"Then you shall hear nothing," replied she sullenly, and no inducement
or intimidation could bring her to speak again. Lord Glenfallen's deposition and mine were then given, as also those of
the servants who had entered the room at the moment of my rescue. The magistrate then intimated that she was committed, and must proceed
directly to gaol, whither she was brought in a carriage of Lord
Glenfallen's, for his lordship was naturally by no means indifferent to
the effect which her vehement accusations against himself might produce,
if uttered before every chance hearer whom she might meet with between
Cahergillagh and the place of confinement whither she was despatched. During the time which intervened between the committal and the trial of
the prisoner, Lord Glenfallen seemed to suffer agonies of mind which
baffled all description; he hardly ever slept, and when he did, his
slumbers seemed but the instruments of new tortures, and his waking
hours were, if possible, exceeded in intensity of terror by the dreams
which disturbed his sleep. Lord Glenfallen rested, if to lie in the mere attitude of repose were
to do so, in his dressing-room, and thus I had an opportunity of
witnessing, far oftener than I wished it, the fearful workings of his
mind. His agony often broke out into such fearful paroxysms that
delirium and total loss of reason appeared to be impending. He
frequently spoke of flying from the country, and bringing with him all
the witnesses of the appalling scene upon which the prosecution was
founded; then, again, he would fiercely lament that the blow which he
had inflicted had not ended all. The assizes arrived, however, and upon the day appointed Lord Glenfallen
and I attended in order to give our evidence. The cause was called on, and the prisoner appeared at the bar. Great curiosity and interest were felt respecting the trial, so that the
court was crowded to excess. The prisoner, however, without appearing to take the trouble of
listening to the indictment, pleaded guilty, and no representations on
the part of the court availed to induce her to retract her plea. After much time had been wasted in a fruitless attempt to prevail upon
her to reconsider her words, the court proceeded, according to the usual
form, to pass sentence. This having been done, the prisoner was about to be removed, when she
said, in a low, distinct voice:

"A word--a word, my lord!--Is Lord Glenfallen here in the court?" On being told that he was, she raised her voice to a tone of loud
menace, and continued:

"Hardress, Earl of Glenfallen, I accuse you here in this court of
justice of two crimes,--first, that you married a second wife while the
first was living; and again, that you prompted me to the murder, for
attempting which I am to die. Secure him--chain him--bring him here!" There was a laugh through the court at these words, which were naturally
treated by the judge as a violent extemporary recrimination, and the
woman was desired to be silent. "You won't take him, then?" she said; "you won't try him? You'll let him
go free?" It was intimated by the court that he would certainly be allowed "to go
free," and she was ordered again to be removed. Before, however, the mandate was executed, she threw her arms wildly
into the air, and uttered one piercing shriek so full of preternatural
rage and despair, that it might fitly have ushered a soul into those
realms where hope can come no more. The sound still rang in my ears, months after the voice that had uttered
it was for ever silent. The wretched woman was executed in accordance with the sentence which
had been pronounced. For some time after this event, Lord Glenfallen appeared, if possible,
to suffer more than he had done before, and altogether his language,
which often amounted to half confessions of the guilt imputed to him,
and all the circumstances connected with the late occurrences, formed a
mass of evidence so convincing that I wrote to my father, detailing the
grounds of my fears, and imploring him to come to Cahergillagh without
delay, in order to remove me from my husband's control, previously to
taking legal steps for a final separation. Circumstanced as I was, my existence was little short of intolerable,
for, besides the fearful suspicions which attached to my husband, I
plainly perceived that if Lord Glenfallen were not relieved, and that
speedily, insanity must supervene. I therefore expected my father's
arrival, or at least a letter to announce it, with indescribable
impatience. About a week after the execution had taken place, Lord Glenfallen one
morning met me with an unusually sprightly air. "Fanny," said he, "I have it now for the first time in my power to
explain to your satisfaction everything which has hitherto appeared
suspicious or mysterious in my conduct. After breakfast come with me to
my study, and I shall, I hope, make all things clear." This invitation afforded me more real pleasure than I had experienced
for months. Something had certainly occurred to tranquillize my
husband's mind in no ordinary degree, and I thought it by no means
impossible that he would, in the proposed interview, prove himself the
most injured and innocent of men. Full of this hope, I repaired to his study at the appointed hour. He was
writing busily when I entered the room, and just raising his eyes, he
requested me to be seated. I took a chair as he desired, and remained silently awaiting his
leisure, while he finished, folded, directed, and sealed his letter. Laying it then upon the table with the address downward, he said,--

"My dearest Fanny, I know I must have appeared very strange to you and
very unkind--often even cruel. Before the end of this week I will show
you the necessity of my conduct--how impossible it was that I should
have seemed otherwise. I am conscious that many acts of mine must have
inevitably given rise to painful suspicions--suspicions which, indeed,
upon one occasion, you very properly communicated to me. I have
got two letters from a quarter which commands respect, containing
information as to the course by which I may be enabled to prove the
negative of all the crimes which even the most credulous suspicion
could lay to my charge. I expected a third by this morning's post,
containing documents which will set the matter for ever at rest, but
owing, no doubt, to some neglect, or perhaps to some difficulty in
collecting the papers, some inevitable delay, it has not come to hand
this morning, according to my expectation. I was finishing one to the
very same quarter when you came in, and if a sound rousing be worth
anything, I think I shall have a special messenger before two days
have passed.