is arm and
struck, and the lady fell. His father was a cautious man, and when he
saw the prisoner rush up the cliff and disappear, when he saw that the
lady was dead, and that the storm was beginning to rage violently and
the tide was coming in, and fearing, besides, that he should get into
trouble, he hurried into the boat and put off and boarded the schooner,
and as soon as possible set sail for Bermuda. They had kept away from
this coast for years, that is to say, as long as the father lived.

John Miles was cross-examined by Mr. Romford, but without effect.

This testimony bore fatally upon the prisoner's cause--the silence of
consternation reigned through the crowd.

Thurston Willcoxen, when he heard this astounding evidence, first
thought that the witness was perjured, but when he looked closely upon
his open, honest face, and fearless eye and free bearing, he saw that no
consciousness of falsehood was there and he could but grant that the
witness, naturally deceived by "foregone conclusions," had inevitably
mistaken the real murderer for himself.

Darker and darker lowered the pall of fate over him--the awful stillness
of the court was oppressive, was suffocating; a deathly faintness came
upon him, for now, for the first time, he fully realized the awful doom
that threatened him. Not long his nature bowed under the burden--his
spirit rose to throw it off, and once more the fine head was proudly
raised, nor did it once sink again. The last witness for the prosecution
was called and took the stand, and deposed that he lived ten miles down
the coast in an isolated, obscure place; that on the first of May, 182-,
the body of a woman had been found at low tide upon the beach, that it
had the appearance of having been very long in the water--the clothing
was respectable, the dress was dark blue stuff, but was faded in
spots--there was a ring on the finger, but the hand was so swollen that
it could not be got off. His poor neighbors of the coast assembled. They
made an effort to get the coroner, but he could not be found. And the
state of the body demanded immediate burial. When cross-questioned by
Lawyer Romford, the witness said that they had not then heard of any
missing or murdered lady, but had believed the body to be that of a
shipwrecked passenger, until they heard of Miss Mayfield's fate.

Miriam was next recalled. She came in as before, supported between
Colonel and Miss Thornton. Every one who saw the poor