Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 287: what you’re looking at

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A TR vony we Paste ee 274 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. sifting of many ideas: I should say that I sate in my apartment with my thoughts riveted in horrified dismay upon the one idea that Constan- tine and his young page were murderers! Two or three hours elapsed while I thus kept to my apartment, until aroused from my deep and terrible reverie by the entrance of the waiter to receive orders for dinner. My first impulse was to dismiss the man peremptorily from my pre- sence: but a second thought made me compre- hend that if I betrayed too deep a feeling in re- spect to what had occurred, I myself might get talked about and be questioned by the function- aries of justice as to the circumstances which had led me on board the pirate-ship. I was by no means anxious to reyeal private affairs, or have to explain my motives in taking so deep an interest in the safety of Sir Matthew Heseltine and his family; and therefore it was my object to keep myself as much on my guard as possible. I ac- cordingly answered the waiter’s questions; and soon afterwards I descended to the coffee-room. There I met the Corsican gentleman to whom I have before alluded; and he gave me to under- stand that he was led by curiosity to be present at the examination of Durazzo and the young page before the proper magistrate at Ajaccio. He said that the demeanour of the elder Greek was firm, but that his countenance was all the while of a deadly paleness. As for the page, he appeared to be so overwhelmed with distress that he looked as if he were every instant ready to throw himself upon his knees, confess everything, and implore the mercy of the tribunal. I asked the Corsican a few particulars: but I had nothing more to learn beyond what the farmer’s son had already told me—unless it were the fact that blood had been discovered on the garments of Durazzo. “And did he attempt to account for it in any way ?”’ E asked. “Yes,” xeplied the Corsican gentleman: “he said that he had aeeidentally cut his hand yester- day afternoon; and though he certainly displayed some slight scratch, it was too insignificant to ae- count for the large spots of blood that were found upon his garments. Besides, even without that evidence at all, there is sufficient to stamp them both with the crime charged against them.” ey -_--_- ---en—Xn—xXxOoOoOoOoO___. ---_ —_ -—C<aePrere-e eer» ns 0. 0 OOO eae sumption of the other will avail him nothing. The excitement in the city is immense. If this Du- razzo were now in custody on a charge of piracy alone, I feel convinced that he would become an object of immense sympathy, and even of admira- tion; for his appearance is marvellously prepos- sessing. But accused as he is of a deed so dark and horrible, he is looked upon as a demon wear- ing the beautiful shape of an angel.” I sighed profoundly as I listened to these re- marks; and I could not help thinking that never again must I judge by personal appearances—for that the most venomous snakes have often the loveliest skins. But who, I said within myself, can fathom the human heart—dive deep down into its mysteries—and ascertain what fearful capacities for evil may be latent there? The more I saw of human nature, the more I was astounded, and the more deeply was I impressed with the necessity of enlarging my experiences as much as possible. I felt that for one of my youthful years to be pre- sumptuous enough to judge of human nature, and to define the imstances where virtue and vice should have their limits drawn, were as prepos- terous as for the human intellect, when standing on the shore of Time, to ¢ontemplate the great ocean of Eternity, with the hope of discovering an horizon in the far-off distance. sw CHAPTER OCXXXV. s SIGNOR CASTELLI, I went to bed that night with very sad and sor- rowful reflections. That Durazzo and the page had perpetrated the murder—or at least that the former had, the latter being with him at the time —I could not entertain the slightest doubt. It was however eyident that many circumstances which had really told against the prisoners, could be otherwise explained. ° The impression now was —and naturally so—that the murder was a pre- meditated one,—that they had lingered in the town, hired the cart, and sought the ruins for the purpose of accomplishing it,—they having by some means, previous to quitting the farm in the morn- ¢* And when will the trial corze on?” I inquired. | ing, induced Leone te meet them amongst those “In about three weeks,” was the response,— | ruins at a specified hour in the evening. “ unless Durazzo himself should seek to postpone it by means of legal technicalities.” “Were he and his companion represented by counsel P” I asked, “No: there was not time for them to consult any legal adviser,” rejoined the Corsican; “and moreover you must remember that it was a mere preliminary examination which they underwent immediately upon their arrival this afternoon, As usual there were a number of harpies of the law prowling about the court, ready to slip their cards into the hands of the prisoners as they came forth from the presence of the Judge of Instruction. If the prisoners. have money, they will find plenty of legal advisers and defenders: but if they happen to be penniless, the Court will appoint some re- spectable advocate to undertake their defence. The general impression however seems to be that the younger of the two prisoners will plead guilty when finally arraigned; and if so, all the lofty as- —— ee LT eee Bué all those circumstances in reality admitted of a very different interpretation. To ms it was clear enough that the Greeks had lingered in the town and retraced their way to the ruins in order to obtain possession of the treasure; and thereiore felt assured in my own mind that Leone’s visit to the ruins at the same time was an accidental coin- cidence—and that falling in with the Greeks, he met his death at the hands of Durazzo. Such was my impression. But yet there were some little difficulties to get over—some gaps to be filled up. Why, I asked myself, should Du- razzo have assassinated Leone? The place where the corpse was found, was at a distance from the cemetery in the midst of which the treasure was buried; and it was very far from appearing that Durazzo and the page were disturbed while pene- trating into the subterranean. Indeed, it would seem that they could only have just arrived amongst the ruins at the time of the tragedy, a OO -_--- Sr. OO O83 —————————————————— - o_$—O <\OOaaeoaoaoaereresee> i er. ---- - se - eS 6S OOO) (©)