Mr. Porter whispered to Mr. Weems that there was an Irishman upon that jury whom he felt confident of from the first.
The judge went over the case again briefly, but learnedly and vaguely, and sent the jury back. At nine o’clock the jury came into court a second time, and presented a verdict of guilty, imposing damages to the amount of five thousand dollars.
There was an outburst of applause; Leonie leaned her head upon the breast of Mr. Pullock, and wept from mingled feelings of joy and grief. Mr. Shreek observed to Mr. Porter, that “this is all we ever expected;” and Mr. Porter said to Weems that he was lucky to get off so easily; for he, Porter, had anticipated a much worse result.
Poor Weems alone seemed to regard the verdict with less than perfect satisfaction; and he was no better pleased next morning, when Colonel Hoker’s Crab and all the other papers came out with reports of the trial in flaring type, and with the entire batch of love-letters, poetry and all, in full.
The journals also contained an announcement that Mr. Cowdrick had been captured and brought home, and had at once been released upon bail.
CHAPTER V.
MR. COWDRICK’S RETURN.—MR. WEEMS TAKES A NEW VIEW OF HIS POSITION.—JUSTICE.
Mr. Cowdrick again sat in his easy-chair, in his library, before the sham fire, and with him sat his wife and daughter. They were talking of the trial of Mr. Cowdrick, which was to begin on the morrow.
“It is very disagreeable, of course,” said Mr. Cowdrick; “but in this life we have to take the bitter with the sweet.”