My friends, I care not, (so much I am happy
Above a number,) if my actions
Were tried by every tongue, every eye saw them,
Envy and base opinion set against them,
To know my life so even.--SHAKSPEARE.
And first they went to Mrs. Blondelle's room, and carefully examined
every part of it, especially the fastenings of the doors and windows.
They all seemed to be right.
"I have a theory of this murder now!" said Mr. Berners, standing in the
middle of the room and speaking to the men who were with him.
"Humph! what is it?" coldly inquired old Judge Basham.
"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.