out a case, sir, for their
consideration, which every man of them would have believed he himself
saw. I would have shown your nephew, sir, riding down the narrow trace,
like a peaceable gentleman; anon, sir, you should have seen Forrester
coming along full tilt after him. Forrester should have cried out with a
whoop and a right royal oath; then Mr. Colleton would have heard him,
and turned round to receive him. But Forrester is drunk, you know, and
will not understand the young man's civilities. He blunders out a volley
of curses right and left, and bullies Master Colleton for a fight, which
he declines. But Forrester is too drunk to mind all that. Without more
ado, he mounts the young gentleman and is about to pluck out his eyes,
when he feels the dirk in his ribs, and then they cut loose. He gets the
dirk from Master Colleton, and makes at him; but he picks up a hatchet
that happens to be lying about, and drives at his head, and down drops
Forrester, as he ought to, dead as a door-nail."

"Good heavens! and why did you not bring these facts forward? They
surely could not have condemned him under these circumstances."

"Bring them forward! To be sure, I would have done so but, as I tell
you, just when on the threshold, at the very entrance into the
transaction, up pops this hasty young fellow--I'm sorry to call your
nephew so, Colonel Colleton--but the fact is, he owes his situation
entirely to himself. I would have saved him, but he was obstinately bent
on not being saved; and just as I commenced the affair, up he pops and
tells me, before all the people, that I know nothing about it. A pretty
joke, indeed. I know nothing about it, and it my business to know all
about it. Sir, it ruined him. I saw, from that moment, how the cat would
jump. I pitied the poor fellow, but what more could I do?"

"But it is not too late--we can memorialize the governor, we can put
these facts in form, and by duly showing them with the accompanying
proofs, we can obtain a new trial--a respite."

"Can't be done now--it's too late. Had I been let alone--had not the
youth come between me and my duty--I would have saved him, sir, as under
God, I have saved hundreds before. But it's too late now."

"Oh, surely not too late! with the facts that you mention, if you will
give me the names of the witnesses furnishing them, so that I can obtain
their affidavits--"

"Witnesses!--what witnesses?"

"Why, did you not tell me of the manner in whic