Page:Braddon--The Trail of the Serpent.djvu/54

50 "Apart from his wild conduct, he was a good son. He was kind and affectionate, and I believe it was his regret for the grief his dissipation had caused me that drove him away from his home."

"He was kind and affectionate. I am to understand, then, that his disposition was naturally good?"

"Naturally he had a most excellent disposition. He was universally beloved as a boy; the servants were excessively attached to him; he had a great love of animals—dogs followed him instinctively, as I believe they always do follow people who like them."

"A very interesting trait, no doubt, in the prisoner's disposition; but if we are to have so much charmingly minute description, I'm afraid we shall never conclude this trial," said the opposite counsel. And a juryman, who had a ticket for a public dinner at four o'clock in his pocket, forgot himself so far that he applauded with the heels of his boots.

The prisoner's counsel, regardless of the observation of his "learned friend," proceeded.

"Madam," he said, "had your son, before his departure from home, any serious illness?"

"The question is irrelevant," said the judge.

"Pardon me, my lord. I shall not detain you long. I believe the question to be of importance. Permit me to proceed."

Mrs. Marwood looked surprised by the question, but it came from her son's advocate, and she did her best to answer it.

"My son had, shortly before his leaving home, a violent attack of brain-fever."

"During which he was delirious?"

"Everybody is delirious in brain-fever," said the judge. "This is trifling with the court, sir."

The judge was rather inclined to snub the prisoner's counsel; first, because he was a young and struggling man, and therefore ought to be snubbed; and secondly, because he had in a manner inferred that his lordship was deaf.

"Pardon me, my lord; you will see the drift of my question by-and-by."

"I hope so, sir," said his lordship, very testily.

"Was your son, madam, delirious during this fever?"

"Throughout it, sir."

"And you attributed the fever"

"To his bad conduct having preyed upon his mind."

"Were you alarmed for his life during his illness?"

"Much alarmed. But our greatest fear was for his reason."

"Did the faculty apprehend the loss of his reason?"

"They did."

"The doctors who attended him were resident in Slopperton?"