LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1523, 4 January 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

UNCLE BENJAMIN’S STORY,

[“ Chambers's Journal,”] ( Concluded .)

‘ The next morning Dr Bailey, true to Ills word, called npon Bose, and brought with him Dr Smyth, a man who had made all the phases of insanity his special study. After a time they were taken into the General’s room, and found him sitting up cheerfully playing with a skein of silk. A very few minutes served to convince them that bo was quite an imbecile, and had no rational idea of what was passing around him. But when Dr Smyth was told that this resulted from a blow on the head, ho evinced more interest in the matter, and asked to he allowed to examine the sear. This he did, and the examination was long and careful. At length, calling Dr Bailey to one side, a whispered conversation took place between them. ‘ All this time Bose was very nervous and anxious for the result. At last her godfather, turning to her, said— “ My good friend here thinks it just possible that your father’s reason may ho restored. The fact is 1 ho blow on the head has broken the sku'l, and owing to not very skilful treatment when the wound was healing, a small piece of bone ia left pressing on the brain. If {pis

were removed, it ia probable reason would bo restored. Of course,’ he continued, ‘ your father will have to undergo an operation, but this ia not, necessarily dangerous. I will send you some medicine, and you must nurse him very carefully for the next few days, and thou, if we think him strong enough, it shall be d' no. ’

* Hose heard all this, but it can scarcely bo said that she understood it, so far beyond her fondest hopes did it all appear ; so in a sort of half dreamy manner she bade them “ Good morning/’ When, however, she got to her own room, and thought it over, and its full meaning dawned upon her, she fell on her knees and poured out her heart to God in thankfulness for such a possibility. Her dear father to be restored to her? What a joyous thought; and moreover there lurked behind it another thought, if possible still more joyous, that her father might be able to say something to save that other dear one languishing in a felon’s cell. For the time she was happy, how happy only those can tell who have been suddenly raised from the depths of despair to the heights of hope, * for the next few days she redoubled her attentions to her father and surely no invalid was half so well cared for as he, for did not her whole future happiness depend on his restoration ? Under such kind care and good Dr. Bailey’s attention, he rapidly gained strength ; but the days flew all too quickly, and it now wanted only a little more than a week to the trial. This was fixed for a Monday, and on the Monday previous the doctors thought the attempt might be made. Jt was done! and the patient bore it much better than was expected ; but the result could not be known all at once, as he was of course greatly prostrated. During the whole of Tuesday and Wednesday he was in a very critical state ; but ou Thursday the danger was considered past, and ou that evening, as Rose was sitting at his bedside, she heard his voice calling feebly ‘Rose, Rose!” The tone was so natural, that she was at once convinced that he knew her. Repressing with great effort the violent desire she felt to throw her arms round his neck, she answered ‘ Hero I am, papa.’ ‘ How quiet the ship is I’ he murmured. * 1 cannot feel her roll at all. I wish the breeze would come, so that we might get home.’

‘ Rose hardly knew what to make of this or what to answer ; at first she thought his mind was still affected, but the clear intelligent look of his eye convinced her that he was sane. As gently as possible she soothed him, and ho soon fell off to sleep again. When I)r Bailey, coming in soon after, was told of the success of the operation, he was much pleased ; but he enjoined the greatest quietude, especially that all topics should be avoided likely to excite the patient’s mind.

‘ From this time the General improved very rapidly, so much so as to be able to take a little walk in the garden on Sunday, f ollowing the instructions of the doctor, Rose conversed only of commonplace and present matters, although of course to some extent the past must have been alluded to, in explanation of her father’s change of posi tion, that is from shipboard to London. At of the same time she was burning to question him as to what he remembered on that terrible night. ‘ On Monday morning when she went into his bedroom he said, “My dear child, you look very ill and careworn ;” and then receiving no answer, he continued—“ I have been thinking about that Lieutenant Stevenson ; what has become of him?’ This was more than Rose could bear, so falling on her knees at his bedside, she —with many a sob and tear—told him all. ‘As the results of this conversation will appear further on, I will not detain you with it now, only to say that it sent Rose to her room in an of joy, causing her to throw herself on her knees, aud in the fullness of her heart, thank God for all His mercies.

4 1 pass on now to the trial of the prisoner. It happened that this was the first ease on the list, so it was still early when the trial commenced. I should like to describe to you the scene in Court, did time permit, but I must ask you to imagine it. Captain Bowlby proved the finding of Stevenson in the General’s cabin, and described the state in which it appeared. Colonel Morton proved the fact of the will having been made and deposited in the box, and told how it was against Stevenson’s interests, which fact was known to Rose, and therefore presumably to Stevenson also Others proved the finding of the box, hidden away behind the prisoner’s bed, and last of all the paper written by the G eneral was brought forward containing the first three letters of Stevenson’s name. The counsel for the defence did all that could be done, but was quite unable to dispute the facts or break down the evidence. Then came the judge’s summing up. He painted out that although the evidence was clear, yet it was in a measure what is termed circumstantial; on the other hand, it must necessarily he so, as many murders were committed with no actual eyewitness. Much more he said fairly aud pointedly, and then the jury retired. You might have heard a pin drop when they returned, aud although the foreman pronounced the word “ Guilty” in a low tone, it seemed to sound and re-echo through the whole Court,

‘Prisoner at the bar,’ said the judge in a foletnn voice, ‘a jury of your fellow-country-men have found you guilty of a dreadful crime, and 1 am bound to say that I agree with the verdict. lam quite willing to believe that you did it under a sadden impulse, hardly knowing what you did, nay, I believe that in the first instance your only object was to get possession of the will, but finding yourself discovered either by the servant or the General, you committed the greater crime to conceal the less. It therefore ouly remains to me,’ he continued, assuming the black cap, while a visible shudder trembled through the room, ‘to pass sentence upon you, which is’——

‘Rut just at that moment there was a disturbance near the door, aud a female voica was heard imploring—“ For mercy’s sake, let us pass. It is General Page. The prisoner is innocent!” All eyes turned to the spot, and Rose, in a state of great excitement, was seen leading her father forward. ‘ The counsel for the defence immediately obtained permission to place the General in the witness-box, where, on account of his great feebleness, he was accommodated with a chair. After the usual preliminaries, the question was asked—“ Do you know the prisoner at the bar ?” * Yea ; it is Lieutenant Stevenson.’ ‘ Did he enter ycur cabin the night your servant was murdered ? ’

‘ No 3 not that I am aware of.’ ‘ Rut you wrote a portion of his name on a piece of paper. See; here it is,’ ‘ Yes; but it appears I did not finish it. Give it me, and 1 will do so now-’ Handing hack the paper he continued — 4 There, that is the man who attacked me.’

‘The mystery was all explain'd now ; the completed word was—STEWARD; and all this misery had been caused by the want of the four little letter-—ward. The steward then was actually the man No one had thought of him, and yet what more easy! Tie was always in and out of the cabins, and would bo sure to notice the box ; and evidently thinking it contained valuables, had stolen it. .Having done so, and finding suspicion already fallen upon Stevenson, nothing was more easy than to hide the empty box where it was found. All this was ascertained to be substantially correct; for the man was arrested, and soon after confessed his dreadful crimes

‘ I have nothing more to add, except; tkat Stevenson was discharged without a stain on his name, and that the old General, yielding to the solicitations at his daughter, aud convinced of Stevenson's weth, consented to their engagement. In due lime they were married, aud as the storybooks say . “ were happy ever after.” And both will ever remember with thankful hearts how, although “ east down, they were not dos'.royed ”

• Thanks, dear uncle ! Cu-,od night;’ aud kissing him, we r- i Led t> dream over the troubles of E > c aud Steviffaen, and also to njoice that aitje; d they wtro happy at last,