"
The landlady immediately left to send for Mr. Goodwin, and the
magistrate approached the head of the bed, and, speaking solemnly,
exhorted the wounded man, as he expected soon to give an account of
the works done in his body, to speak the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, without reserve, malice or exaggeration, both
as to the deed and its provocation.
"I will I will--for I have sent for a minister and I intend to try
to make my peace with heaven," replied Le Noir.
The magistrate then directed Capitola to come and take her stand at
the foot of the bed, where the wounded man, who was lying on his
back, could see her without turning.
Cap came as she was commanded and stood there with some
irrepressible and incomprehensible mischief gleaming out from under
her long eye-lashes and from the corners of her dimpled lips.
The magistrate then administered the oath to Craven Le Noir, and
bade him look upon Capitola and give his evidence.
He did so, and under the terrors of a guilty conscience and of
expected death, his evidence partook more of the nature of a
confession than an accusation. He testified that he had addressed
Capitola, and had been rejected by her; then, under the influence of
evil motives, he had circulated insinuations against her honor,
which were utterly unjustifiable by fact; she, seeming to have heard
of them, took the strange course of challenging him--just as if she
had been a man.
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