The crime had been committed many years ago, and if he could throw discredit on the witnesses there might be some chance of upsetting the whole case. Much depended upon the girl, Tilda. Bourne was in hopes that he was so much altered in appearance that the black slavey would be a little puzzled, and would fail to recognise him.
It is thus that criminals of every degree have been from time immemorial accustomed to delude themselves with hopes that in most cases have turned out fallacious.
The doctor affected to put as bold a front on the matter as possible, but he studiously avoided his wife, and she had no desire to force herself into his company. It had been at best but a miserable state of affairs as far as their domestic happiness, if it could be so termed, was concerned, and it was a relief to both when they were apart. Consequently they saw as little of each other as possible.
Mrs. Bourne, however, was not altogether in the dark in respect to the state of affairs as regards her husband. Her faithful attendant, Amy, who like, most servants, was something of a gossip, made her mistress acquainted with the full particulars of the grave charge made against her master. Mrs. Bourne was perfectly astounded at the revelation. She had never for a moment supposed that her husband had contracted any marriage previous to his nuptials with her. He had throughout their acquaintance signified that he was a bachelor.
“Ah!” murmured the unhappy wife—“my suspicious were not groundless. I have indeed escaped almost by a miracle; but, after all, I cannot find it in my heart to believe him guilty of such an atrocious crime.”
Facts, however, are stubborn things, and there was no getting away from those made manifest on the first magisterial inquiry.
Mrs. Bourne was now very careful in examining minutely what she partook of in the house of her suspected husband—who, however, had very little opportunity at this time of tampering with either food or drink; he was too much occupied with his own guilty thoughts, and in devising some scheme to turn aside the course of justice. He went about, as usual, paid visits to his patients, and endeavoured to make out that the whole affair was a wicked conspiracy on the part of some evil-disposed persons who owed him a grudge. There were many who believed this view of the matter; for it is at all times most difficult to believe a man you have been intimately acquainted with capable of committing a crime of such enormity.
The few friends the doctor possessed rallied round him on this occasion, and sought to console him with words of comfort. Prone as the world is to look upon the dark side of the picture, the most hardened offender has at times a few faithful followers, and the doctor was not an exception to the rule; nevertheless it was pretty generally buzzed about that he was in a precarious position, and that those engaged for the prosecution were using every endeavour to bring the murderer of the dead woman to the bar of justice. The matter was canvassed at several fashionable clubs, in select coteries, and by the public generally; indeed, it was the universal topic of conversation at the West-end of the town, and many bets were offered and taken upon the issue of the next examination.
Two days of suspense had passed over. On the third, as Doctor Bourne was getting into his brougham, he saw at the corner of the street two persons looking eagerly at him. His heart seemed to sink when he discovered that one of these was the black girl, Tilda, the other being Mr. Shearman.
“Oh, golly!” exclaimed the black girl, “that’s ’im, massa; I could swear to him out of ten tousand. It’s Massa Wagstaff, as did away wi’ missus.”