Avice Gray, V-VII [pp. 134-141]

APPLE TONS' JO URzAL.
ance, friend, and neighbor, Stephen Vanvannick was
now only a name.
But, be it remembered, I limited my observations on the mutability of human interest to those
not immediately concerned; with those whose life's
happiness or welfare is bound up in the cause of
excitement, the case is far different. Vain suspense
and fear are faithful and abiding companions, and
not lightly to be shaken off when once they have
taken up their abode in our hearts. To Avice Gray,
bearing her burden of sorrow and dread as best she
might in uncheered solitude; to the bereaved parents,
longing (little as they would have admitted it, and
Christians as they professed to be) for vengeance on
the author of their loss and their grief; to Dorade,
for reasons known to herself alone; and in a less degree to her mother and Dr. Wells-the time, both
past and to come, had lost none of its tragic interest.
With them, to recall what had gone by still jarred
every nerve; with them it still stirred every pulse to
think of what the future had yet to bring.
On this August afternoon, Dr. Wells was slowly
jogging along the dusty road, in company with the
x-well-known chestnut pony, who, like his master, was
not so young as he once had been. The doctor's
face was grave, for it expressed the tone of his
thoughts, which were very grave indeed. He was
thinking of the interview he had had in the morning with Avice Gray.
For the doctor was allowdd to see her; indeed,
he had constituted himself her guardian and adviser. He instructed and bore the charges of the
lawyer who must give her the assistance it lay not
in his power to bestow, and he gave her what consolation and what hope he could without deviating
from the truth. But the comfort was but little and
the hope of the slenderest. What a fragile chance
was that of the appearance of a person who had
come no one knew whence and gone no one knew
whither, whose very name was unknown, and whose
existence even was regarded by some as a fabrication of Avice Gray's fertile brain!-for, in public
opinion, the girl who had committed such a crime
must be capable of any cleverness of invention, any
device to conceal the truth. Public opinion might
see reason to change, if it would consider that cleverness and criminality do not always, or often, go
together, and that those whose actions are the worst
genrally blunder the most, both in planning them
beforehand and concealing them wvhen performed.
Avice herself knew so little what was needed for
her exculpation, she attached so little consequence
to the chance meeting with the stranger in the wood,
that it was not until the second time Dr. Wells saw
her in the prison that he discovered what important
evidence, could it only be obtained, might be adduced in her behalf. But the doctor saw at once
the paramount necessity of securing such a witness in
her favor if it lay within the bounds of possibility to
do so; indeed, to obtain some actual proof of her
absence from the scene of the tragedy seemed the
only chance for Avice now; and here was one who,
if her story were true, would give positive testimony
that when Stephen Vanvannick died Avice Gray
was four miles from the place of his death. Comparison of times and seasons left no doubt of this;
the two young men who had discovered the murder
were certain that it was but a few minutes after noon
when they reached the spot; the doctor was equally
sure that that could have been but a few minutes
after the fatal blow must have been given; and,
when Avice spoke of having heard the whistle of the
railway as she talked to the stranger, he took care
to ascertain the exact time of the arrival of that particular train, found it had been but ten minutes behind time, and, therefore, came in at five minutes
before noon. Clearer proof, therefore, of the absence of Avice from the one place than was afforded
by her presence in the other, and a more complete
refutation of the charge against her, could not be
desired; but how was that testimony which would
clear her to be obtained? There lay the difficulty.
To that the poor girl, think as she might, could give
no clew.
Dr. Wells had done all that it was in his power
to do. He had made inquiries at Bleekman's whether any stranger had been there on the eventful morning; unfortunately, there had been several, and
among them the one indicated by Avice could not
be identified, so that, though her statement was not
contradicted, it was in no degree verified. He had
instituted a search among the hotels and houses
of entertainment in Whitechester, a hopeless task
which, as may be supposed, ended in no result; he
had posted notices through the town in hopes the
man might still be lingering there, and would see
them, stating the urgent necessity of his coming
forward with the truth; he had advertised to the
same purpose in all the newspapers of the principal
cities and towns. But as yet no result had come
from all his efforts; in the five weeks that had
elapsed since he had commenced them he had found
no signs; some people laughed openly at his credulity; others, while giving him credit for the benevolence of his motives, blamed him for spending
time and money in so unworthy a cause; while all
wondered at the delusion under which he labored in
company with the few others who believed in the innocence of Avice Gray. He cared little for that;
but it cut him to the heart every time he went to
the prison to see the poor child look up at him with
heavy, wistful eyes, that contained the question she
no longer dared to put into words, to witness the
expression of fresh disappointment that came over
her face as she read again in his that he brought her
no good news, to hear the sigh with which she answered when he said as cheerfully as he could, "No
news yet, my child, but better fortune to-morrow;
we must hope for the best." The future was beginning to press with the weight of a great dread on
Avice Gray. Life and the enjoyment of life are
sweet, no matter how great may be our sorrows; and,
passionate as were Avice Gray's regrets at the tragic
fate of the man she loved, she was by no means prepared or willing to be hurried out of this world before her part in it had fairly begun. There was no
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