During the period of this extraordinary recital, it was my part to watch
the countenances of the two listeners. Graeme sat as if bound to his
chair; every word of the woman seemed to work as a charm upon him,
relieving him of the conviction he had been impressed with, that he was
specially under the judgment of Heaven, without depriving him of the
consolation of a late penitence. Sometimes I caught his eye, and, I
fairly admit, I was wicked enough to indulge in a little mute
risibility to give him confidence in the conclusions he was fast drawing
from the somewhat garrulous narrative of the poor widow.
As for the doctor, he held out like a Milo. From the first moment he saw
the woman he knew that the game was up with him, but he knew also, what
all hardened sinners know, that they owe it to the cacodaimon they obey,
to deny everything to the last, as if they were afraid to show any
indication of what they consider the weakness of being good. We allowed
him to get quit upon the condition of silence on his part, for a prudent
forbearance on ours.
Mrs. Gourlay remained at the Grange for some time, whereby we had an
opportunity of further ascertaining all the details of the machination.
A sum of money was given to her, and Graeme's conscience was relieved,
as well by this retribution as by a conviction to which we both came,
that the game between him and Gourlay was rendered at least equal by the
fact which we had both reason to believe, as stated by Ruggieri, that
Gourlay himself intended to cheat, and that his death could be more
easily accounted for on that theory than on any other.
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