“State where and how you spent the night.”

“It was very hot and sultry in that room, and as there was a bright moon shining, I walked out to get some fresh air.  The pine woods had appeared so pretty and pleasant that afternoon, that I went on and on toward them, and did not realize how far they were.  I met people passing along the road, and it did not seem lonely.  The smell of the pines was new to me, and to enjoy it, I sat down on the straw.  I was tired, and must have fallen asleep at once, for I remember nothing till some noise startled me, and there I saw the same man on horseback in the road, whom I had met at Elm Bluff.  He asked me if I had misled my way, and I answered ‘No, sir.’  The height of the moon showed me it was late, and as I was frightened at finding myself alone in the woods, I almost ran back to the railway station, where I saw no one, except a telegraph operator, who seemed to be asleep in his chair.  I cannot say what time it was, because I could not see the clock.  Soon after, it began to thunder, and all through that terrible storm I was alone in the waiting-room.  So great was my relief when the wind and lightning ceased, that I went to sleep, and dreamed of a happy time when I lived in Italy, and of talking with one very dear to me.  Just then I awoke with a start, and heard a voice talking outside, which seemed very familiar.  There were two persons; one, a negro, said: 

“’There ain’t no train ’till daylight, excepting the through freight.’

“The other person asked:  ‘When is it due?’ The negro answered: 

“’Pretty soon, but it don’t stop here; it goes to the water tank where it blows for the railroad bridge; and that is only a short distance up the track.’

“I think I must have been only half awake, and with my mind fixed on my dream, I ran out in front of the station house.  An old negro man limping down the street was the only person visible, and while I watched him he suddenly vanished.  I went along the track for some distance but saw no one; and when I came back, the ticket agent was standing in the door of his office.  I cannot explain to you the singular impulse which carried me out, when I heard the dialogue, because it is inexplicable to myself, save by the supposition that I was still dreaming; and yet I saw the negro man distinctly.  There was a lamp-post near him, and he had a bundle on his shoulder.  When the 3:05 train came, I went aboard and left X—–.”

A smile parted Mr. Dunbar’s lips, and his handsome teeth glittered as he whispered to Judge Dent: 

“Even your chivalrous compassion can scarcely digest this knotty solution of her movements that night.  As a fabrication, it does little credit to her ingenuity.”

“Her statement impresses me differently.  She is either entirely innocent, or she had an accomplice, whose voice she recognized; and this clue should be investigated.”

The District Solicitor rose and bowed to the Magistrate.