Chapter V

I beseech you,
Wrest once the law to your authority:
To do a great right, do a little wrong.
SHAKSPEARE.

My watch, Sir, has indeed comprehended two auspicious persons.
IBID.

Whilst Lady Gayland struggled to recover her own composure, she felt how important it was to prepare Lucy’s mind for the ordeal which she had so soon to go through in the shape of a legal investigation into all these transactions, and previous to which it was so important that her tranquillity should in some measure be restored. She knew the unfair inferences which might by possibility be drawn from her present disordered state; how often, in the hard judgment of technical men, the effects of modest embarrassment and awe-struck inexperience may be perverted into the confusion and contradictions of guilt; and in this case the probability of such a misconstruction was increased by the overwhelming nature of the recent sorrows which oppressed her. Yet all the assistance which she could give her to support her through so severe a trial, Lady Gayland felt, must be in previous advice, for to it she must go alone and unaccompanied. However much the interest she now felt in her new _protégée_ might make her wish to accompany her, she was aware that her presence, as a female guest of Sir North’s, at a legal investigation in his private room, into a deed of blood and violence, would be rather misplaced. She therefore attempted to sustain the impression of the last idea, which seemed to have so powerful an effect on Lucy’s feelings, and to enforce upon her a due sense of the unpleasant duty to which she was shortly to be summoned, and from which she could not shrink, saying, “If that dreadful scene to which you have alluded with such natural sensations of horror, is actually impressed upon your mind as a fact, you should endeavour to recollect that you are now in the power, and shortly will be summoned into the presence of those who have a right to ask all you know on the subject. You would, of course, be most careful not to make a matter of grave accusation against any one that which may have been merely the workings of your own distempered imagination; but if you can really feel assured that you actually saw that which you described, however painful it may be to the retiring gentleness of your character to bear witness against any one, you have now no choice; you owe it not only to the memory of him you mourn, but also your duty to that superior power who has ordained that through you justice should in this instance be done on guilt, commands you to speak, without fear or shrinking, the plain and simple truth.”

“What! and myself twine the rope round his neck. Ugh! no, no!” muttered Lucy, shuddering: “my first, best, my only friend, whose only fault was loving me too well; who has thought of his Lucy far, far off, when, what was night to him, was day to me. No; if they have tortures here, let them use them, rather than I will utter one word against poor George.”

Lady Gayland felt now completely perplexed: she thought she knew the language of passion; she thought she could not be completely deceived in her estimate of artless innocence; and yet it was difficult to reconcile such contradictory expressions of strong affection, as it seemed, at the same time, for the slayer and the slain; him who had fallen a victim to lawless violence, and the perpetrator of the deed. The fact was, that Lucy’s affectionate disposition unconsciously impelled her to vent her feelings in exaggerated terms, when speaking of either of them; principally from the self-reproaches with regard to both, which she mixed up with the horrors of the last four-and-twenty hours. She could not bear to reflect that the last words on Churchill’s lips, before his untimely end, were unrequited professions of love for her, which love had, indeed, been the cause of his death: as little could she bear to recollect that it was to her alleged fickleness, though there never had been any positive pledges to confirm such an accusation, that George had attributed all his progressive errors, and but too plainly traced his last dreadful act of guilt.

Lady Gayland’s object in seeking Lucy Darnell in her present temporary confinement, had been, if possible, to soothe the sorrows of an unfortunate female. But it was no part of her intention to gratify her own curiosity through the medium of that involuntary half-confidence which those sorrows themselves might be the means of eliciting. The sort of mystery which to her seemed to hang over Lucy’s connexion, both with the murdered man and him who was in custody, induced her to avoid, rather than to press, any farther questions on that part of the subject; and she was confining her counsel to general advice, not to get herself into farther difficulties by an apparent attempt to thwart the ends of justice, when Mrs. Jones re-entered the room to inform her that the Lawyer from Mayton was arrived, and Mr. Spencer was taking off his shooting-gaiters, and Sir North was almost ready for what Mrs. Jones called his _justiciary_ business.

Lady Gayland rose to leave her _protegée_ with an anxious feeling as to the conduct she would pursue during her approaching trial: in spite of the doubt she was left in as to her connexion with some of the parties concerned in these transactions, the course of the interview with her had excited in her monitress’s breast a powerful interest in her behalf.

It was impossible not to be prepossessed in her favour by her personal appearance; though the obscurity of the darkened room in which they were, had prevented Lady Gayland from seeing her thoroughly. It is not merely on its victim man, that beauty in woman, when apart from rivalry, produces an irresistibly forcible effect. Lady Gayland, with all her occasional off-hand manner of speaking, and with the frequent temptations opened to an ever-ready fancy of ridiculing personal defects, could never be accused of having made an ill-natured remark upon a rival beauty; and, certainly, she could very well spare any occasional advantage which such use of her satirical powers might have been sufficient to promise. But here, not only the immeasurable distinction of their different rank in life, but the present position of one of the parties, would have prevented the idea of possible rivalry: and certainly, whatever may be thought the best light for commanding admiration; for exciting sympathy, there is nothing like beauty in distress.

Lucy was, on her side, so much touched by the unexpected interest shown in her fate by so superior a being as Lady Gayland, that, before parting with her, she promised faithfully, that in the examination to which she was about to be subjected, she would endeavour to be composed; and that at any rate she would be perfectly candid, on every part which related to herself, who she was and whence she came; and that as far as she could, without injuring those she wished to save, she would explain the whole transaction.

Lady Gayland, however, could not satisfy herself perfectly with this conditional promise. She felt a great inclination still, if possible, to be present at the examination; and in passing through the entrance-hall, in her way down, she found Sir North and Mr. Spencer in close conference; the former with a light, calfskin-covered, legal-looking, quarto volume under his arm; the other drawing the _charge_, not of the prisoners, but of his gun. The case had, however, been opened to him, as he was saying,

“Oh, certainly, Sir North; it will be the su-mmit of _ea_-rthly _fe-li-ci_-ty to me, to render myself, in the most _di-mi_-nutive degree, your servi_cea_ble sl_a_-ve. It is, as you justly assumed, one of the most _co_-mpli-_ca_-ted departm_e_-nts of your judicial functions. The advice of a pr_o_-fessional man is not only expedient, but I may say indisp-_e_-nsable to a rural Archimedes. I suppose we must attack them under the 9th of George II. Chap. 35. for running unlawful goods. Apropos, Sir North--that black bitch, Juno, has taken to running hares; we had better put her into the indictment; ’p_o_-n my soul we had--ha! ha! If, according to the 9th of George II. this ch_a_-rge could be extr_a-ac_ted, I mean substantiated, it would be the most _e-li_-gible mode of p_ro_c_ee_ding; if not, we must pr-_o_-c_ee_d against them under the 5th of George III. Chapter 13. In the mean time, I will just change these,” sticking out conceitedly a worsted-clad fragment of a column, which was called a leg, and which it would have been well for him if he could have changed.

In all this he had shown as usual, that, with the greatest pretensions to accurate information, and professions of the desire to serve, his knowledge was never useful, and his assistance always contingent upon his own convenience.

Lady Gayland joined Sir North, as Mr. Spencer left him. “My dear Sir North, I am very anxious to interest you in favour of that young girl, who is about to be examined before you; I am sure that her connexion with these lawless parties is accidental and recent; but I foresee that she will be terribly alarmed at the whole proceeding. Now, what I want of you is no hard task,--it is only to recollect as _much_ as possible, that _she_ is a very pretty young girl, and as _little_ as possible, that you are the ‘great Justice Midas.’ I beg pardon,” she said, seeing that that last allusion was unfortunate; “all I meant was, that I hoped you would be the good-natured, indulgent person, you are to _all_ of our sex, and not endue any additional dignity on this occasion. Now just promise me that,” she said, in her most coaxing manner.

Sir North, who, in the fascination of her address, forgot Justice Midas, answered,

“My dear Lady Gayland, I have not now to inform you, that to me your _will_ alone is law; only recollect, it must not only be law to me, but must appear so to the professional gentlemen I have called in, or else--”

“Nay, Sir North, take care, or I shall come myself, and see whether you administer accurately what you own you consider as your only law, my sovereign will and pleasure.”

Sir North would generally have thought himself only too much flattered at Lady Gayland making him her _butt_, in any manner which at the moment might hit her fancy, or chime in with her merry humour; but just at present, principally from its novelty, his magisterial dignity was his hobby, on which account her threatened presence, bringing with it the imminent danger of ridicule, was particularly unpleasant to him; and he, therefore, bowed himself away, with as much of a negative as he dared to put upon any proposal of hers, vented in disjointed, half-sentences, “Fear--perfectly impossible--distract attention--syren voice--imperative duty--strictly private--magisterial functions--lives at stake--”

Lady Gayland, looking after him, only muttered, “Full of wise saws, and modern instances, and so he plays his part;” for she evidently saw that it would be impossible under these circumstances, with any delicacy, to press her desire to attend, and therefore, gave it up, and retired to her own room, to wait the result.