e of perjury, and
pleaded "not guilty" in a voice which, though low, was audible to all
the court. At that moment the hum of voices had stayed itself, and
the two small words, spoken in a clear, silver tone, reached the ears
of all that then were there assembled. Some had surmised it to be
possible that she would at the last moment plead guilty, but such
persons had not known Lady Mason. And then by slow degrees a jury was
sworn, a considerable number of jurors having been set aside at the
instance of Lady Mason's counsel. Mr. Aram had learned to what part
of the county each man belonged, and upon his instructions those who
came from the neighbourhood of Hamworth were passed over.

The comparative lightness of the offence divested the commencement
of the trial of much of that importance and apparent dignity which
attach themselves to most celebrated criminal cases. The prisoner was
not bidden to look upon the juror, nor the juror to look upon the
prisoner, as though a battle for life and death were to be fought
between them. A true bill of perjury had come down to the court from
the grand jury, but the court officials could not bring themselves
on such an occasion to open the case with all that solemnity and
deference to the prisoner which they would have exhibited had she
been charged with murdering her old husband. Nor was it even the same
as though she had been accused of forgery. Though forgery be not now
a capital crime, it was so within our memories, and there is still
a certain grandeur in the name. But perjury sounds small and petty,
and it was not therefore till the trial had advanced a stage or two
that it assumed that importance which it afterwards never lost. That
this should be so cut Mr. Mason of Groby to the very soul. Even Mr.
Dockwrath had been unable to make him understand that his chance
of regaining the property was under the present circumstances much
greater than it would have been had Lady Mason been arraigned for
forgery. He would not believe that the act of forgery might possibly
not have been proved. Could she have been first whipped through the
street for the misdemeanour, and then hung for the felony, his spirit
would not have been more than sufficiently appeased.

The case was opened by one Mr. Steelyard, the junior counsel for
the prosecution; but his work on this occasion was hardly more than
formal. He merely stated the nature of the accusation against Lady
Mason, and the issue which th