FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311  
312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   >>   >|  
given in a full, emphatic tone. Mr. Belcher entirely lost his self-possession. His face grew white, his eyes were wild, and raising his clenched fist he brought it down with a powerful blow upon the table before him, and exclaimed: "My God!" The court-room became in an instant as silent as death. The Judge uttered no reprimand, but looked inquiringly, and with unfeigned astonishment, at the defendant. Mr. Cavendish rose and begged the Court to overlook his client's excitement, as he had evidently been taken off his guard. "Paul Benedict is your brother, you say?" resumed Mr. Balfour. "He is, sir." "What was his employment before he left New York?" "He was an inventor from his childhood, and received a careful education in accordance with his mechanical genius." "Why did he leave New York?" "I am ashamed to say that he left in consequence of my own unkindness." "What was the occasion of your unkindness?" "His marriage with one whom I did not regard as his own social equal or mine." "What was her name?" "Jane Kendrick." "How did you learn that he was alive?" "Through his son, whom I invited into my house, after he was brought to this city by yourself." "Have you recently visited the cemetery at Sevenoaks?" "I have, sir." "Did you see the grave of your sister-in-law?" "I did." "Was there a headstone upon the grave?" "There was a humble one." "What inscription did it bear?" "Jane Kendrick, wife of Paul Benedict." "When and where did you see your brother first, after your separation?" "Early last summer at a place called Number Nine." "Did you recognise him?" "I did, at once." "Has anything occurred, in the intercourse of the summer, to make you suspect that the man whom you recognised as your brother was an impostor?" "Nothing. We have conversed with perfect familiarity on a thousand events and circumstances of our early life. I know him to be my brother as well as I know my own name, and my own identity." "That is all," said Mr. Balfour. "Mrs. Dillingham," said Mr. Cavendish after holding a long whispered conversation with his client, "you were glad to find your brother at last, were you not?" "Very glad, sir." "Why?" "Because I was sorry for the misery which I had inflicted upon him, and to which I had exposed him." "You were the victim of remorse, as I understand you?" "Yes, sir; I suppose so." "Were you conscious that your condition
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311  
312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

brother

 

Cavendish

 

Balfour

 

Benedict

 
client
 

Kendrick

 

summer

 

unkindness

 
brought
 

occurred


Number
 
intercourse
 

recognise

 

suspect

 

Nothing

 

conversed

 

impostor

 

recognised

 

called

 

Belcher


headstone
 

sister

 

possession

 

humble

 

inscription

 

separation

 
perfect
 
misery
 

inflicted

 
exposed

Because

 

victim

 
conscious
 

condition

 

suppose

 
remorse
 
understand
 

conversation

 

circumstances

 

Sevenoaks


thousand

 

events

 

identity

 
holding
 

whispered

 
Dillingham
 

emphatic

 

familiarity

 

recently

 
employment