The Other Side of the Door

rosaic, and even peaceful the court room seemed! That morning when we entered it was only partly filled, and in the space behind the railing the clerk of the court was scribbling, the lawyers were lol

to what was going on in the room around him. It was reassuring

n my ear some long story of something which she was deeply absorbed in at the moment. This, too, had a habitual and pleasant feeling about it. Even when, with a black veil over her face, sweeping in folds down

ad the effect of a mask. I have never seen a human face so calm or so indifferently sweet as hers, and she sat as motionless as if she had been carved there. One heard the whisperings around the room, saw the nudges and the twisting of heads, but it

his eyes rested first on that place where I had sat the week before; but they did not linger there a moment, sweeping on in a half circle around the room, glancing over me so quickly that I coul

d inclosure where he sat, shook hands with him and stood talking with him. I could not but believe that at any time he pleased. he could rise and leave

en there was some exchange of words between the lawyers on the other side of the rail, now with the judge, now with one another; and now it was the clerk of the court who was speaking; and I couldn

make for much smiling, when above the rustle and whisper I heard again the voice of the clerk calling

nwick, Elea

while he chanted it out in t

father

me still ringing in my ears, I pattered up the aisle toward that railing. As I advanced I felt as if I were walking away from all the world. I heard the movement and the

hey were speaking to me, still in those monotonous, artificial voices, as if they were not saying anything with human meaning in it, and while they spoke they he

er,-numberless heads and eyes, all gazing at me. A cold sensation of fear went over me, like a great wave, closing my thro

ossible to be frightened with such laughable procedure. He asked me my age, my place of residence, when he knew both very well, then, where had I been walking when I heard the shot; and with these questions I was familiar, having answered them all the day in the library,

room fell silent. The stillness made the place seem immense, and for a little while my voice went on through the silence like a tiny thread. And now it had stopped. I had come to the end

h word coming down heavily upon my ears, "Can you positiv

was a movement of the li

him here in

l blur, and then the one face. It appeared, in the indefiniteness around it, singularly near and distinct. He was looking at me with that gentle, sweet expression which my sick fancy hinted he never showed except when he looked at me.

"The third from the end of th

t might have become articulate. I sat trembling, wondering what it all meant, clasping my hands tightly in my lap. All the back of the hall was crowded with men, and most of these looked like s

re on the stage, and asked me why had I gone out at that early hour of the morning, what had been my business, how had it happened that I was walking through such a street as Dupont, and how did I suppose the doors of the saloon had happened to be open so early? It was all in such a tone as made my cheeks burn with a sense of shame and indignation, t

off on the first syllable by rappings and calls of "Order!" The small man who was Mr

I had not touched the revolver, but the judge smiled at me, and said in his conversationa

d I noticed that some of the jurors were smiling, but quite nice

expected this for so long in my days and in my dreams; and the moment

you to the witness room and you can

the Spanish Woman occurred to him, for he did not insist, but really I was not afraid of

queer little, compact, positive-looking woman, with a very gay, very best hat, was sitting

al appearance, she said she could not tell, but that she wore a white dress. In what direction did she run? The woman thought south, yes, she was sure it was south. At this I saw father shake hi

gry nor sad-something which I did not at all understand. He didn't urge me further, he hardly looked at me, but I was conscious of his set profile while I listened to a disagreement between Mr. Dingley's associate and Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson waved his arms a good deal, but the little man kept saying, "I

y toward the witness-box. "There he is," I heard the whispers around me. "Why, don't you know?

ared so wretchedly nervous as he sat there in the witness-box. He kept glancing at Johnny Montgomery, shuffling his feet and

wo months ago, the prisoner and another man had come into the shop and looked a long time and bargained for the very best pistol he had in the place. It was a mother-of-pearl handle, he sai

e inconvenience of having father keep his arm around my shoulders while I was trying to see how Johnny Montgomery looked. Finally quiet was restored, and then the man who had gone into the gunsmit

d, "Now what do you propose to

e wished so far. I can not endure not to know the worst or the best that ca

But all he said was, "Well!" And, "Then we will go over to the

r table with her thick veil raised only a little above her nose, just enough to let her drink a cup of tea. Some of father's friends and one or two of the young men I knew stopped at our table to shake hands, but very little was said, and of the trial nothing at all. For all their trying to be easy and natural, I could see that my presence embarrassed them. I could see them glancing at me as if they wondered what sort of person I could be-as though I had become something different from a girl by answering ques

and patches with such disagreements of lawyers between, and I had myself been so in the midst of it that I had no idea as to h

picture of him, speaking of his great promise and fine character and then of the blow which was being struck at his brilliant career; and it was somehow awful to have to listen to it, for even supposi

he was trying to prove that all the witnesses on the state's behalf had been lying. He was wonderfully clever in his way of making the testimony seem improbable. He pulled even mine to pieces, pointing out the revolver's not being wher

ite understand what he was saying. And yet it was strange I thought that with everything he said he did not br

t. He didn't shake his finger at the jury, as Mr. Jackson had done, nor fling out his hands, nor lift his arms in the air and bring them down as if he were bringing the world down on one's head. He simply stood there, and in a matter of fact, even voice gathered up the evidence of the different witnesses as one would beads in the hand, and strung them together; and I saw a long chain of evidence win

ed, her hand hiding the lower part of her face, but looking out from under her eyebrows like a picture I had once seen of a prophetess. I felt that we were being wound up every moment more and more tense, and when Mr. Dingley stopp

g something endless to the jury, not one word of which my ears could take. Then

he clerk of the court keeping on with his, and most of the lawyers going out. Mr. Dingley passed us with just a bend of the head, and father glanced after him and made a little sound in his throat, a sort of meditativ

uson saying to father. "That pistol disappearing is going to give him a c

The light fell strongly on his face, making it almost seem to shine, and I looked at the little white seam of the scar on his cheek that had helped to identify him, at his black, brooding eyebrows, and the long lock o

er, and pulled himself up in his chair, nervously drawing in his shoulders. I looked quickly at the judge's desk and saw a man standing beside it and offering a paper

ime I felt myself lifted to my feet and heard father saying, in

lindly. I felt there was some reason for this haste, but even as I tried to follow him out it

out me broke out quick whispers, suddenly, like a refra

yes, yes

lty in the s

e rid of those terrible words, but I could not even cry. I raised my hand to my

if I had been a child and carried me out, and set me down on the sidewalk. There I stood in the lovely, mild twilight, looking at the familiar surroundings as if I had never seen them before. Amon

I could not, since, except for that queer feeling

aid. And father answered, "Probably not." Then, turning to th

e coming out, and more were gathering in from Kearney Street, and up from Montgomery. The police kept shaking their clubs and trying to make them walk away. But in spite of all they could do the crowd gathered and gathered, and made a sort of narrow lane down the steps and across the sidewalk. Presently the S

test longing to see Johnny Montgomery again. But presently our carriage came, so I had to go out and get into it. Just as

set as if he were already dead. "I have killed him," I thoug

iver couldn't get forward with the horses, and I could turn m

the evening it came with a shrill, terrifying sound. The crowd at the corner broke and scattered before a rush of horsemen. They seemed to come from all sides, and meet in the middle of the street. Then we couldn't see the guard, but shots rang out, yells, and then more firing; and

jumping out of the carriage, he ran up

sides and our progress up the street was very slow. As we drew near the place a man in the uniform of the guards, with blood running down his face

lose beside the carriage. I recognized the dandy, Jack Tracy. He was so near I could have touched him, and for one m

t I believe he didn't recognize me. "T