"Thecircumstancesofthemomentadaptedthemselves，withafatalfacility，tothisidea。Theill—fatedwomanwhohadbecomeattachedtome（Heavenknows——withoutsomuchastheshadowofencouragementonmypart！）had，justatthattime，rashlyplacedherreputationatthemercyoftheworld。Itrestedwithmetosilencethescandaloustonguesthatreviledher。WithHelenalosttome，happinesswasnottobeexpected。Allwomenwereequallyindifferenttome。Agenerousactionwouldbethesalvationofthiswoman。Whynotperformit？Imarriedheronthatimpulse——marriedherjustasImighthavejumpedintothewaterandsavedherifshehadbeendrowning；justasImighthaveknockedamandownifIhadseenhimill—treatingherinthestreet！
　　"AndnowthewomanforwhomIhavemadethissacrificestandsbetweenmeandmyHelena——myHelena，freetopouroutallthetreasuresofherloveonthemanwhoadorestheearththatshetoucheswithherfoot！
　　"Fool！madman！Whydon’tIdashoutmybrainsagainstthewallthatIseeoppositetomewhileIwritetheselines？
　　"Mygunisthereinthecorner。Ihaveonlytotieastringtothetriggerandtoputthemuzzletomymouth——No！Mymotherisalive；mymother’sloveissacred。Ihavenorighttotakethelifewhichshegaveme。Imustsufferandsubmit。Oh，Helena！
　　Helena！"
　　Thethirdextract——oneamongmanysimilarpassages——hadbeenwrittenabouttwomonthsbeforethedeathoftheprisoner’swife。
　　"Morereproachesaddressedtome！Thereneverwassuchawomanforcomplaining；shelivesinaperfectatmosphereofill—temperanddiscontent。
　　"Mynewoffensesaretwoinnumber：Ineveraskhertoplaytomenow；andwhensheputsonanewdressexpresslytopleaseme，I
　　nevernoticeit。Noticeit！GoodHeavens！Theeffortofmylifeis_not_tonoticeherinanythingshedoesorsays。HowcouldI
　　keepmytemper，unlessIkeptasmuchaspossibleoutofthewayofprivateinterviewswithher？AndIdokeepmytemper。Iamneverhardonher；Ineveruseharshlanguagetoher。Shehasadoubleclaimonmyforbearance———sheisawoman，andthelawhasmadehermywife。Irememberthis；butIamhuman。ThelessIseeofher——exceptwhenvisitorsarepresent——themorecertainIcanfeelofpreservingmyself—control。
　　"Iwonderwhatitisthatmakeshersoutterlydistastefultome？
　　Sheisaplainwoman；butIhaveseenuglierwomenthanshewhosecaressesIcouldhaveenduredwithoutthesenseofshrinkingthatcomesovermewhenIamobligedtosubmitto_her_caresses。I
　　keepthefeelinghiddenfromher。Shelovesme，poorthing——andI
　　pityher。IwishIcoulddomore；IwishIcouldreturninthesmallestdegreethefeelingwithwhichsheregardsme。Butno——I
　　canonlypityher。Ifshewouldbecontenttoliveonfriendlytermswithme，andnevertoexactdemonstrationsoftenderness，wemightgetonprettywell。Butshewantslove。Unfortunatecreature，shewantslove！
　　"Oh，myHelena！Ihavenolovetogiveher。Myheartisyours。
　　"Idreamedlastnightthatthisunhappywifeofminewasdead。
　　ThedreamwassovividthatIactuallygotoutofmybedandopenedthedoorofherroomandlistened。
　　"Hercalm，regularbreathingwasdistinctlyaudibleinthestillnessofthenight。Shewasinadeepsleep：Iclosedthedooragainandlightedmycandleandread。Helenawasinallmythoughts；itwashardworktofixmyattentiononthebook。Butanythingwasbetterthangoingtobedagain，anddreamingperhapsforthesecondtimethatItoowasfree。
　　"Whatalifemineis！whatalifemywife’sis！Ifthehouseweretotakefire，IwonderwhetherIshouldmakeanefforttosavemyselfortosaveher？"
　　Thelasttwopassagesreadreferredtolaterdatesstill。
　　"Agleamofbrightnesshasshoneoverthisdismalexistenceofmineatlast。
　　"Helenaisnolongercondemnedtotheseclusionofwidowhood。
　　Timeenoughhaspassedtopermitofhermixingagaininsociety。
　　SheispayingvisitstofriendsinourpartofScotland；and，assheandIarecousins，itisuniversallyunderstoodthatshecannotleavetheNorthwithoutalsospendingafewdaysatmyhouse。Shewritesmewordthatthevisit，howeverembarrassingitmaybetousprivately，isneverthelessavisitthatmustbemadeforthesakeofappearances。Blessingsonappearances！Ishallseethisangelinmypurgatory——andallbecauseSocietyinMid—LothianwouldthinkitstrangethatmycousinshouldbevisitinginmypartofScotlandandnotvisitMe！
　　"Butwearetobeverycareful。Helenasays，insomanywords，’I
　　cometoseeyou，Eustace，asasister。Youmustreceivemeasabrother，ornotreceivemeatall。Ishallwritetoyourwifetoproposethedayformyvisit。Ishallnotforget——doyounotforget——thatitisbyyourwife’spermissionthatIenteryourhouse。’
　　"Onlyletmeseeher！Iwillsubmittoanythingtoobtaintheunutterablehappinessofseeingher！"
　　Thelastextractfollowed，andconsistedoftheselinesonly：
　　"Anewmisfortune！Mywifehasfallenill。Shehastakentoherbedwithabadrheumaticcold，justatthetimeappointedforHelena’svisittoGleninch。Butonthisoccasion（Igladlyownit！）shehasbehavedcharmingly。ShehaswrittentoHelenatosaythatherillnessisnotseriousenoughtorenderachangenecessaryinthearrangements，andtomakeitherparticularrequestthatmycousin’svisitshalltakeplaceuponthedayoriginallydecidedon。
　　"Thisisagreatsacrificemadetomeonmywife’spart。Jealousofeverywomanunderfortywhocomesnearme，sheis，ofcourse，jealousofHelena——andshecontrolsherself，andtrustsme！
　　"IamboundtoshowmygratitudeforthisandIwillshowit。
　　FromthisdayforthIvowtolivemoreaffectionatelywithmywife。Itenderlyembracedherthisverymorning，andIhope，poorsoul，shedidnotdiscovertheeffortthatitcostme。"
　　TherethereadingsfromtheDiarycametoanend。
　　ThemostunpleasantpagesinthewholeReportoftheTrialwere——tome——thepageswhichcontainedtheextractsfrommyhusband’sDiary。Therewereexpressionshereandtherewhichnotonlypainedme，butwhichalmostshookEustace’spositioninmyestimation。IthinkIwouldhavegiveneverythingIpossessedtohavehadthepowerofannihilatingcertainlinesintheDiary。AsforhispassionateexpressionsofloveforMrs。Beauly，everyoneofthemwentthroughmelikeasting。Hehadwhisperedwordsquiteaswarmintomyearsinthedaysofhiscourtship。Ihadnoreasontodoubtthathetrulyanddearlylovedme。Butthequestionwas，HadhejustastrulyanddearlylovedMrs。Beaulybeforeme？HadsheorI——wonthefirstloveofhisheart？Hehaddeclaredtomeoverandoveragainthathehadonlyfanciedhimselftobeinlovebeforethedaywhenwemet。Ihadbelievedhimthen。Ideterminedtobelievehimstill。Ididbelievehim。
　　ButIhatedMrs。Beauly！
　　AsforthepainfulimpressionproducedinCourtbythereadingsfromthelettersandtheDiary，itseemedtobeimpossibletoincreaseit。Neverthelessit_was_perceptiblyincreased。Inotherwords，itwasrenderedmoreunfavorablestilltowardtheprisonerbytheevidenceofthenextandlastwitnesscalledonthepartoftheprosecution。
　　WilliamEnzie，under—gardeneratGleninch，wassworn，anddeposedasfollows：
　　OnthetwentiethofOctober，ateleveno’clockintheforenoon，I
　　wassenttoworkintheshrubbery，onthesidenexttothegardencalledtheDutchGarden。Therewasasummer—houseintheDutchGarden，havingitsbacksettowardtheshrubbery。Thedaywaswonderfullyfineand——warmforthetimeofyear。
　　"Passingtomywork，Ipassedthebackofthesummer—house。I
　　heardvoicesinside——aman’svoiceandalady’svoice。Thelady’svoicewasstrangetome。Theman’svoiceIrecognizedasthevoiceofmymaster。Thegroundintheshrubberywassoft，andmycuriositywasexcited。Isteppeduptothebackofthesummer—housewithoutbeingheard，andIlistenedtowhatwasgoingoninside。
　　"ThefirstwordsIcoulddistinguishwerespokeninmymaster’svoice。Hesaid，’IfIcouldonlyhaveforeseenthatyoumightonedaybefree，whatahappymanImighthavebeen！’Thelady’svoiceanswered，’Hush！youmustnottalkso。’Mymastersaiduponthat，’Imusttalkofwhatisinmymind；itisalwaysinmymindthatIhavelostyou。’Hestoppedabitthere，andthenhesaidonasudden，’Domeonefavor，myangel！Promisemenottomarryagain。’Thelady’svoicespokeoutthereuponsharplyenough，’Whatdoyoumean？’Mymastersaid，’Iwishnoharmtotheunhappycreaturewhoisaburdenonmylife；butsuppose——’
　　’Supposenothing，’theladysaid；’comebacktothehouse。’
　　"Sheledthewayintothegarden，andturnedround，beckoningmymastertojoinher。InthatpositionIsawherfaceplainly，andIknewitforthefaceoftheyoungwidowladywhowasvisitingatthehouse。Shewaspointedouttomebythehead—gardenerwhenshefirstarrived，forthepurposeofwarningmethatIwasnottointerfereifIfoundherpickingtheflowers。ThegardensatGleninchwereshowntotouristsoncertaindays，andwemadeadifference，ofcourse，inthematteroftheflowersbetweenstrangersandguestsstayinginthehouse。Iamquitecertainoftheidentityoftheladywhowastalkingwithmymaster。Mrs。
　　Beaulywasacomelyperson——andtherewasnomistakingherforanyotherthanherself。Sheandmymasterwithdrewtogetheronthewaytothehouse。Iheardnothingmoreofwhatpassedbetweenthem。"
　　Thiswitnesswasseverelycross—examinedastothecorrectnessofhisrecollectionofthetalkinthesummer—house，andastohiscapacityforidentifyingboththespeakers。Oncertainminorpointshewasshaken。ButhefirmlyassertedhisaccurateremembranceofthelastwordsexchangedbetweenhismasterandMrs。Beauly；andhepersonallydescribedtheladyintermswhichprovedthathehadcorruptlyidentifiedher。
　　WiththistheanswertothethirdquestionraisedbytheTrial——thequestionoftheprisoner’smotiveforpoisoninghiswife——cametoanend。
　　Thestoryfortheprosecutionwasnowastorytold。ThestaunchestfriendsoftheprisonerinCourtwerecompelledtoacknowledgethattheevidencethusfarpointedclearlyandconclusivelyagainsthim。Heseemedtofeelthishimself。WhenhewithdrewatthecloseofthethirddayoftheTrialhewassodepressedandexhaustedthathewasobligedtoleanonthearmofthegovernorofthejail。
　　CHAPTERXIX。
　　THEEVIDENCEFORTHEDEFENSE。
　　THEfeelingofinterestexcitedbytheTrialwasprodigiouslyincreasedonthefourthday。Thewitnessesforthedefensewerenowtobeheard，andfirstandforemostamongthemappearedtheprisoner’smother。Shelookedathersonassheliftedherveiltotaketheoath。Heburstintotears。Atthatmomentthesympathyfeltforthemotherwasgenerallyextendedtotheunhappyson。
　　ExaminedbytheDeanofFaculty，Mrs。Macallantheeldergaveheranswerswithremarkabledignityandself—control。
　　Questionedastocertainprivateconversationswhichhadpassedbetweenherlatedaughter—in—lawandherself，shedeclaredthatMrs。EustaceMacallanwasmorbidlysensitiveonthesubjectofherpersonalappearance。Shewasdevotedlyattachedtoherhusband；thegreatanxietyofherlifewastomakeherselfasattractivetohimaspossible。Theimperfectionsinherpersonalappearance——andespeciallyinhercomplexion——weresubjectstoherofthebitterestregret。Thewitnesshadheardhersay，overandoveragain（referringtohercomplexion），thattherewasnoriskshewouldnotrun，andnopainshewouldnotsuffer，toimproveit。"Men"（shehadsaid）"areallcaughtbyoutwardappearances：myhusbandmightlovemebetterifIhadabettercolor。"
　　Beingaskednextifthepassagesfromherson’sDiaryweretobedependedonasevidence——thatistosay，iftheyfairlyrepresentedthepeculiaritiesinhischaracter，andhistruesentimentstowardhiswife——Mrs。Macallandenieditintheplainestandstrongestterms。
　　"Theextractsfrommyson’sDiaryarealibelonhischaracter，"
　　shesaid。"Andnotthelessalibelbecausetheyhappentobewrittenbyhimself。Speakingfromamother’sexperienceofhim，I
　　knowthathemusthavewrittenthepassagesproducedinmomentsofuncontrollabledepressionanddespair。Nojustpersonjudgeshastilyofamanbytherashwordswhichmayescapehiminhismoodyandmiserablemoments。Ismysontobesojudgedbecausehehappenstohavewritten_his_rashwords，insteadofspeakingthem？Hispenhasbeenhismostdeadlyenemy，inthiscase——ithaspresentedhimathisveryworst。Hewasnothappyinhismarriage——Iadmitthat。ButIsayatthesametimethathewasinvariablyconsideratetowardhiswife。Iwasimplicitlytrustedbybothofthem；Isawthemintheirmostprivatemoments。I
　　declare——inthefaceofwhatsheappearstohavewrittentoherfriendsandcorrespondents——thatmysonnevergavehiswifeanyjustcausetoassertthathetreatedherwithcrueltyorneglect。"
　　Thewords，firmlyandclearlyspoken，producedastrongimpression。TheLordAdvocate——evidentlyperceivingthatanyattempttoweakenthatimpressionwouldnotbelikelytosucceed——confinedhimself，incross—examination，totwosignificantquestions。
　　"Inspeakingtoyouofthedefectsinhercomplexion，"hesaid，"didyourdaughter—in—lawreferinanywaytotheuseofarsenicasaremedy？"
　　Theanswertothiswas，"No。"
　　TheLordAdvocateproceeded：
　　"Didyouyourselfeverrecommendarsenic，ormentionitcasually，inthecourseoftheprivateconversationswhichyouhavedescribed？"
　　Theanswertothiswas，"Never。"
　　TheLordAdvocateresumedhisseat。Mrs。Macallantheelderwithdrew。
　　Aninterestofanewkindwasexcitedbytheappearanceofthenextwitness。ThiswasnolessapersonthanMrs。Beaulyherself。
　　TheReportdescribesherasaremarkablyattractiveperson；
　　modestandlady—likeinhermanner，and，toallappearance，feelingsensitivelythepublicpositioninwhichshewasplaced。
　　Thefirstportionofherevidencewasalmostarecapitulationoftheevidencegivenbytheprisoner’smother——withthisdifference，thatMrs。Beaulyhadbeenactuallyquestionedbythedeceasedladyonthesubjectofcosmeticapplicationstothecomplexion。Mrs。EustaceMacallanhadcomplimentedheronthebeautyofhercomplexion，andhadaskedwhatartificialmeanssheusedtokeepitinsuchgoodorder。Usingnoartificialmeans，andknowingnothingwhateverofcosmetics，Mrs。Beaulyhadresentedthequestion，andatemporarycoolnessbetweenthetwoladieshadbeentheresult。
　　Interrogatedastoherrelationswiththeprisoner，Mrs。BeaulyindignantlydeniedthatsheorMr。Macallanhadevergiventhedeceasedladytheslightestcauseforjealousy。ItwasimpossibleforMrs。BeaulytoleaveScotland，aftervisitingatthehousesofhercousin’sneighbors，withoutalsovisitingathercousin’shouse。Totakeanyothercoursewouldhavebeenanactofdownrightrudeness，andwouldhaveexcitedremark。ShedidnotdenythatMr。Macallanhadadmiredherinthedayswhentheywerebothsinglepeople。Buttherewasnofurtherexpressionofthatfeelingwhenshehadmarriedanotherman，andwhenhehadmarriedanotherwoman。Fromthattimetheirintercoursewastheinnocentintercourseofabrotherandsister。Mr。Macallanwasagentleman：heknewwhatwasduetohiswifeandtoMrs。
　　Beauly——shewouldnothaveenteredthehouseifexperiencehadnotsatisfiedherofthat。Asfortheevidenceoftheunder—gardener，itwaslittlebetterthanpureinvention。Thegreaterpartoftheconversationwhichhehaddescribedhimselfasoverhearinghadnevertakenplace。Thelittlethatwasreallysaid（asthemanreportedit）wassaidjestingly；andshehadcheckeditimmediately——asthewitnesshadhimselfconfessed。Fortherest，Mr。Macallan’sbehaviortowardhiswifewasinvariablykindandconsiderate。Hewasconstantlydevisingmeanstoalleviatehersufferingsfromtherheumaticaffectionwhichconfinedhertoherbed；hehadspokenofher，notoncebutmanytimes，intermsofthesincerestsympathy。Whensheorderedherhusbandandwitnesstoleavetheroom，onthedayofherdeath，Mr。Macallansaidtowitnessafterward，"Wemustbearwithherjealousy，poorsoul：weknowthatwedon’tdeserveit。"Inthatpatientmannerhesubmittedtoherinfirmitiesoftemperfromfirsttolast。
　　Themaininterestinthecross—examinationofMrs。Beaulycenteredinaquestionwhichwasputattheend。Afterremindingherthatshehadgivenhername，onbeingsworn，as"HelenaBeauly，"theLordAdvocatesaid：
　　"Aletteraddressedtotheprisoner，andsigned’Helena，’hasbeenreadinCourt。Lookatit，ifyouplease。Areyouthewriterofthatletter？"
　　BeforethewitnesscouldreplytheDeanofFacultyprotestedagainstthequestion。TheJudgesallowedtheprotest，andrefusedtopermitthequestiontobeput。Mrs。Beaulythereuponwithdrew。
　　Shehadbetrayedaveryperceptibleagitationonhearingtheletterreferredto，andonhavingitplacedinherhands。Thisexhibitionoffeelingwasvariouslyinterpretedamongtheaudience。Uponthewhole，however，Mrs。Beauly’sevidencewasconsideredtohaveaidedtheimpressionwhichthemother’sevidencehadproducedintheprisoner’sfavor。
　　Thenextwitnesses——bothladies，andbothschoolfriendsofMrs。
　　EustaceMacallan——createdanewfeelingofinterestinCourt。
　　Theysuppliedthemissinglinkintheevidenceforthedefense。
　　ThefirstoftheladiesdeclaredthatshehadmentionedarsenicasameansofimprovingthecomplexioninconversationwithMrs。
　　EustaceMacallan。Shehadneveruseditherself，butshehadreadofthepracticeofeatingarsenicamongtheStyrianpeasantryforthepurposeofclearingthecolor，andofproducingageneralappearanceofplumpnessandgoodhealth。ShepositivelysworethatshehadrelatedthisresultofherreadingtothedeceasedladyexactlyasshenowrelateditinCourt。
　　Thesecondwitness，presentattheconversationalreadymentioned，corroboratedthefirstwitnessineveryparticular；
　　andaddedthatshehadprocuredthebookrelatingtothearsenic—eatingpracticesoftheStyrianpeasantry，andtheirresults，atMrs。EustaceMacallan’sownrequest。ThisbookshehadherselfdispatchedbyposttoMrs。EustaceMacallanatGleninch。
　　Therewasbutoneassailablepointinthisotherwiseconclusiveevidence。Thecross—examinationdiscoveredit。
　　Boththeladieswereasked，inturn，ifMrs。EustaceMacallanhadexpressedtothem，directlyorindirectly，anyintentionofobtainingarsenic，withaviewtotheimprovementofhercomplexion。Ineachcasetheanswertothatall—importantquestionwas，No。Mrs。EustaceMacallanhadheardoftheremedy，andhadreceivedthebook。Butofherownintentionsinthefutureshehadnotsaidoneword。Shehadbeggedboththeladiestoconsidertheconversationasstrictlyprivate——andthereithadended。
　　Itrequirednolawyer’seyetodiscernthefataldefectwhichwasnowrevealedintheevidenceforthedefense。Everyintelligentpersonpresentcouldseethattheprisoner’schanceofanhonorableacquittaldependedontracingthepoisontothepossessionofhiswife——oratleastonprovingherexpressedintentiontoobtainit。Ineitherofthesecasestheprisoner’sDeclarationofhisinnocencewouldclaimthesupportoftestimony，which，howeverindirectitmightbe，nohonestandintelligentmenwouldbelikelytoresist。Wasthattestimonyforthcoming？Wasthecounselforthedefensenotattheendofhisresourcesyet？
　　Thecrowdedaudiencewaitedinbreathlessexpectationfortheappearanceofthenextwitness。Awhisperwentroundamongcertainwell—instructedpersonsthattheCourtwasnowtoseeandheartheprisoner’soldfriend——alreadyoftenreferredtointhecourseoftheTrialas"Mr。Dexter。"
　　Afterabriefintervalofdelaytherewasasuddencommotionamongtheaudience，accompaniedbysuppressedexclamationsofcuriosityandsurprise。Atthesamemomentthecriersummonedthenewwitnessbytheextraordinarynameof"MISERRIMUSDEXTER"
　　CHAPTERXX。
　　THEENDOFTHETRIAL。
　　THEcallingofthenewwitnessprovokedaburstoflaughteramongtheaudienceduepartly，nodoubt，tothestrangenamebywhichhehadbeensummoned；partly，also，totheinstinctivedesireofallcrowdedassemblies，whentheirinterestispainfullyexcited，toseizeonanyreliefintheshapeofthefirstsubjectofmerrimentwhichmaypresentitself。AsevererebukefromtheBenchrestoredorderamongtheaudience。TheLordJusticeClerkdeclaredthathewould"cleartheCourt"iftheinterruptiontotheproceedingswererenewed。
　　Duringthesilencewhichfollowedthisannouncementthenewwitnessappeared。
　　Gliding，self—propelledinhischaironwheels，throughtheopeningmadeforhimamongthecrowd，astrangeandstartlingcreature——literallythehalfofaman——revealedhimselftothegeneralview。Acoverletwhichhadbeenthrownoverhischairhadfallenoffduringhisprogressthroughthethrong。Thelossofitexposedtothepubliccuriositythehead，thearms，andthetrunkofalivinghumanbeing：absolutelydeprivedofthelowerlimbs。
　　Tomakethisdeformityallthemorestrikingandallthemoreterrible，thevictimofitwas——astohisfaceandhisbody——anunusuallyhandsomeandanunusuallywell—mademan。Hislongsilkyhair，ofabrightandbeautifulchestnutcolor，fellovershouldersthatweretheperfectionofstrengthandgrace。Hisfacewasbrightwithvivacityandintelligence。Hislargeclearblueeyesandhislongdelicatewhitehandswereliketheeyesandhandsofabeautifulwoman。Hewouldhavelookedeffeminatebutforthemanlyproportionsofhisthroatandchest，aidedintheireffectbyhisflowingbeardandlongmustache，ofalighterchestnutshadethanthecolorofhishair。Neverhadamagnificentheadandbodybeenmorehopelesslyill—bestowedthaninthisinstance！NeverhadNaturecommittedamorecarelessoramorecruelmistakethaninthemakingofthisman！
　　Hewassworn，seated，ofcourse，inhischair。Havinggivenhisname，hebowedtotheJudgesandrequestedtheirpermissiontoprefacehisevidencewithawordofexplanation。
　　"PeoplegenerallylaughwhentheyfirsthearmystrangeChristianname，"hesaid，inalow，clear，resonantvoicewhichpenetratedtotheremotestcornersoftheCourt。"Imayinformthegoodpeopleherethatmanynames，stillcommonamongus，havetheirsignifications，andthatmineisoneofthem。’Alexander，’forinstance，means，intheGreek，’ahelperofmen。’’David’means，inHebrew，’well—beloved。’’Francis’means，inGerman，’free。’Myname，’Miserrimus，’means，inLatin，’mostunhappy。’Itwasgiventomebymyfather，inallusiontothedeformitywhichyouallsee——thedeformitywithwhichitwasmymisfortunetobeborn。
　　Youwon’tlaughat’Miserrimus’again，willyou？"HeturnedtotheDeanofFaculty，waitingtoexaminehimforthedefense。"Mr。
　　Dean。Iamatyourservice。Iapologizefordelaying，evenforamoment，theproceedingsoftheCourt。"
　　Hedeliveredhislittleaddresswithperfectgraceandgood—humor。ExaminedbytheDean，hegavehisevidenceclearly，withouttheslightestappearanceofhesitationorreserve。
　　"IwasstayingatGleninchasaguestinthehouseatthetimeofMrs。EustaceMacallan’sdeath，"hebegan。"DoctorJeromeandMr。
　　Galedesiredtoseemeataprivateinterview——theprisonerbeingtheninastateofprostrationwhichmadeitimpossibleforhimtoattendtohisdutiesasmasterofthehouse。AtthisinterviewthetwodoctorsastonishedandhorrifiedmebydeclaringthatMrs。EustaceMacallanhaddiedpoisoned。Theyleftittometocommunicatethedreadfulnewstoherhusband，andtheywarnedmethatapost—mortemexaminationmustbeheldonthebody。