pirit be at rest till it was avenged?"
thought Anne when she was told of it.

CHAPTER XXIX: THE ASSIZE COURT

"O terror! what hath she perceived? O joy,
What doth she look on? whom hath she perceived?"

WORDSWORTH.

Time wore away, and the Lent Assizes at Winchester had come. Sir
Philip had procured the best legal assistance for his nephew, but in
criminal cases, though the prisoner was allowed the advice of
counsel, the onus of defence rested upon himself. To poor Anne's
dismay, a subpoena was sent to her, as well as to her uncle, to
attend as a witness at the trial. Sir Philip was too anxious to
endure to remain at a distance from Winchester, and they travelled
in his coach, Sir Edmund Nutley escorting them on horseback, while
Lucy was left with her mother, both still in blissful ignorance.
They took rooms at the George Inn. That night was a strange and
grievous one to Anne, trying hard to sleep so as to be physically
capable of composure and presence of mind, yet continually wakened
by ghastly dreams, and then recollecting that the sense of something
terrible was by no means all a dream.

Very white, very silent, but very composed, she came to the sitting-
room, and was constrained by her uncle and Sir Philip to eat, much
as it went against her. On this morning Sir Philip had dropped his
sternness towards her, and finding a moment when his son-in-law was
absent, he said, "Child, I know that this is wellnigh, nay, quite as
hard for you as for me. I can only say, Let no earthly regards hold
you back from whatever is your duty to God and man. Speak the truth
whatever betide, and leave the rest to the God of truth. God bless
you, however it may be;" and he kissed her brow.

The intelligence that the trial was coming on was brought by
Sedley's counsel, Mr. Simon Harcourt. They set forth for the County
Hall up the sharply-rising street, thronged with people, who growled
and murmured at the murderer savagely, Sir Philip, under the care of
his son-in-law, and Anne with her uncle. Mr. Harcourt was very
hopeful; he said the case for the prosecution had not a leg to stand
on, and that the prisoner himself was so intelligent, and had so
readily understood the line of defence to take, that he ought to
have been a lawyer. There would be no fear except that it might be
made a party case, and no stone was likely to be left unturned
against a gentleman of good loyal family. Moreover Mr. William
Cowper, who