CHAPTER XXXV.

THE VERDICT.

The shadow of this woe will pass away, Then will commence his high career, He will rise up to it and make all possible, The glory and the grandeur of each dream And every aspiration be fulfilled. ROBERT BROWNING.

The carriage containing Lady Arielle Montjoie, Mr. and Mrs. Fleming and Miss Desparde was the first to reach the hall.

The court-room was, if possible, even more crowded than it had been on the preceding day, the first of the trial.

Mr. Stair, the senior counsel for the prisoner, was already on his feet, opening the case for the defense.

He began by giving a slight sketch of his client, whom he said was well known to most persons present, and well-beloved and esteemed by all who knew.

He then told the story of Valdimir Desparde’s movements from the moment of his landing at Southampton on that fatal day of December to the moment of his arrest at Miston, and proposed to account for every instant of his time during that interval, and to prove by a host of competent witnesses that it was utterly impossible for him to have been the murderer of Christelle Ken, or to have been anywhere near the scene of the murder at the time of its perpetration.

He next told the story of the murder as he held, and proposed to prove, that it had occurred, and to support this theory he called—

“Mrs. Antoinette Fleming.”

Net came forward and took the stand; and being duly sworn, she testified that the deceased, Christelle Ken, had been well known to her for several years.

And then, in answer to the questions of the counsel, she gave a full and particular history of poor Kit’s acquaintance with Brandon Coyle and the circumstances that led her to the suspicion that Kit had been abducted or persuaded away by him; and then was offered the posthumous letter of poor Kit in evidence. It was read and it made a very great impression on all who heard it.

Then was offered the letter of Mrs. Perkins, which was also read with scarcely less effect.

Net was cross-examined by the counsel for the crown.

“Have you ever seen the prisoner at the bar in company with the deceased?”

“Never,” answered Net.

“Have you any reason to believe that he had been intimate with her?”

“None whatever! I do not think Mr. Desparde even knew the girl Kit Ken, either by name or by sight.”

“Had the deceased other followers?”

“None whatever; not one, except Brandon Coyle.”

The direct examination was then resumed, and Net told of Kit’s former letter submitted to her by Lady Arielle Montjoie, and of the scene at the reading of the late Earl of Altofaire’s will.

She was then allowed to retire, and the next witness was called.

“Mrs. Martha Curry.”

This was the housekeeper at Castle Montjoie—a little dark-skinned, black-eyed woman of about fifty years of age.

She corroborated the testimony of the last witness in regard to the scene in the dining-room at Castle Montjoie on the reading of the late earl’s will. She also described the rage of Coyle, and his threats of vengeance against Kit Ken. This scene occurred, she said, on the — of December—the day before the murder.

Tobias Curry, husband of the last witness, and butler at Castle Montjoie, corroborated the testimony of his wife.

“Mrs. Prudence Perkins” was next called.

This woman, it will be remembered, was the landlady of the lodging-house in Church Lane, Chelsea.

She was shown the photographs of Brandon Coyle and Kit Ken, and she identified them as portraits of her two lodgers, whom she had known as Mr. and Mrs. Coyle.

She gave a narrative of their arrival and sojourn at her house, and of their departure on the afternoon of the — day of December, preceding the night of the murder.

On being shown the letter purporting to have been written by herself to Mrs. Fleming, she identified it as her own. She identified the inclosed letter as the one intrusted to her by poor Kit to be sent to Mrs. Fleming in the event already mentioned.

She also testified to the suspicion and anxiety that troubled the poor girl lest her “husband” should do her a mischief on the journey, though her fears pointed rather to being betrayed into a private mad-house than to murder.

Mrs. Perkins’ testimony suffered nothing in the cross-examination that followed.

“Mary Mossop!”

The maid of-all-work at the Church Lane lodging-house took the stand, corroborated the last witness’s testimony, and identified the photographs as likenesses of her mistress’s lodgers, Mr. and Mrs. Coyle.

“John Nott!”

The cabman from Chelsea took the stand and testified to having driven Mr. and Mrs. Coyle from Church Lane to Paddington Station on the afternoon of the — day of December, and to having been present when Mr. Coyle engaged the middle compartment of carriage 2, B, on the London and Northwestern train for himself and his wife, and to having seen them both get into it just before the train started.

Being shown the two photographs he identified them as the portraits of the parties he had, on the afternoon of the — day of December, taken from Church Lane to Paddington and seen enter the reserved compartment in carriage 2, B, and who were known to him as Mr. and Mrs. Coyle.

He was slightly cross-examined without effect, and then permitted to withdraw.

“Charles Smithers!”

This witness was the ticket agent at Paddington.

He swore to having been on duty at the window at the Paddington Station on the — of December, and to having sold tickets for a reserved compartment in railway carriage 2, B, on the London and Northwestern railway train that left the station at four P. M.

“Witness, look at the prisoner at the bar,” said the senior counsel for the defense.

Smithers turned and stared at Mr. Desparde, who smiled in his face.

“Was the prisoner at the bar the party to whom you sold the reserved compartment?”

“No, sir; he was not. I never saw the prisoner before in my life,” replied Smithers.

“Very well. Now look at these photographs. Did you ever see the originals of _them_ before?” inquired Counselor Stair, passing the cards of Coyle and Kit Ken to the man, who took and looked at them attentively, and then replied:

“Yes, sir. _These_ are the likenesses of the man and woman who took the reserved compartment of carriage 2, B, on the London and Northwestern Railroad on the afternoon of that — day of December.”

The witness was more closely questioned, but his testimony only established beyond all doubt that it was Brandon Coyle and _not_ Valdimir Desparde who engaged the reserved compartment on the train in which his companion was afterwards a few hours later found murdered.

“John Gretterex!”

A portly, red-faced man of about forty years of age took the stand, and testified to knowing Mr. Brandon Coyle by sight, and by name, and to having seen him leave the middle compartment of railway carriage 2, B, at midnight, December the —, at the Grand Junction Station, and having seen him get upon the train for Southampton.

“John Kent!” was next called.

This witness testified that he knew Mr. Brandon Coyle and that he traveled with him from the Grand Junction to Southampton on the early morning of December the —, and afterwards saw him embark on a steamer—the _Montana_—for New York.

“Michael McDermott!”

A ruddy-faced young Irish gentleman took the stand and testified to having ridden in the same carriage with Mr. Valdimir Desparde from Southampton to Peterboro on the — day of December, instant.

“Alexander McQuilligan!”

A tall, gaunt, sanguine-hued and red-haired Scotchman, took the stand and testified to having ridden in the same carriage with the prisoner at the bar, on the train from Peterboro to the Grand Junction, where he got off, on the night of December —.

This was the last witness examined for the defense.

There was no rebutting testimony introduced.

Mr. Turner reviewed the evidence and claimed that the defense had disproved all the charges of the crown and had proved the innocence of their client.

The Lord Chief Baron Belair summed up very briefly, saying that so clear a case needed no elucidation from him, and that he could safely leave it as the testimony left it—in the hands of an intelligent and impartial jury.

The jury consulted in their box, and, without leaving the court-room, returned a verdict of—

“NOT GUILTY!”

This verdict was received with acclamations.

Friends and acquaintances came around the vindicated man with warm congratulations.

The crowd in the court-room raised a shout that seemed to threaten to lift the roof.

The news spread outside, and the hurrahs of the assembled multitude rent the air.

The officers of the court did not attempt to preserve order on this occasion.

The judges came down from the bench and shook hands with Mr. Desparde and his immediate friends. So did the queen’s counsel, Parker, and his assistants.

And through all this the shouts and hurrahs of the people rose to heaven.

Never in this world was there a more triumphant vindication.