Now speak, Lucy, if you can."
For a single moment she was dumb and stationary--her eye turned from her
uncle to the prisoner. Horror, and the agonies natural to the strife in
her bosom, were in its wild expression, and, with a single cry of "I can
not--I must not save him!" from her pallid lips, she sunk down senseless
upon the floor, and was borne out by several of the more sympathizing
spectators.
There was nothing now to delay the action of the court. The counsel had
closed with the argument, and the judge proceeded in his charge to the
jury. His remarks were rather favorable than otherwise to the prisoner.
He dwelt upon his youth--his manliness--the seeming excellence of his
education, and the propriety which had marked his whole behavior on
trial. These he spoke of as considerations which must, of course, make
the duty, which they had to perform, more severely painful to all. But
they could not do away with the strong and tenacious combination of
circumstances against him.
Pages:
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726