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the law and the lady-第38章

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the room。

〃I opened the door cautiously。 Instead of the crippled gentleman;
whom I had expected to see again; there was another stranger
standing outside。 The prisoner hailed him as a friend and
neighbor; and eagerly called upon him for protection from us。 We
found this second gentleman pleasant enough to deal with。 He
informed us readily that he had been sent for by Mr。 Dexter; and
that he was himself a lawyer; and he asked to see our warrant。
Having looked at it; he at once informed the prisoner (evidently
very much to the prisoner's surprise) that he must submit to have
the drawer examined; under protest。 And then; without more ado;
he got the key; and opened the table drawer for us himself。

〃We found inside several letters; and a large book with a lock to
it; having the words 'My Diary' inscribed on it in gilt letters。
As a matter of course; we took possession of the letters and the
Diary; and sealed them up; to be given to the Fiscal。 At the same
time the gentleman wrote out a protest on the prisoner's behalf;
and handed us his card。 The card informed us that he was Mr。
Playmore; now one of the Agents for the prisoner。 The card and
the protest were deposited; with the other documents; in the care
of the Fiscal。 No other discoveries of any importance were made
at Gleninch。

〃Our next inquiries took us to Edinburghto the druggist whose
label we had found on the crumpled morsel of paper; and to other
druggists likewise whom we were instructed to question。 On the
twenty…eighth of October the Fiscal was in possession of all the
information that we could collect; and our duties for the time
 being came to an end。〃

This concluded the evidence of Schoolcraft and Lorrie。 It was not
shaken on cross…examination; and it was plainly unfavorable to
the prisoner。

Matters grew worse still when the next witnesses were called。 The
druggist whose label had been found on the crumpled bit of paper
now appeared on the stand; to make the position of my unhappy
husband more critical than ever。

Andrew Kinlay; druggist; of Edinburgh; deposed as follows:

〃I keep a special registry book of the poisons sold by me。 I
produce the book。 On the date therein mentioned the prisoner at
the bar; Mr。 Eustace Macallan; came into my shop; and said that
he wished to purchase some arsenic。 I asked him what it was
wanted for。 He told me it was wanted by his gardener; to be used;
in solution; for the killing of insects in the greenhouse。 At the
same time he mentioned his nameMr。 Macallan; of Gleninch。 I at
once directed my assistant to put up the arsenic (two ounces of
it); and I made the necessary entry in my book。 Mr。 Macallan
signed the entry; and I signed it afterward as witness。 He paid
for the arsenic; and took it away with him wrapped up in two
papers; the outer wrapper being labeled with my name and address;
and with the word 'Poison' in large lettersexactly like the
label now produced on the piece of paper found at Gleninch。〃

The next witness; Peter Stockdale (also a druggist of Edinburgh);
followed; and said:

〃The prisoner at the bar called at my shop on the date indicated
on my register; some days later than the date indicated in the
register of Mr。 Kinlay。 He wished to purchase sixpenny…worth of
arsenic。 My assistant; to whom he had addressed himself; called
me。 It is a rule in my shop that no one sells poisons but myself。
I asked the prisoner what he wanted the arsenic for。 He answered
that he wanted it for killing rats at his house; called Gleninch。
I said; 'Have I the honor of speaking to Mr。 Macallan; of
Gleninch?' He said that was his name。 I sold him the
arsenicabout an ounce and a halfand labeled the bottle in
which I put it with the word 'Poison' in my own handwriting。 He
signed the register; and took the arsenic away with him; after
paying for it。〃

The cross…examination of the two men succeeded in asserting
certain technical objections to their evidence。 But the terrible
fact that my husband himself had actually purchased the arsenic
in both cases remained unshaken。

The next witnessesthe gardener and the cook at Gleninchwound
the chain of hostile evidence around the prisoner more
mercilessly still。

On examination the gardener said; on his oath:

〃I never received any arsenic from the prisoner; or from any one
else; at the date to which you refer; of at any other date。 I
never used any such thing as a solution of arsenic; or ever
allowed the men working under me to use it; in the conservatories
or in the garden at Gleninch。 I disapprove of arsenic as a means
of destroying noxious insects infesting flowers and plants。〃

The cook; being called next; spoke as positively as the gardener:

〃Neither my master nor any other person gave me any arsenic to
destroy rats at any time。 No such thing was wanted。 I declare; on
my oath; that I never saw any rats in or about the house; or ever
heard of any rats infesting it。〃

Other household servants at Gleninch gave similar evidence。
Nothing could be extracted from them on cross…examination except
that there might have been rats in the house; though they were
not aware of it。 The possession of the poison was traced directly
to my husband; and to no one else。 That he had bought it was
actually proved; and that he had kept it was the one conclusion
that the evidence justified。

The witnesses who came next did their best to press the charge
against the prisoner home to him。 Having the arsenic in his
possession; what had he done with it? The evidence led the jury
to infer what he had done with it。

The prisoner's valet deposed that his master had rung for him at
twenty minutes to ten on the morning of the day on which his
mistress died; and had ordered a cup of tea for her。 The man had
received the order at the open door of Mrs。 Macallan's room; and
could positively swear that no other person but his master was
there at the time。

The under…housemaid; appearing next; said that she had made the
tea; and had herself taken it upstairs before ten o'clock to Mrs。
Macallan's room。 Her master had received it from her at the open
door。 She could look in; and could see that he was alone in her
mistress's room。

The nurse; Christina Ormsay; being recalled; repeated what Mrs。
Macallan had said to her on the day when that lady was first
taken ill。 She had said (speaking to the nurse at six o'clock in
the morning); 〃Mr。 Macallan came in about an hour since; he found
me still sleepless; and gave me my composing draught。〃 This was
at five o'clock in the morning; while Christina Ormsay was asleep
on the sofa。 The nurse further swore that she had looked at the
bottle containing the composing mixture; and had seen by the
measuring marks on the bottle that a dose had been poured out
since the dose previously given; administered by herself。

On this occasion special interest was excited by the
cross…examination。 The closing questions put to the
under…housemaid and the nurse revealed for the first time what
the nature of the defense was to be。

Cross…examining the under…housemaid; the Dean of Faculty said:

〃Did you ever notice when you were setting Mrs。 Eustace
Macallan's room to right
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