Incourseoftime——afterMr。Macallanhadrecoveredfromtheeffectsofhisaccident——Ifoundthatshewascarryingonaclandestinecorrespondencewithhimbymeansofhermaid。Hisletters，Iamboundtosay，weremostconsideratelyandcarefullywritten。Nevertheless，Ifeltitmydutytostopthecorrespondence。

"Myinterference——whatelsecouldIdobutinterfere？——broughtmatterstoacrisis。Onedaymyniecewasmissingatbreakfast—time。ThenextdaywediscoveredthatthepoorinfatuatedcreaturehadgonetoMr。Macallan’schambersinLondon，andhadbeenfoundhiddeninhisbedroombysomebachelorfriendswhocametovisithim。

"ForthisdisasterMr。Macallanwasinnorespecttoblame。

Hearingfootstepsoutside，hehadonlytimetotakemeasuresforsavinghercharacterbyconcealingherinthenearestroom——andthenearestroomhappenedtobehisbedchamber。Thematterwastalkedabout，ofcourse，andmotivesweremisinterpretedinthevilestmanner。MyhusbandhadanotherprivateconversationwithMr。Macallan。Heagainbehavedadmirably。Hepubliclydeclaredthatmyniecehadvisitedhimashisbetrothedwife。Inafortnightfromthattimehesilencedscandalintheonewaythatwaspossible——hemarriedher。

"Iwasaloneinopposingthemarriage。Ithoughtitatthetimewhatithasprovedtobesince——afatalmistake。

"ItwouldhavebeensadenoughifMr。Macallanhadonlymarriedherwithoutaparticleofloveonhisside。Buttomaketheprospectmorehopelessstill，hewasatthatverytimethevictimofamisplacedattachmenttoaladywhowasengagedtoanotherman。Iamwellawarethathecompassionatelydeniedthis，justashecompassionatelyaffectedtobeinlovewithmyniecewhenhemarriedher。ButhishopelessadmirationoftheladywhomIhavementionedwasamatteroffactnotoriousamonghisfriends。Itmaynotbeamisstoaddthat_her_marriagepreceded_his_

marriage。Hehadirretrievablylostthewomanhereallyloved——hewaswithoutahopeoranaspirationinlife——whenhetookpityonmyniece。

"Inconclusion，Icanonlyrepeatthatnoevilwhichcouldhavehappened（ifshehadremainedasinglewoman）wouldhavebeencomparable，inmyopinion，totheevilofsuchamarriageasthis。Never，Isincerelybelieve，weretwomoreill—assortedpersonsunitedinthebondsofmatrimonythantheprisoneratthebarandhisdeceasedwife。"

Theevidenceofthiswitnessproducedastrongsensationamongtheaudience，andhadamarkedeffectonthemindsofthejury。

Cross—examinationforcedLadyBrydehaventomodifysomeofheropinions，andtoacknowledgethatthehopelessattachmentoftheprisonertoanotherwomanwasamatterofrumoronly。Butthefactsinhernarrativeremainedunshaken，and，forthatonereason，theyinvestedthecrimechargedagainsttheprisonerwithanappearanceofpossibility，whichithadentirelyfailedtoassumeduringtheearlierpartoftheTrial。

Twootherladies（intimatefriendsofMrs。EustaceMacallan）werecallednext。TheydifferedfromLadyBrydehavenintheiropinionsontheproprietyofthemarriagebutonallthematerialpointstheysupportedhertestimony，andconfirmedtheseriousimpressionwhichthefirstwitnesshadproducedoneverypersoninCourt。

ThenextevidencewhichtheprosecutionproposedtoputinwasthesilentevidenceofthelettersandtheDiaryfoundatGleninch。

InanswertoaquestionfromtheBench，theLordAdvocatestatedthattheletterswerewrittenbyfriendsoftheprisonerandhisdeceasedwife，andthatpassagesinthemboredirectlyonthetermsonwhichthetwoassociatedintheirmarriedlife。TheDiarywasstillmorevaluableasevidence。Itcontainedtheprisoner’sdailyrecordofdomesticevents，andofthethoughtsandfeelingswhichtheyarousedinhimatthetime。

Amostpainfulscenefollowedthisexplanation。

Writing，asIdo，longaftertheeventstookplace，IstillcannotprevailuponmyselftodescribeindetailwhatmyunhappyhusbandsaidanddidatthisdistressingperiodoftheTrial。

DeeplyaffectedwhileLadyBrydehavenwasgivingherevidence，hehadwithdifficultyrestrainedhimselffrominterruptingher。Henowlostallcontroloverhisfeelings。Inpiercingtones，whichrangthroughtheCourt，heprotestedagainstthecontemplatedviolationofhisownmostsacredsecretsandhiswife’smostsacredsecrets。"Hangme，innocentasIam！"hecried，"butspareme_that！_"Theeffectofthisterribleoutbreakontheaudienceisreportedtohavebeenindescribable。Someofthewomenpresentwereinhysterics。TheJudgesinterferedfromtheBench，butwithnogoodresult。QuietwasatlengthrestoredbytheDeanofFaculty，whosucceededinsoothingtheprisoner，andwhothenaddressedtheJudges，pleadingforindulgencetohisunhappyclientinmosttouchingandeloquentlanguage。Thespeech，amasterpieceofimpromptuoratory，concludedwithatemperateyetstronglyurgedprotestagainstthereadingofthepapersdiscoveredatGleninch。

ThethreeJudgesretiredtoconsiderthelegalquestionsubmittedtothem。Thesittingwassuspendedformorethanhalfanhour。

Asusualinsuchcases，theexcitementintheCourtcommunicateditselftothecrowdoutsideinthestreet。Thegeneralopinionhere——led，asitwassupposed，byoneoftheclerksorotherinferiorpersonsconnectedwiththelegalproceedings——wasdecidedlyadversetotheprisoner’schanceofescapingasentenceofdeath。"IfthelettersandtheDiaryareread，"saidthebrutalspokesmanofthemob，"thelettersandtheDiarywillhanghim。"

OnthereturnoftheJudgesintoCourt，itwasannouncedthattheyhaddecided，byamajorityoftwotoone，onpermittingthedocumentsindisputetobeproducedinevidence。EachoftheJudges，inturn，gavehisreasonsforthedecisionatwhichhehadarrived。Thisdone，theTrialproceeded。ThereadingoftheextractsfromthelettersandtheextractsfromtheDiarybegan。

ThefirstlettersproducedwerethelettersfoundintheIndiancabinetinMrs。EustaceMacallan’sroom。Theywereaddressedtothedeceasedladybyintimate（female）friendsofhers，withwhomshewasaccustomedtocorrespond。ThreeseparateextractsfromletterswrittenbythreedifferentcorrespondentswereselectedtobereadinCourt。

FIRSTCORRESPONDENT："Idespair，mydearestSara，ofbeingabletotellyouhowyourlastletterhasdistressedme。PrayforgivemeifIowntothinkingthatyourverysensitivenatureexaggeratesormisinterprets，quiteunconsciously，ofcourse，theneglectthatyouexperienceatthehandsofyourhusband。I

cannotsayanythingabout_his_peculiaritiesofcharacter，becauseIamnotwellenoughacquaintedwithhimtoknowwhattheyare。But，mydear，Iammucholderthanyou，andIhavehadamuchlongerexperiencethanyoursofwhatsomebodycalls’thelightsandshadowsofmarriedlife。’Speakingfromthatexperience，ImusttellyouwhatIhaveobserved。Youngmarriedwomen，likeyou，whoaredevotedlyattachedtotheirhusbands，areapttomakeoneveryseriousmistake。Asarule，theyallexpecttoomuchfromtheirhusbands。Men，mypoorSara，arenotlike_us。_Theirlove，evenwhenitisquitesincere，isnotlikeourlove。Itdoesnotlastasitdoeswithus。Itisnottheonehopeandonethoughtoftheirlives，asitiswithus。Wehavenoalternative，evenwhenwemosttrulyrespectandlovethem，buttomakeallowanceforthisdifferencebetweentheman’snatureandthewoman’s。Idonotforonemomentexcuseyourhusband’scoldness。Heiswrong，forexample，inneverlookingatyouwhenhespeakstoyou，andinnevernoticingtheeffortsthatyoumaketopleasehim。Heisworsethanwrong——heisreallycruel，ifyoulike——inneverreturningyourkisswhenyoukisshim。But，mydear，areyouquitesurethatheisalways_designedly_coldandcruel？Maynothisconductbesometimestheresultoftroublesandanxietieswhichweighonhismind，andwhicharetroublesandanxietiesthatyoucannotshare？Ifyoutrytolookathisbehaviorinthislight，youwillunderstandmanythingswhichpuzzleandpainyounow。Bepatientwithhim，mychild。Makenocomplaints，andneverapproachhimwithyourcaressesattimeswhenhismindispreoccupiedorhistemperruffled。Thismaybehardadvicetofollow，lovinghimasardentlyasyoudo。But，relyonit，thesecretofhappinessforuswomenistobefound（alas！onlytoooften）insuchexerciseofrestraintandresignationasyouroldfriendnowrecommends。Think，mydear，overwhatIhavewritten，andletmehearfromyouagain。"

SECONDCORRESPONDENT："Howcanyoubesofoolish，Sara，astowasteyourloveonsuchacold—bloodedbruteasyourhusbandseemstobe？Tobesure，Iamnotmarriedyet，orperhapsI

shouldnotbesosurprisedatyou。ButIshallbemarriedoneofthesedays，andifmyhusbandevertreatmeasMr。Macallantreatsyou，Ishallinsistonaseparation。Ideclare，IthinkI

wouldratherbeactuallybeaten，likethewomenamongthelowerorders，thanbetreatedwiththepoliteneglectandcontemptwhichyoudescribe。IburnwithindignationwhenIthinkofit。

Itmustbequiteinsufferable。Don’tbearitanylonger，mypoordear。Leavehim，andcomeandstaywithme。Mybrotherisalawyer，asyouknow。Ireadtohimportionsofyourletter，andheisofopinionthatyoumightgetwhathecallsajudicialseparation。Comeandconsulthim。"

THIRDCORRESPONDENT："YOUknow，mydearMrs。Macallan，what_my_

experienceofmenhasbeen。Yourletterdoesnotsurprisemeintheleast。Yourhusband’sconducttoyoupointstooneconclusion。Heisinlovewithsomeotherwoman。ThereisSomebodyinthedark，whogetsfromhimeverythingthathedeniestoyou。Ihavebeenthroughitall——andIknow！Don’tgiveway。

Makeitthebusinessofyourlifetofindoutwhothecreatureis。Perhapstheremaybemorethanoneofthem。Itdoesn’tmatter。Oneormany，ifyoucanonlydiscoverthem，youmaymakehisexistenceasmiserabletohimashemakesyourexistencetoyou。Ifyouwantmyexperiencetohelpyou，saytheword，anditisfreelyatyourservice。IcancomeandstaywithyouatGleninchanytimeafterthefourthofnextmonth。"

Withthoseabominablelinesthereadingsfromthelettersofthewomencametoanend。ThefirstandlongestoftheExtractsproducedthemostvividimpressioninCourt。Evidentlythewriterwasinthiscaseaworthyandsensibleperson。Itwasgenerallyfelt，however，thatallthreeoftheletters，nomatterhowwidelytheymightdifferintone，justifiedthesameconclusion。

Thewife’spositionatGleninch（ifthewife’saccountofitweretobetrusted）wasthepositionofaneglectedandanunhappywoman。

Thecorrespondenceoftheprisoner，whichhadbeenfound，withhisDiary，inthelockedbed—tabledrawer，wasproducednext。Thelettersinthiscasewerewithoneexceptionallwrittenbymen。

Thoughthetoneofthemwasmoderationitselfascomparedwiththesecondandthirdofthewomen’sletters，theconclusionstillpointedthesameway。ThelifeofthehusbandatGleninchappearedtobejustasintolerableasthelifeofthewife。

Forexample，oneoftheprisoner’smalefriendswroteinvitinghimtomakeayachtvoyagearoundtheworld。AnothersuggestedanabsenceofsixmonthsontheContinent。Athirdrecommendedfield—sportsandfishing。Theoneobjectaimedatbyallthewriterswasplainlytocounselaseparation，moreorlessplausibleandmoreorlesscomplete，betweenthemarriedpair。

Thelastletterreadwasaddressedtotheprisonerinawoman’shandwriting，andwassignedbyawoman’sChristiannameonly。

"Ah，mypoorEustace，whatacrueldestinyisours！"theletterbegan。"WhenIthinkofyourlife，sacrificedtothatwretchedwoman，myheartbleedsforyou。If_we_hadbeenmanandwife——ifithadbeen_my_unutterablehappinesstoloveandcherishthebest，thedearestofmen——whataparadiseofourownwemighthavelivedin！whatdelicioushourswemighthaveknown！Butregretisvain；weareseparatedinthislife——separatedbytieswhichwebothmourn，andyetwhichwemustbothrespect。MyEustace，thereisaworldbeyondthis。Thereoursoulswillflytomeeteachother，andmingleinonelongheavenlyembrace——inaraptureforbiddentousonearth。Themiserydescribedinyourletter——oh，why，whydidyoumarryher？——haswrungthisconfessionoffeelingfromme。Letitcomfortyou，butletnoothereyesseeit。Burnmyrashlywrittenlines，andlook（asI

look）tothebetterlifewhichyoumayyetsharewithyourownHELENA。"

ThereadingofthisoutrageousletterprovokedaquestionfromtheBench。OneoftheJudgesaskedifthewriterhadattachedanydateoraddresstoherletter。

InanswertothistheLordAdvocatestatedthatneithertheonenortheotherappeared。TheenvelopeshowedthattheletterhadbeenpostedinLondon。"Wepropose，"thelearnedcounselcontinued，"toreadcertainpassagesfromtheprisoner’sDiary，inwhichthenamesignedattheendoftheletteroccursmorethanonce；andwemaypossiblyfindothermeansofidentifyingthewriter，tothesatisfactionofyourlordships，beforetheTrialisover。"

Thepromisedpassagesfrommyhusband’sprivateDiarywerenowread。ThefirstextractrelatedtoaperiodofnearlyayearbeforethedateofMrs。EustaceMacallan’sdeath。Itwasexpressedintheseterms：

"News，bythismorning’spost，whichhasquiteoverwhelmedme。

Helena’shusbanddiedsuddenlytwodayssinceofheart—disease。

Sheisfree——mybelovedHelenaisfree！AndI？

"IamfetteredtoawomanwithwhomIhavenotasinglefeelingincommon。Helenaislosttome，bymyownact。Ah！Icanunderstandnow，asIneverunderstoodbefore，howirresistibletemptationcanbe，andhoweasilysometimescrimemayfollowit。

Ihadbettershutuptheseleavesforthenight。Itmaddensmetonopurposetothinkofmypositionortowriteofit。"

Thenextpassage，datedafewdayslater，dweltonthesamesubject。

"Ofallthefolliesthatamancancommit，thegreatestisactingonimpulse。IactedonimpulsewhenImarriedtheunfortunatecreaturewhoisnowmywife。

"Helenawasthenlosttome，asItoohastilysupposed。Shehadmarriedthemantowhomsherashlyengagedherselfbeforeshemetwithme。HewasyoungerthanI，and，toallappearance，heartierandstrongerthanI。SofarasIcouldsee，myfatewassealedforlife。Helenahadwrittenherfarewellletter，takingleaveofmeinthisworldforgood。Myprospectswereclosed；myhopeshadended。Ihadnotanaspirationleft；Ihadnonecessitytostimulatemetotakerefugeinwork。Achivalrousaction，anexertionofnobleself—denial，seemedtobeallthatwaslefttome，allthatIwasfitfor。