It was in vain to evade the question—­the commodore would hear the news.  And Mrs. Waugh told him.

“And by the bones of Paul Jones, I always believed it!” falsely swore the commodore; and thereupon he demanded to hear “all about it.”

Mrs. Waugh commenced, and in a very unsteady voice read the long account quite through.  The commodore made no comment, except an occasional grunt of satisfaction, until she had finished it, when he growled out: 

“Knew it!—­hope they’ll hang him!—­d——­d rascal!  If it hadn’t been for him, there’d been no trouble in the family!  Now call Festus to help to turn me over, and tuck me up, Henrietta; I want to go to sleep!”

That night Mrs. Waugh said nothing, but the next morning she proposed hurrying homeward with all possible speed.

But the commodore would hear of no such thing.  He swore roundly that he would not stir to save the necks of all the scoundrels in the world, much less that of Thurston, who, if he did not kill Marian, deserved richly to be hanged for giving poor Nace so much trouble.

Mrs. Waugh coaxed and urged in vain.  The commodore rather liked to hear her do so, and so the longer she pleaded, the more obstinate and dogged he grew, until at last Henrietta desisted—­telling him, very well!—­justice and humanity alike required her presence near the unhappy man, and so, whether the commodore chose to budge or not, she should surely leave Charleston in that very evening’s boat for Baltimore, so as to reach Leonardtown in time for the trial.  Upon hearing this, the commodore swore furiously; but knowing of old that nothing could turn Henrietta from the path of duty, and dreading above all things to lose her comfortable attentions, and be left to the doubtful mercies of Mary L’Oiseau, he yielded, though with the worst possible grace, swearing all the time that he hoped the villain would swing for it yet.

And then the trunks were packed, and the travelers resumed their homeward journey.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE TRIAL.

The day of the trial came.  It was a bright spring day, and from an early hour in the morning the village was crowded to overflowing with people collected from all parts of the county.  The court-room was filled to suffocation.  It was with the greatest difficulty that order could be maintained when the prisoner, in the custody of the high sheriff, was brought into court.

The venerable presiding judge was supposed to be unfriendly to the accused, and the State’s Attorney was known to be personally, as well as officially, hostile to his interests.  So strongly were the minds of the people prejudiced upon one side or the other that it was with much trouble that twelve men could be found who had not made up their opinions as to the prisoner’s innocence or guilt.  At length, however, a jury was empaneled, and the trial commenced.  When the prisoner was placed at the bar, and asked the usual question, “Guilty or not guilty?” some of the old haughtiness curled the lip and flashed from the eye of Thurston Willcoxen, as though he disdained to answer a charge so base; and he replied in a low, scornful tone: