Show I The House of the Whispering Pines I By Anna Katharine Green I O G. G P P. PUTNAM'S SONS EONS Copyright 1910 by N New w York Tork and London ANNA KATHARINE S CHAPTER CAPTER All AU This Stood Its It's nt this royal session do proceed And t that at without delay their arguments Be Ie now and heard beard King King Henry Vin VI VIII Thero There was difficulty as you yon w will con conceive con con- on- on ache in selecting an unprejudiced jury But this once onee having baring been accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac tho the case easo went quickly and smoothly on under the tho able guidance of tho prosecuting attorney I r shall spare yon you tho the opening details also much of the preliminary testimony Enough that at the close of the six sixth h da day dav tho outlook was a serious serious' on one for or Arthur Cumberland The Tho prosecution appeared to bo be makin making good its claims m The flue quiet and unexpectedly di dignified way in which at nt tho the beginning the defendant de do- fondant had bad faced the whole antagonistic courtroom with the simple plea flea of not guilty was being slowly but for forgotten in the tho accumulated proofs TO S of his bin discontented life under his bis sister A dominating influence his desire for independence ce and a free fee use uso of f t the e money y bold hold i in In trust for him by this sis SIS- sister SISter ter under their fathers father's will the quarrels which such fluch a situation would naturally natu rally between characters cast east in such different molds and actuated b by such opposing tastes and aud principles an anthe and the final fina culmination of the same at the tho dinner tabo when A Adelaide elaido forced bim him ns as it were to subscribe to her ber prohibition prohibition tion of all further use uso of liquor in in their Louse house Following thi evidence of motive mo nio tive tire came camo the tho still more one of opportunity opportunity- He JIe was shown to nave navo b been en in tho the clubhouse at or near the time of Adelaide's Adelaide 8 death deaths The Tho matter of the bottles was gone into and tho event in Cuthbert road Then I was called caned to the stand and my testimony asked for tor I h had d prepared myself for foi the ordeal and faced it unflinchingly That I might keep intact the one point necessary necee- necee sary to Camels Camel's C safety I met my in inquisitors inquisitors tn- tn now v as before with the tho utmost ut ut- mo most t candor in all aU other respects Indeed Indeed In In- deed deer in one particular I was oven even more exact in my mv details than at any previous previous pre pre- Pious examination Anxious to explain plain my agitated d and hesitating advance o through h the tho clubhouse prior to my discovery discovery dis dis- coven covery of the crime which bad had been committed there I acknowledged what I bad had hitherto concealed that in in in my first nt entrance into the tho building I ha hall had come upon a a. mans man's derby hat and coat han hanging in in the lower hall and when g questioned moro more minutely on the subject subject sub sub- allowed it to appear that it was ow owing n o to the disappearance of these ar ar- tides durin during my stay upstairs that J I had been led into info sayin that some one had driven away from The Whispering fines ines before the tho comin coming of the police colico This as you will see see was was was' in in open contradiction of my former statements that I r had seen an unknown party thus attired driving away through the upper gateway just Ins as I entered by the lower r. r But But at it it- was was was' a 1 contradiction which while white noted by Mr Moffat failed to injure me with the jury and much less Jess with the spectators The impression had b become be come BO so firmly fixed in the tho public mind and in that of certain ertain officials a as well that my early hesitations and misstate misstate- ments were owing owin to a brotherly ami- ami ety to distract attention from Arthur Arthur- whose clothing they believed cd me mo to have recognized recognised in tb these se articles T have mentioned that mentioned that I rather gained than lost b by wh what t. t under other circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- circum- circum stances would hR have e damaged my testimony That I should prevaricate pro cato cate oven even to my own own detriment at a preliminary examination only to te tell the truth openly and anti like a man when in court and under the sanctity of an aD oath was in in tho the popular estima tion hon something to my credit and Mr Moffat who whoso whose hief recommendation as counsel lay loy in in his bis quick appreciation of the exigencies e of the tho moment did not tress Press me pie t too o sharply on this point wh when n he came camo to his cross cross cross' examination J I But Dut in in other respects he ho drove o me rue bard hard An effort was made by b- him first of nil all i to discredit me mo as a witness J My lack of appreciation for Adelaide and m my jay secret but absorbing love lovo for Car Car- m me mcl were inexorably brou brought bt out also tho easy happy go tenor of my my Ife and mY mv dogged doted persistence in any course courie T I thought consistent with mv my happiness My h character was wa wen well known in this town fown of my birth and it would have bave been folly fony for mo me to att attempt to gloss it over oer I had not oven o the tho desire desire de de- de sire to do dotlo so Jf If mv my sins exacted penance pen pen- ance anee I T would pay it here and no now to the full Only Carm Carmel Carml l should not suf suf- fer I refused to admit that she had bad given an any evidences c of returning my reckless passion My tongue would not speak the necessary words and it was not made to It wa was not her character but mine which Mr Moffat was endeavoring oring to assail But though h I was thus shown up for what I t was was in a manner most moat public and undesirable neither tho rulings of the tho court nor the attitude of the tho jury betrayed be bc- any IO loss J of confidence i in hi i me rue as asa asa a credible witness 9 and nd seeing ein this the wil vil wily lawyer shifted his bis ground and anti confined con con- fin fined d himself himself to an endeavor or to shake shak hak me on certain definite and important points How wore were the tho pillows heaped upon the tho couch What ones at top what ones at Which Which did did I re remove roo ro- move mO first and wh did t I i remove any of nf What ha had l I c expected to find findt questions answered the tho still dreaded more ones followed of oC just how hw my ray betrothed looked looker at tho moment I unco uncovered ered her face faco Were the tho marks very plain unon her throat Row How plain an and what did I t mean b by saying paying that I felt forced to lay my thumbs u upon on them Was that a natural th thing n to dol do Where was th the candle at that moment How man many feet away A candle docs not give much light at that distance tance was I 1 sure that I 1 saw those marks immediately im iou- mediately that they were dark enough h hand and visible enough enouch to draw mv my eyes oyes from her ber face which would n naturally tur attract t my gaze first f It wa waa horrible devilish but I won roc through only to to in mutt meet t tho the still more disturbing m question a as to whether I saw any other evidences of strangulation besides tho the marks T J could only mention tho the o of the eyes and when Mr Moffat found that ho could not shako shake me on ou this thia point ho branched off into a 3 less harrowing harrowing harrow harrow- Jn ing and cross examined in topic me mo regard re i-c- gard ard to the rin ring I had said that it wa was o on her hand band when I bade good bye to her in in her own house houlle and that it was not there when I camo upon her dead Had tho the fact m made do mo curious to examine her hand band No Then I could not Dot ot tell whether the fin finger or on which she it wore gave cave TeJ any evidence of tl this rin ring n ving been pulled off with mth violence 1 No o. o I 1 could not swear that in my opinion ion ion it f was I could not The small flask of cordial and tie the three Ihren glasses ono one clean and tho the others showing signs of having havins been used were next up IP but with no result for the d defense I bad had told all I know about tb tho in in my direct examination nl also o about such matters as ns tho the bottles found cm un the ike he kitchen table tho the leaving of f my roy keys at the Cumberland house und and tho the fact well weB known th that t tho the two bottles of wino wIne wine left in the tIo wino vault and tabulated bv by tho steward as so loft loftin loftin in the list found in my apartments apartment were of an exclusive brand unlikely to to b bo be found anywhere else elso in town I could add nothing more and having spoken tho the exact truth concerning them from tho the ver vera verj first I ran no chance of contradicting contradicting con con- myself even under the close fire Ire of the opposing counsel But thoro there was was a a. matter mattor I T dreaded to tl f CO him approach and which I was equally sure with an nn insight unshared I believe beHove by any anyone ono one else in the whole courtroom was equally dreaded by the prisoner This wa was tho the presence in the clubhouse clubhouse clubhouse club club- house chimney of the tho half burned letter letterI I i I had lon long ago aJrO boon been compelled in in my mJ myown myown own defense to acknowledge ld e having written to the victims victim's young sister Carmol Carmel Cumberland As I saw District Attorn Attorney Fox Pox about to enter upon this topic I gathered myself together to meet the onslaught ht for in this matter matterI I could not be strictly strictly- truthful since the tho least slip sUp on my part might the whole world to the fact tb that t it could only have havo como come thoro there through b the tho thoa a agency ency of Carmel herself What Mr Moffat thought of it what it-what what he hoped to prove provo in the prisoners prisoner's behalf boo bo- half baIt by rakin raking this subject over over over-it it was left for rao mo to discover disco later Tho The prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner onor W was S an innocent man in his bis eye eyes I was not and while tho the time had not come for him Dim to make this openly apparent apparent apparent ap ap- ap- ap parent he was not above showing oven even now that the case contained a actor which weakened the prosecution prosecution-a. a factor fac factor factor fac fac- tor totally dissociated with the openly accepted theory that the tho crime erime was simply sim sum ply the tho result of personal cupidity and drunken spite I And in this he was rj right ht It did weaken weak weak- en on it weakened it-weakened it to the point of collapse collapse collapse col col- lapse if tho the counsel for the defense had fully funy acted up to his opportunity But something withheld him Just at the tho moment when I feared the truth must mUfit como come out he hesitated and veered gradually grad grad- unity away from irom this subject In his nervous nervo s to and fro before tho the witness stand his bis eye had rested for a moment on Arthurs Arthur's and with this re reo re- re suIt sult The situation was saved but at a eo great reat loss to tho the defendant I began beJan to softened feelings s toward Arthur Cumberland from this moment Was it thou then or later that he hebe be began an in his bis turn to cherish now and less hostile feelings s toward myself Ho He had hated me and vowed my death leath if I tho the fate he ho could now dimly see Bce opening out before himself yet I I could see seo that he lie was glad lad to see Bee me slip from my tormentors tormentor's 8 hands with my story and that he be drew bis his breath moro more deeply and with much more evidence of freedom now that my testimony had b been on thoroughly sifted and nothing had bad come to light implicating ing Carmel I oven even thou thought ht I caught a 0 kindl kindly gleam gloam in his bis eye eyo as it met mino mine at this critical juncture and by its light I understood my man nina and what ho be hoped from mo me He wished mo at any risk to himself to unite mute with him in saving Carmels Carmel's good name That I should accede to this that I should respect re ro speet his generous wishes and let him himo go o to unmerited destruction n for even so BO imperative an an obligation tion as we both lay Jay under was a ques question ion for tho morrow I could not de decide ide upon it t today today not not while the smallest hope bope remained that ho he would yet et es escape pe conviction con by ether means than the one one which would wreck the life we were both intent intent on Bavin saving Several short examinations examination followed mine all telling in in their nature all calculated calculated calculated cal cal- to fix in the minds minde of the he jury tho following facts bets Pray pardon the rot repetition It is necessary to present the case to you just as it stood at this i period of my gr greatest struggle First that Arthur swayed by cupidity cupidity cupid cupid- it ity and moved to rn rage e b by the Ec ne at atthe the e dinner table had bad by some unknown means of a moro morn or less lose violent character charac charac- ter prevailed pre upon Adelaide to accompany accompany pany finny him to The Whisper Pinos Pines Pines-In in tin tho st small ll 1 cutter to which in tho the ab ab- ab sence senco of every servant about tho the place ho he himself had bad harnessed d the gray rn mare marl Second that in preparation for this thus visit to a spot remote from rom observation and cl against all an visitors they still for some somo unknown reason had carried between them then a candlestick stick and aud candle a n flask lInsk of cordial three glasses an and a small ElmaU bottle marked Poison also some somo papers letters or scraps of correspondence correspondence cor cor- among them the compromising compro line linc i I had bad written to Carmel Camel Third that while in this building at atan atan atan an hour not yet settled a second altercation alter altor- cation had arisen between them or orsome somo some attempt been boon made mado by br the brother which had alarmed Adelaide and sent hor her flying to tho the telephone in great eat agitation with an appeal to the tb police for help This telephone wa woo wao in a 0 front room and the jury was led to judge that 0 ho had bad gained access to it while her companion ransacked the wine vault and brou brought ht tho the six sir bottles of spirit up from tho the collar Fourth that her outcry had bad alarmed the prisoner in his bis turn turu causing him to leave cave most of the bottles below bolow and hasten up to the tho room where whore be he completed com corn the deed with which ho he had previously pre pro threatened her ber Fifth Fifth that poison Vin h having failed he resorted to strangulation after which which- or came before the of her herrin herring herring rin ring tho the piling up of the cushions over the body in in a vain ain vain endeavor to hide bide the deed dee or to prolong the search for forthe forthe the tho victim Then the departure departure the tho locking of tho the front door behind tho the perpetrator the tho flight of the gray horse borso and cutter through h the blinding storm the blowing blowin off of the drivers driver's hat tho the identification of the same by means of the tho flour mark loft left on its brim by the mechanics mechanic's wife the presence of a 1 portion port por tion of ono one of tho two abstracted bottles betties bot bet ties in the stable where the horse was put up and the appearance of Arthur with tho the other othor bottle at the tho door of the inn inn in Cuthbert road just as the tho clock was striking half past 11 This latter fact might |