A Terrible Temptation (Fiscle Part 3) - Charles Reade (recommended ebook reader txt) 📗

Air Of Dignified Dejection. His

Counsel Examined Him,  And His Replies Bore Out The Opening Statement.

Everybody Thought Him Sure Of A Verdict.

 

He Was Then Cross-Examined. Defendant's Counsel Pressed Him About His

Unfair Way Of Shooting. The Judge Interfered,  And Said That Was

Trifling. If There Was No Substantial Defense,  Why Not Settle The

Matter?

 

"There Is A Defense,  My Lord."

 

"Then It Is Time You Disclosed It."

 

"Very Well,  My Lord. Mr. Bassett,  Did You Ever Write An Anonymous

Letter?"

 

"Not That I Remember."

 

"Oh,  That Appears To You A Trifle. It Is Not So Considered."

 

_The Judge._--Be More Particular In Your Question.

 

"I Will,  My Lord.--Did You Ever Write An Anonymous Letter,  To Make

Mischief Between Sir Charles And Lady Bassett?"

 

"Never," Said The Witness; But He Turned Pale.

 

"Do You Mean To Say You Did Not Write This Letter To Miss Bruce? Look

At The Letter,  Mr. Bassett,  Before You Reply."

 

Bassett Cast One Swift Glance Of Agony At Wheeler; Then Braced Himself

Like Iron. He Examined The Letter Attentively,  Turned It Over,  Lived An

Age,  And Said It Was Not His Writing.

 

"Do You Swear That?"

 

"Certainly."

 

_Defendant's Counsel._--I Shall Ask Your Lordship To Take Down That

Reply. If Persisted In,  My Client Will Indict The Witness For Perjury.

 

_Plaintiff's Counsel._--Don't Threaten The Witness As Well As Insult

Him,  Please.

 

_The Judge._--He Is An Educated Man,  And Knows The Duty He Owes To God

And The Defendant.--Take Time,  Mr. Bassett,  And Recollect. Did You

Part 3 Chapter 12 Pg 94

Write That Letter?"

 

"No,  My Lord."

 

Counsel Waited For The Judge To Note The Reply,  Then Proceeded.

 

"You Have Lately Corresponded With Lady Bassett,  I Think?"

 

"Yes. Her Ladyship Opened A Correspondence With Me."

 

"It Is A Lie!" Roared Sir Charles Bassett From The Door Of The Grand

Jury Room.

 

"Silence In The Court!"

 

_The Judge._--Who Made That Unseemly Remark?

 

_Sir Charles._--I Did,  My Lord. My Wife Never Corresponded With The

Cur.

 

_The Plaintiff._--It Is Only One Insult More,  Gentlemen,  And As False

As The Rest. Permit Me,  My Lord. My Own Counsel Would Never Have Put

The Question. I Would Not,  For The World,  Give Lady Bassett Pain; But

Sir Charles And His Counsel Have Extorted The Truth From Me. Her

Ladyship Did Open A Correspondence With Me,  And A Friendly One.

 

_The Plaintiff's Counsel._--Will Your Lordship Ask Whether That Was

After The Defendant Had Written The Libel?

 

The Question Was Put,  And Answered In The Affirmative.

 

Lady Bassett Hid Her Face In Her Hands. Sir Charles Saw The Movement,

And Groaned Aloud.

 

_The Judge._--I Beg The Case May Not Be Encumbered With Irrelevant

Matter.

 

Counsel Replied That The Correspondence Would Be Made Evidence In The

Case. _(To The Witness.)_--You Wrote This Letter To Lady Bassett?"

 

"Yes."

 

"And Every Word In It?"

 

"And Every Word In It," Faltered Bassett,  Now Ashy Pale,  For He Began

To See The Trap.

 

"Then You Wrote This Word 'Character,' And This Word 'Injured,' And

This Word--"

 

_The Judge_ (Peevishly).--He Tells You He Wrote Every Word In Those

Letters To Lady Bassett.--What More Would You Have?

 

_Counsel._--If Your Lordship Will Be Good Enough To Examine The

Part 3 Chapter 12 Pg 95

Correspondence,  And Compare Those Words In It I Have Underlined With

The Same Words In The Anonymous Letter,  You Will Perhaps Find I Know My

Business Better Than You Seem To Think. (The Counsel Who Ventured On

This Remonstrance Was A Sergeant.)

 

"Brother Eitherside," Said The Judge,  With A Charming Manner,  "You

Satisfied Me Of That,  To My Cost,  Long Ago,  Whenever I Had You Against

Me In A Case. Please Hand Me The Letters."

 

While The Judge Was Making A Keen Comparison,  Counsel Continued The

Cross-Examination.

 

"You Are Aware That This Letter Caused A Separation Between Sir Charles

Bassett And The Lady He Was Engaged To?"

 

"I Know Nothing About It."

 

"Indeed! Well,  Were You Acquainted With The Miss Somerset Mentioned In

This Letter?"

 

"Slightly."

 

"You Have Been At Her House?"

 

"Once Or Twice."

 

"Which? Twice Is Double As Often As Once,  You Know."

 

"Twice."

 

"No More?"

 

"Not That I Recollect."

 

"You Wrote To Her?"

 

"I May Have."

 

"Did You,  Or Did You Not?"

 

"I Did."

 

"What Was The Purport Of That Letter?"

 

"I Can't Recollect At This Distance Of Time."

 

"On Your Oath,  Sir,  Did You Not Write Urging Her To Co-Operate With You

To Keep Sir Charles Bassett From Marrying His Affianced,  Miss Bella

Bruce,  To Whom That Anonymous Letter Was Written With The Same Object?"

 

The Perspiration Now Rolled In Visible Drops Down The Tortured Liar's

Face. Yet Still,  By A Gigantic Effort,  He Stood Firm,  And Even Planted

A Blow.

Part 3 Chapter 12 Pg 96

"I Did Not Write The Anonymous Letter. But I Believe I Told Miss

Somerset I Loved Miss Bruce,  And That _Her_ Lover Was Robbing Me Of

Mine,  As He Had Robbed Me Of Everything Else."

 

"And That Was All You Said--On Your Oath?"

 

"All I Can Recollect." With This The Strong Man,  Cowed,  Terrified,

Expecting His Letter To Somerset To Be Produced,  And So The Iron Chain

Of Evidence Completed,  Gasped Out,  "Man,  You Tear Open All My Wounds At

Once!" And With This Burst Out Sobbing,  And Lamenting Aloud That He Had

Ever Been Born.

 

Counsel Waited Calmly Till He Should Be In A Condition To Receive

Another Dose.

 

"Oh,  Will Nobody Stop This Cruel Trial?" Said Lady Bassett,  With The

Tears Trickling Down Her Face.

 

The Judge Heard This Remark Without Seeming To Do So.

 

He Said To Defendant's Counsel,  "Whatever The Truth May Be,  You Have

Proved Enough To Show Sir Charles Bassett Might Well Have An Honest

Conviction That Mr. Bassett Had Done A Dastardly Act. Whether A Jury

Would Ever Agree On A Question Of Handwriting Must Always Be Doubtful.

Looking At The Relationship Of The Parties,  Is It Advisable To Carry

This Matter Further? If I Might Advise The Gentlemen,  They Would Each

Consent To Withdraw A Juror."

 

Upon This Suggestion The Counsel For Both Parties Put Their Heads

Together In Animated Whispers; And During This The Judge Made A Remark

To The Jury,  Intended For The Public: "Since Lady Bassett's Name Has

Been Drawn Into This,  I Must Say That I Have Read Her Letters To Mr.

Bassett,  And They Are Such As She Could Write Without In The Least

Compromising Her Husband. Indeed,  Now The Defense Is Disclosed,  They

Appear To Me To Be Wise And Kindly Letters,  Such As Only A Good Wife,  A

High-Bred Lady,  And A True Christian Could Write In So Delicate A

Matter."

 

_Plaintiff's Counsel._--My Lord,  We Are Agreed To Withdraw A Juror.

 

_Defendant's Counsel._--Out Of Respect For Your Lordship's Advice,  And

Not From Any Doubt Of The Result On _Our_ Part.

 

_The Crier._--Wace _V._ Haliburton!

 

And So The Car Of Justice Rolled On Till It Came To Wheeler V. Bassett.

 

This Case Was Soon Disposed Of.

 

Sir Charles Bassett Was Dignified And Calm In The Witness-Box,  And

Treated The Whole Matter With High-Bred Nonchalance,  As One Unworthy Of

The Attention The Court Was Good Enough To Bestow On It. The Judge

Disapproved The Assault,  But Said The Plaintiff Had Drawn It On Himself

Part 3 Chapter 12 Pg 97

By Unprofessional Conduct,  And By Threatening A Gentleman In His Own

House. Verdict For The Plaintiff--40s. The Judge Refused To Certify

For Costs.

 

Lady Bassett,  Her Throat Parched With Excitement,  Drove Home,  And

Awaited Her Husband's Return With No Little Anxiety. As Soon As She

Heard Him In His Dressing-Room She Glided In And Went Down On Her Knees

To Him. "Pray,  Pray Don't Scold Me; I Couldn't Bear You To Be Defeated,

Charles."

 

Sir Charles Raised Her,  But Did Not Kiss Her.

 

"You Think Only Of Me," Said He,  Rather Sadly. "It Is A Sorry Victory,

Too Dearly Bought."

 

Then She Began To Cry.

 

Sir Charles Begged Her Not To Cry; But Still He Did Not Kiss Her,  Nor

Conceal His Mortification: He Hardly Spoke To Her For Several Days.

 

She Accepted Her Disgrace Pensively And Patiently. She Thought It All

Over,  And Felt Her Husband Was Right,  And Loved Her Like A Man. But She

Thought,  Also,  That She Was Not Very Wrong To Love Him In Her Way.

Wrong Or Not,  She Felt She Could Not Sit Idle And See His Enemy Defeat

Him.

 

The Coolness Died Away By Degrees,  With So Much Humility On One Side

And So Much Love On Both: But The Subject Was Interdicted Forever.

 

A Week After The Trial Lady Bassett Wrote To Mrs. Marsh,  Under Cover To

Mr. Oldfield,  And Told Her How The Trial Had Gone,  And,  With Many

Expressions Of Gratitude,  Invited Her And Her Husband To Huntercombe

Hall. She Told Sir Charles What She Had Done,  And He Wore A Very

Strange Look. "Might I Suggest That We Have Them Alone?" Said He Dryly.

 

"By All Means," Said Lady Bassett. "I Don't Want To Share My Paragon

With Anybody."

 

In Due Course A Reply Came; Mr. And Mrs. Marsh Would Avail Themselves

Some Day Of Lady Bassett's Kindness: At Present They Were Going Abroad.

The Letter Was Written By A Man's Hand.

 

About This Time Oldfield Sent Sir Charles Miss Somerset's Deed,

Canceled,  And Told Him She Had Married A Man Of Fortune,  Who Was

Devoted To Her,  And Preferred To Take Her Without Any Dowry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bassett And Wheeler Went Home,  Crestfallen,  And Dined Together. They

Discussed The Two Trials,  And Each Blamed The Other. They Quarreled And

Parted: And Wheeler Sent In An Enormous Bill,  Extending Over Five