Page:Behind the scenes, or, Thirty years a slave and four years in the White House.djvu/196

194 "What! the man who attended us to the theatre on the night ray dear, good husband was murdered! He, I believe, is one of the murderers. Tell him to come in to me." The messenger had overheard Mrs. Lincoln's words through the half-open door, and when he came in he was trembling violently. She turned to him fiercely: "So you are on guard to-night—on guard in the White House after helping to murder the President!" "Pardon me, but I did not help to murder the President. I could never stoop to murder—much less to the murder of so good and great a man as the President." "But it appears that you did stoop to murder." "No, no! don't say that," he broke in. "God knows that I am innocent."

"I don't believe you. "Why were you not at the door to keep the assassin out when he rushed into the box?" "I did wrong, I admit, and I have bitterly