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〃Did you ever notice when you were setting Mrs。 Eustace
Macallan's room to rights whether the water left in the basin was
of a blackish or bluish color？〃 The witness answered； 〃I never
noticed anything of the sort。〃
The Dean of Faculty went on：
〃Did you ever find under the pillow of the bed； or in any other
hiding place in Mrs。 Macallan's room； any books or pamphlets
telling of remedies used for improving a bad complexion？〃 The
witness answered； 〃No。〃
The Dean of Faculty persisted：
〃Did you ever hear Mrs。 Macallan speak of arsenic； taken as a
wash or taken as a medicine； as a good thing to improve the
complexion？〃 The witness answered； 〃Never。〃
Similar questions were next put to the nurse； and were all
answered by this witness also in the negative。
Here； then； in spite of the negative answers； was the plan of the
defense made dimly visible for the first time to the jury and to
the audience。 By way of preventing the possibility of a mistake
in so serious a matter； the Chief Judge （the Lord Justice Clerk）
put this plain question； when the witnesses had retired； to the
Counsel for the defense：
〃The Court and the jury；〃 said his lordship； 〃wish distinctly to
understand the object of your cross…examination of the housemaid
and the nurse。 Is it the theory of the defense that Mrs。 Eustace
Macallan used the arsenic whichher husband purchased for the
purpose of improving the defects of her complexion？〃
The Dean of Faculty answered：
〃That is what we say； my lord； and what we propose to prove as
the foundation of the defense。 We cannot dispute the medical
evidence which declares that Mrs。 Macallan died poisoned。 But we
assert that she died of an overdose of arsenic； ignorantly taken；
in the privacy of her own room； as a remedy for the defectsthe
proved and admitted defectsof her complexion。 The prisoner's
Declaration before the Sheriff expressly sets forth that he
purchased the arsenic at the request of his wife。〃
The Lord Justice Clerk inquired upon this if there were any
objection on the part of either of the learned counsel to have
the Declaration read in Court before the Trial proceeded further。
To this the Dean of Faculty replied that he would be glad to have
the Declaration read。 If he might use the expression； it would
usefully pave the way in the minds of the jury for the defense
which he had to submit to them。
The Lord Advocate （speaking on the other side） was happy to be
able to accommodate his learned brother in this matter。 So long
as the mere assertions which the Declaration contained were not
supported by proof； he looked upon that document as evidence for
the prosecution； and he too was quite willing to have it read。
Thereupon the prisoner's Declaration of his innocenceon being
char ged before the Sheriff with the murder of his wifewas
read； in the following terms：
〃I bought the two packets of arsenic； on each occasion at my
wife's own request。 On the first occasion she told me the poison
was wanted by the gardener for use in the conservatories。 On the
second occasion she said it was required by the cook for ridding
the lower part of the house of rats。
〃I handed both packets of arsenic to my wife immediately on my
return home。 I had nothing to do with the poison after buying it。
My wife was the person who gave orders to the gardener and
cooknot I。 I never held any communication with either of them。
〃I asked my wife no questions about the use of the arsenic；
feeling no interest in the subject。 I never entered the
conservatories for months together； I care little about flowers。
As for the rats； I left the killing of them to the cook and the
other servants； just as I should have left any other part of the
domestic business to the cook and the other servants。
〃My wife never told me she wanted the arsenic to improve her
complexion。 Surely I should be the last person admitted to the
knowledge of such a secret of her toilet as that？ I implicitly
believed what she told me； viz。； that the poison was wanted for
the purposes specified by the gardener and the cook。
〃I assert positively that I lived on friendly terms with my wife；
allowing； of course； for the little occasional disagreements and
misunderstandings of married life。 Any sense of disappointment in
connection with my marriage which I might have felt privately I
conceived it to be my duty as a husband and a gentleman to
conceal from my wife。 I was not only shocked and grieved by her
untimely deathI was filled with fear that I had not； with all
my care； behaved affectionately enough to her in her lifetime。
〃Furthermore； I solemnly declare that I know no more of how she
took the arsenic found in her body than the babe unborn。 I am
innocent even of the thought of harming that unhappy woman。 I
administered the composing draught exactly as I found it in the
bottle。 I afterward gave her the cup of tea exactly as I received
it from the under…housemaid's hand。 I never had access to the
arsenic after I placed the two packages in my wife's possession。
I am entirely ignorant of what she did with them or of where she
kept them。 I declare before God I am innocent of the horrible
crime with which I am charged。〃
With the reading of those true and touching words the proceedings
on the second day of the Trial came to an end。
So far； I must own； the effect on me of reading the Report was
to depress my spirits and to lower my hopes。 The whole weight of
the evidence at the close of the second day was against my
unhappy husband。 Woman as I was； and partisan as I was； I could
plainly see that。
The merciless Lord Advocate （I confess I hated him！） had proved
（1） that Eustace had bought the poison； （2） that the reason which
he had given to the druggists for buying the poison was not the
true reason； （3） that he had had two opportunities of secretly
administering the poison to his wife。 On the other side； what had
the Dean of Faculty proved？ As yetnothing。 The assertions in
the prisoner's Declaration of his innocence were still； as the
Lord Advocate had remarked； assertions not supported by proof。
Not one atom of evidence had been produced to show that it was
the wife who had secretly used the arsenic； and used it for her
complexion。
My one consolation was that the reading of the Trial had already
revealed to me the helpful figures of two friends on whose
sympathy I might surely rely。 The crippled Mr。 Dexter had
especially shown himself to be a thorough good ally of my
husband's。 My heart warmed to the man who had moved his chair
against the bedside tablethe man who had struggled to the last
to defend Eustace's papers from the wretches who had seized them。
I decided then and there that the first person to whom I would
confide my aspirations and my hopes should be Mr。 Dexter。 If he
felt any difficulty about advising me； I would then apply next to
the agent； Mr。 Playmorethe second good friend； who had formally
protested against the seizure of my husband's papers。
Fortified by this resolution； I turned the page； and read the
history of the third day of the Trial。
CHAPTER XVIII。
THIRD QUESTIONWHAT WAS HIS MOTIVE？
THE first quest