God of purity ! amidst the false,
they sought to include the true. With
the suborned, they would also have
ensnared her into their purpose, who
had but one tongue, which was lieless.
But Lyddie Erie, they said, could save
her brother yet ; she had only to step
into the witness box, to give h<?r evi
dence without wavering or wandering
—to prove that no one else could es
tablish her brother’s innocence, his in
nocence,—to rescue him from agony,
from ignominy, perhaps from death.
Her brother’s innocence, and she
knew ! To be proved, established tri
umphantly by hcr who knew ! She to
be called to give evidence, who if com
pelled to speak a word ; the thought
brought a wild wish for instantaneous
and universal darkness ; she knew not
where to hide herself, lest she shoo’d
be dragged into the presence, where
Truth dare not be dumb.
