\"Thecircumstancesofthemomentadaptedthemselves，withafatalfacility，tothisidea。Theill—fatedwomanwhohadbecomeattachedtome（Heavenknows——withoutsomuchastheshadowofencouragementonmypart！）had，justatthattime，rashlyplacedherreputationatthemercyoftheworld。Itrestedwithmetosilencethescandaloustonguesthatreviledher。WithHelenalosttome，happinesswasnottobeexpected。Allwomenwereequallyindifferenttome。Agenerousactionwouldbethesalvationofthiswoman。Whynotperformit？Imarriedheronthatimpulse——marriedherjustasImighthavejumpedintothewaterandsavedherifshehadbeendrowning；justasImighthaveknockedamandownifIhadseenhimill—treatingherinthestreet！
\"AndnowthewomanforwhomIhavemadethissacrificestandsbetweenmeandmyHelena——myHelena，freetopouroutallthetreasuresofherloveonthemanwhoadorestheearththatshetoucheswithherfoot！
\"Fool！madman！Whydon’tIdashoutmybrainsagainstthewallthatIseeoppositetomewhileIwritetheselines？
\"Mygunisthereinthecorner。Ihaveonlytotieastringtothetriggerandtoputthemuzzletomymouth——No！Mymotherisalive；mymother’sloveissacred。Ihavenorighttotakethelifewhichshegaveme。Imustsufferandsubmit。Oh，Helena！
Helena！\"
Thethirdextract——oneamongmanysimilarpassages——hadbeenwrittenabouttwomonthsbeforethedeathoftheprisoner’swife。
\"Morereproachesaddressedtome！Thereneverwassuchawomanforcomplaining；shelivesinaperfectatmosphereofill—temperanddiscontent。
\"Mynewoffensesaretwoinnumber：Ineveraskhertoplaytomenow；andwhensheputsonanewdressexpresslytopleaseme，I
nevernoticeit。Noticeit！GoodHeavens！Theeffortofmylifeis_not_tonoticeherinanythingshedoesorsays。HowcouldI
keepmytemper，unlessIkeptasmuchaspossibleoutofthewayofprivateinterviewswithher？AndIdokeepmytemper。Iamneverhardonher；Ineveruseharshlanguagetoher。Shehasadoubleclaimonmyforbearance———sheisawoman，andthelawhasmadehermywife。Irememberthis；butIamhuman。ThelessIseeofher——exceptwhenvisitorsarepresent——themorecertainIcanfeelofpreservingmyself—control。
\"Iwonderwhatitisthatmakeshersoutterlydistastefultome？
Sheisaplainwoman；butIhaveseenuglierwomenthanshewhosecaressesIcouldhaveenduredwithoutthesenseofshrinkingthatcomesovermewhenIamobligedtosubmitto_her_caresses。I
keepthefeelinghiddenfromher。Shelovesme，poorthing——andI
pityher。IwishIcoulddomore；IwishIcouldreturninthesmallestdegreethefeelingwithwhichsheregardsme。Butno——I
canonlypityher。Ifshewouldbecontenttoliveonfriendlytermswithme，andnevertoexactdemonstrationsoftenderness，wemightgetonprettywell。Butshewantslove。Unfortunatecreature，shewantslove！
\"Oh，myHelena！Ihavenolovetogiveher。Myheartisyours。
\"Idreamedlastnightthatthisunhappywifeofminewasdead。
ThedreamwassovividthatIactuallygotoutofmybedandopenedthedoorofherroomandlistened。
\"Hercalm，regularbreathingwasdistinctlyaudibleinthestillnessofthenight。Shewasinadeepsleep：Iclosedthedooragainandlightedmycandleandread。Helenawasinallmythoughts；itwashardworktofixmyattentiononthebook。Butanythingwasbetterthangoingtobedagain，anddreamingperhapsforthesecondtimethatItoowasfree。
\"Whatalifemineis！whatalifemywife’sis！Ifthehouseweretotakefire，IwonderwhetherIshouldmakeanefforttosavemyselfortosaveher？\"
Thelasttwopassagesreadreferredtolaterdatesstill。
\"Agleamofbrightnesshasshoneoverthisdismalexistenceofmineatlast。
\"Helenaisnolongercondemnedtotheseclusionofwidowhood。
Timeenoughhaspassedtopermitofhermixingagaininsociety。
SheispayingvisitstofriendsinourpartofScotland；and，assheandIarecousins，itisuniversallyunderstoodthatshecannotleavetheNorthwithoutalsospendingafewdaysatmyhouse。Shewritesmewordthatthevisit，howeverembarrassingitmaybetousprivately，isneverthelessavisitthatmustbemadeforthesakeofappearances。Blessingsonappearances！Ishallseethisangelinmypurgatory——andallbecauseSocietyinMid—LothianwouldthinkitstrangethatmycousinshouldbevisitinginmypartofScotlandandnotvisitMe！
\"Butwearetobeverycareful。Helenasays，insomanywords，’I
cometoseeyou，Eustace，asasister。Youmustreceivemeasabrother，ornotreceivemeatall。Ishallwritetoyourwifetoproposethedayformyvisit。Ishallnotforget——doyounotforget——thatitisbyyourwife’spermissionthatIenteryourhouse。’
\"Onlyletmeseeher！Iwillsubmittoanythingtoobtaintheunutterablehappinessofseeingher！\"
Thelastextractfollowed，andconsistedoftheselinesonly：
\"Anewmisfortune！Mywifehasfallenill。Shehastakentoherbedwithabadrheumaticcold，justatthetimeappointedforHelena’svisittoGleninch。Butonthisoccasion（Igladlyownit！）shehasbehavedcharmingly。ShehaswrittentoHelenatosaythatherillnessisnotseriousenoughtorenderachangenecessaryinthearrangements，andtomakeitherparticularrequestthatmycousin’svisitshalltakeplaceuponthedayoriginallydecidedon。
\"Thisisagreatsacrificemadetomeonmywife’spart。Jealousofeverywomanunderfortywhocomesnearme，sheis，ofcourse，jealousofHelena——andshecontrolsherself，andtrustsme！
\"IamboundtoshowmygratitudeforthisandIwillshowit。
FromthisdayforthIvowtolivemoreaffectionatelywithmywife。Itenderlyembracedherthisverymorning，andIhope，poorsoul，shedidnotdiscovertheeffortthatitcostme。\"
TherethereadingsfromtheDiarycametoanend。
ThemostunpleasantpagesinthewholeReportoftheTrialwere——tome——thepageswhichcontainedtheextractsfrommyhusband’sDiary。Therewereexpressionshereandtherewhichnotonlypainedme，butwhichalmostshookEustace’spositioninmyestimation。IthinkIwouldhavegiveneverythingIpossessedtohavehadthepowerofannihilatingcertainlinesintheDiary。AsforhispassionateexpressionsofloveforMrs。Beauly，everyoneofthemwentthroughmelikeasting。Hehadwhisperedwordsquiteaswarmintomyearsinthedaysofhiscourtship。Ihadnoreasontodoubtthathetrulyanddearlylovedme。Butthequestionwas，HadhejustastrulyanddearlylovedMrs。Beaulybeforeme？HadsheorI——wonthefirstloveofhisheart？Hehaddeclaredtomeoverandoveragainthathehadonlyfanciedhimselftobeinlovebeforethedaywhenwemet。Ihadbelievedhimthen。Ideterminedtobelievehimstill。Ididbelievehim。
ButIhatedMrs。Beauly！
AsforthepainfulimpressionproducedinCourtbythereadingsfromthelettersandtheDiary，itseemedtobeimpossibletoincreaseit。Neverthelessit_was_perceptiblyincreased。Inotherwords，itwasrenderedmoreunfavorablestilltowardtheprisonerbytheevidenceofthenextandlastwitnesscalledonthepartoftheprosecution。
WilliamEnzie，under—gardeneratGleninch，wassworn，anddeposedasfollows：
OnthetwentiethofOctober，ateleveno’clockintheforenoon，I
wassenttoworkintheshrubbery，onthesidenexttothegardencalledtheDutchGarden。Therewasasummer—houseintheDutchGarden，havingitsbacksettowardtheshrubbery。Thedaywaswonderfullyfineand——warmforthetimeofyear。
\"Passingtomywork，Ipassedthebackofthesummer—house。I
heardvoicesinside——aman’svoiceandalady’svoice。Thelady’svoicewasstrangetome。Theman’svoiceIrecognizedasthevoiceofmymaster。Thegroundintheshrubberywassoft，andmycuriositywasexcited。Isteppeduptothebackofthesummer—housewithoutbeingheard，andIlistenedtowhatwasgoingoninside。
\"ThefirstwordsIcoulddistinguishwerespokeninmymaster’svoice。Hesaid，’IfIcouldonlyhaveforeseenthatyoumightonedaybefree，whatahappymanImighthavebeen！’Thelady’svoiceanswered，’Hush！youmustnottalkso。’Mymastersaiduponthat，’Imusttalkofwhatisinmymind；itisalwaysinmymindthatIhavelostyou。’Hestoppedabitthere，andthenhesaidonasudden，’Domeonefavor，myangel！Promisemenottomarryagain。’Thelady’svoicespokeoutthereuponsharplyenough，’Whatdoyoumean？’Mymastersaid，’Iwishnoharmtotheunhappycreaturewhoisaburdenonmylife；butsuppose——’
’Supposenothing，’theladysaid；’comebacktothehouse。’
\"Sheledthewayintothegarden，andturnedround，beckoningmymastertojoinher。InthatpositionIsawherfaceplainly，andIknewitforthefaceoftheyoungwidowladywhowasvisitingatthehouse。Shewaspointedouttomebythehead—gardenerwhenshefirstarrived，forthepurposeofwarningmethatIwasnottointerfereifIfoundherpickingtheflowers。ThegardensatGleninchwereshowntotouristsoncertaindays，andwemadeadifference，ofcourse，inthematteroftheflowersbetweenstrangersandguestsstayinginthehouse。Iamquitecertainoftheidentityoftheladywhowastalkingwithmymaster。Mrs。
Beaulywasacomelyperson——andtherewasnomistakingherforanyotherthanherself。Sheandmymasterwithdrewtogetheronthewaytothehouse。Iheardnothingmoreofwhatpassedbetweenthem。\"
Thiswitnesswasseverelycross—examinedastothecorrectnessofhisrecollectionofthetalkinthesummer—house，andastohiscapacityforidentifyingboththespeakers。Oncertainminorpointshewasshaken。ButhefirmlyassertedhisaccurateremembranceofthelastwordsexchangedbetweenhismasterandMrs。Beauly；andhepersonallydescribedtheladyintermswhichprovedthathehadcorruptlyidentifiedher。
WiththistheanswertothethirdquestionraisedbytheTrial——thequestionoftheprisoner’smotiveforpoisoninghiswife——cametoanend。
Thestoryfortheprosecutionwasnowastorytold。ThestaunchestfriendsoftheprisonerinCourtwerecompelledtoacknowledgethattheevidencethusfarpointedclearlyandconclusivelyagainsthim。Heseemedtofeelthishimself。WhenhewithdrewatthecloseofthethirddayoftheTrialhewassodepressedandexhaustedthathewasobligedtoleanonthearmofthegovernorofthejail。
CHAPTERXIX。
THEEVIDENCEFORTHEDEFENSE。
THEfeelingofinterestexcitedbytheTrialwasprodigiouslyincreasedonthefourthday。Thewitnessesforthedefensewerenowtobeheard，andfirstandforemostamongthemappearedtheprisoner’smother。Shelookedathersonassheliftedherveiltotaketheoath。Heburstintotears。Atthatmomentthesympathyfeltforthemotherwasgenerallyextendedtotheunhappyson。
ExaminedbytheDeanofFaculty，Mrs。Macallantheeldergaveheranswerswithremarkabledignityandself—control。
Questionedastocertainprivateconversationswhichhadpassedbetweenherlatedaughter—in—lawandherself，shedeclaredthatMrs。EustaceMacallanwasmorbidlysensitiveonthesubjectofherpersonalappearance。Shewasdevotedlyattachedtoherhusband；thegreatanxietyofherlifewastomakeherselfasattractivetohimaspossible。Theimperfectionsinherpersonalappearance——andespeciallyinhercomplexion——weresubjectstoherofthebitterestregret。Thewitnesshadheardhersay，overandoveragain（referringtohercomplexion），thattherewasnoriskshewouldnotrun，andnopainshewouldnotsuffer，toimproveit。\"Men\"（shehadsaid）\"areallcaughtbyoutwardappearances：myhusbandmightlovemebetterifIhadabettercolor。\"
Beingaskednextifthepassagesfromherson’sDiaryweretobedependedonasevidence——thatistosay，iftheyfairlyrepresentedthepeculiaritiesinhischaracter，andhistruesentimentstowardhiswife——Mrs。Macallandenieditintheplainestandstrongestterms。
\"Theextractsfrommyson’sDiaryarealibelonhischaracter，\"
shesaid。\"Andnotthelessalibelbecausetheyhappentobewrittenbyhimself。Speakingfromamother’sexperienceofhim，I
knowthathemusthavewrittenthepassagesproducedinmomentsofuncontrollabledepressionanddespair。Nojustpersonjudgeshastilyofamanbytherashwordswhichmayescapehiminhismoodyandmiserablemoments。Ismysontobesojudgedbecausehehappenstohavewritten_his_rashwords，insteadofspeakingthem？Hispenhasbeenhismostdeadlyenemy，inthiscase——ithaspresentedhimathisveryworst。Hewasnothappyinhismarriage——Iadmitthat。ButIsayatthesametimethathewasinvariablyconsideratetowardhiswife。Iwasimplicitlytrustedbybothofthem；Isawthemintheirmostprivatemoments。I
declare——inthefaceofwhatsheappearstohavewrittentoherfriendsandcorrespondents——thatmysonnevergavehiswifeanyjustcausetoassertthathetreatedherwithcrueltyorneglect。\"
Thewords，firmlyandclearlyspoken，producedastrongimpression。TheLordAdvocate——evidentlyperceivingthatanyattempttoweakenthatimpressionwouldnotbelikelytosucceed——confinedhimself，incross—examination，totwosignificantquestions。
\"Inspeakingtoyouofthedefectsinhercomplexion，\"hesaid，\"didyourdaughter—in—lawreferinanywaytotheuseofarsenicasaremedy？\"
Theanswertothiswas，\"No。\"
TheLordAdvocateproceeded：
\"Didyouyourselfeverrecommendarsenic，ormentionitcasually，inthecourseoftheprivateconversationswhichyouhavedescribed？\"
Theanswertothiswas，\"Never。\"
TheLordAdvocateresumedhisseat。Mrs。Macallantheelderwithdrew。
Aninterestofanewkindwasexcitedbytheappearanceofthenextwitness。ThiswasnolessapersonthanMrs。Beaulyherself。
TheReportdescribesherasaremarkablyattractiveperson；
modestandlady—likeinhermanner，and，toallappearance，feelingsensitivelythepublicpositioninwhichshewasplaced。
Thefirstportionofherevidencewasalmostarecapitulationoftheevidencegivenbytheprisoner’smother——withthisdifference，thatMrs。Beaulyhadbeenactuallyquestionedbythedeceasedladyonthesubjectofcosmeticapplicationstothecomplexion。Mrs。EustaceMacallanhadcomplimentedheronthebeautyofhercomplexion，andhadaskedwhatartificialmeanssheusedtokeepitinsuchgoodorder。Usingnoartificialmeans，andknowingnothingwhateverofcosmetics，Mrs。Beaulyhadresentedthequestion，andatemporarycoolnessbetweenthetwoladieshadbeentheresult。
Interrogatedastoherrelationswiththeprisoner，Mrs。BeaulyindignantlydeniedthatsheorMr。Macallanhadevergiventhedeceasedladytheslightestcauseforjealousy。ItwasimpossibleforMrs。BeaulytoleaveScotland，aftervisitingatthehousesofhercousin’sneighbors，withoutalsovisitingathercousin’shouse。Totakeanyothercoursewouldhavebeenanactofdownrightrudeness，andwouldhaveexcitedremark。ShedidnotdenythatMr。Macallanhadadmiredherinthedayswhentheywerebothsinglepeople。Buttherewasnofurtherexpressionofthatfeelingwhenshehadmarriedanotherman，andwhenhehadmarriedanotherwoman。Fromthattimetheirintercoursewastheinnocentintercourseofabrotherandsister。Mr。Macallanwasagentleman：heknewwhatwasduetohiswifeandtoMrs。
Beauly——shewouldnothaveenteredthehouseifexperiencehadnotsatisfiedherofthat。Asfortheevidenceoftheunder—gardener，itwaslittlebetterthanpureinvention。Thegreaterpartoftheconversationwhichhehaddescribedhimselfasoverhearinghadnevertakenplace。Thelittlethatwasreallysaid（asthemanreportedit）wassaidjestingly；andshehadcheckeditimmediately——asthewitnesshadhimselfconfessed。Fortherest，Mr。Macallan’sbehaviortowardhiswifewasinvariablykindandconsiderate。Hewasconstantlydevisingmeanstoalleviatehersufferingsfromtherheumaticaffectionwhichconfinedhertoherbed；hehadspokenofher，notoncebutmanytimes，intermsofthesincerestsympathy。Whensheorderedherhusbandandwitnesstoleavetheroom，onthedayofherdeath，Mr。Macallansaidtowitnessafterward，\"Wemustbearwithherjealousy，poorsoul：weknowthatwedon’tdeserveit。\"Inthatpatientmannerhesubmittedtoherinfirmitiesoftemperfromfirsttolast。
Themaininterestinthecross—examinationofMrs。Beaulycenteredinaquestionwhichwasputattheend。Afterremindingherthatshehadgivenhername，onbeingsworn，as\"HelenaBeauly，\"theLordAdvocatesaid：
\"Aletteraddressedtotheprisoner，andsigned’Helena，’hasbeenreadinCourt。Lookatit，ifyouplease。Areyouthewriterofthatletter？\"
BeforethewitnesscouldreplytheDeanofFacultyprotestedagainstthequestion。TheJudgesallowedtheprotest，andrefusedtopermitthequestiontobeput。Mrs。Beaulythereuponwithdrew。
Shehadbetrayedaveryperceptibleagitationonhearingtheletterreferredto，andonhavingitplacedinherhands。Thisexhibitionoffeelingwasvariouslyinterpretedamongtheaudience。Uponthewhole，however，Mrs。Beauly’sevidencewasconsideredtohaveaidedtheimpressionwhichthemother’sevidencehadproducedintheprisoner’sfavor。
Thenextwitnesses——bothladies，andbothschoolfriendsofMrs。
EustaceMacallan——createdanewfeelingofinterestinCourt。
Theysuppliedthemissinglinkintheevidenceforthedefense。
ThefirstoftheladiesdeclaredthatshehadmentionedarsenicasameansofimprovingthecomplexioninconversationwithMrs。
EustaceMacallan。Shehadneveruseditherself，butshehadreadofthepracticeofeatingarsenicamongtheStyrianpeasantryforthepurposeofclearingthecolor，andofproducingageneralappearanceofplumpnessandgoodhealth。ShepositivelysworethatshehadrelatedthisresultofherreadingtothedeceasedladyexactlyasshenowrelateditinCourt。
Thesecondwitness，presentattheconversationalreadymentioned，corroboratedthefirstwitnessineveryparticular；
andaddedthatshehadprocuredthebookrelatingtothearsenic—eatingpracticesoftheStyrianpeasantry，andtheirresults，atMrs。EustaceMacallan’sownrequest。ThisbookshehadherselfdispatchedbyposttoMrs。EustaceMacallanatGleninch。
Therewasbutoneassailablepointinthisotherwiseconclusiveevidence。Thecross—examinationdiscoveredit。
Boththeladieswereasked，inturn，ifMrs。EustaceMacallanhadexpressedtothem，directlyorindirectly，anyintentionofobtainingarsenic，withaviewtotheimprovementofhercomplexion。Ineachcasetheanswertothatall—importantquestionwas，No。Mrs。EustaceMacallanhadheardoftheremedy，andhadreceivedthebook。Butofherownintentionsinthefutureshehadnotsaidoneword。Shehadbeggedboththeladiestoconsidertheconversationasstrictlyprivate——andthereithadended。
Itrequirednolawyer’seyetodiscernthefataldefectwhichwasnowrevealedintheevidenceforthedefense。Everyintelligentpersonpresentcouldseethattheprisoner’schanceofanhonorableacquittaldependedontracingthepoisontothepossessionofhiswife——oratleastonprovingherexpressedintentiontoobtainit。Ineitherofthesecasestheprisoner’sDeclarationofhisinnocencewouldclaimthesupportoftestimony，which，howeverindirectitmightbe，nohonestandintelligentmenwouldbelikelytoresist。Wasthattestimonyforthcoming？Wasthecounselforthedefensenotattheendofhisresourcesyet？
Thecrowdedaudiencewaitedinbreathlessexpectationfortheappearanceofthenextwitness。Awhisperwentroundamongcertainwell—instructedpersonsthattheCourtwasnowtoseeandheartheprisoner’soldfriend——alreadyoftenreferredtointhecourseoftheTrialas\"Mr。Dexter。\"
Afterabriefintervalofdelaytherewasasuddencommotionamongtheaudience，accompaniedbysuppressedexclamationsofcuriosityandsurprise。Atthesamemomentthecriersummonedthenewwitnessbytheextraordinarynameof\"MISERRIMUSDEXTER\"
CHAPTERXX。
THEENDOFTHETRIAL。
THEcallingofthenewwitnessprovokedaburstoflaughteramongtheaudienceduepartly，nodoubt，tothestrangenamebywhichhehadbeensummoned；partly，also，totheinstinctivedesireofallcrowdedassemblies，whentheirinterestispainfullyexcited，toseizeonanyreliefintheshapeofthefirstsubjectofmerrimentwhichmaypresentitself。AsevererebukefromtheBenchrestoredorderamongtheaudience。TheLordJusticeClerkdeclaredthathewould\"cleartheCourt\"iftheinterruptiontotheproceedingswererenewed。
Duringthesilencewhichfollowedthisannouncementthenewwitnessappeared。
Gliding，self—propelledinhischaironwheels，throughtheopeningmadeforhimamongthecrowd，astrangeandstartlingcreature——literallythehalfofaman——revealedhimselftothegeneralview。Acoverletwhichhadbeenthrownoverhischairhadfallenoffduringhisprogressthroughthethrong。Thelossofitexposedtothepubliccuriositythehead，thearms，andthetrunkofalivinghumanbeing：absolutelydeprivedofthelowerlimbs。
Tomakethisdeformityallthemorestrikingandallthemoreterrible，thevictimofitwas——astohisfaceandhisbody——anunusuallyhandsomeandanunusuallywell—mademan。Hislongsilkyhair，ofabrightandbeautifulchestnutcolor，fellovershouldersthatweretheperfectionofstrengthandgrace。Hisfacewasbrightwithvivacityandintelligence。Hislargeclearblueeyesandhislongdelicatewhitehandswereliketheeyesandhandsofabeautifulwoman。Hewouldhavelookedeffeminatebutforthemanlyproportionsofhisthroatandchest，aidedintheireffectbyhisflowingbeardandlongmustache，ofalighterchestnutshadethanthecolorofhishair。Neverhadamagnificentheadandbodybeenmorehopelesslyill—bestowedthaninthisinstance！NeverhadNaturecommittedamorecarelessoramorecruelmistakethaninthemakingofthisman！
Hewassworn，seated，ofcourse，inhischair。Havinggivenhisname，hebowedtotheJudgesandrequestedtheirpermissiontoprefacehisevidencewithawordofexplanation。
\"PeoplegenerallylaughwhentheyfirsthearmystrangeChristianname，\"hesaid，inalow，clear，resonantvoicewhichpenetratedtotheremotestcornersoftheCourt。\"Imayinformthegoodpeopleherethatmanynames，stillcommonamongus，havetheirsignifications，andthatmineisoneofthem。’Alexander，’forinstance，means，intheGreek，’ahelperofmen。’’David’means，inHebrew，’well—beloved。’’Francis’means，inGerman，’free。’Myname，’Miserrimus，’means，inLatin，’mostunhappy。’Itwasgiventomebymyfather，inallusiontothedeformitywhichyouallsee——thedeformitywithwhichitwasmymisfortunetobeborn。
Youwon’tlaughat’Miserrimus’again，willyou？\"HeturnedtotheDeanofFaculty，waitingtoexaminehimforthedefense。\"Mr。
Dean。Iamatyourservice。Iapologizefordelaying，evenforamoment，theproceedingsoftheCourt。\"
Hedeliveredhislittleaddresswithperfectgraceandgood—humor。ExaminedbytheDean，hegavehisevidenceclearly，withouttheslightestappearanceofhesitationorreserve。
\"IwasstayingatGleninchasaguestinthehouseatthetimeofMrs。EustaceMacallan’sdeath，\"hebegan。\"DoctorJeromeandMr。
Galedesiredtoseemeataprivateinterview——theprisonerbeingtheninastateofprostrationwhichmadeitimpossibleforhimtoattendtohisdutiesasmasterofthehouse。AtthisinterviewthetwodoctorsastonishedandhorrifiedmebydeclaringthatMrs。EustaceMacallanhaddiedpoisoned。Theyleftittometocommunicatethedreadfulnewstoherhusband，andtheywarnedmethatapost—mortemexaminationmustbeheldonthebody。