"Carteret," exclaimed Mr. Delamere, "what is all this talk about lynching my man for murder and robbery and criminal assault? It's perfectly3 absurd! The man was raised by me; he has lived in my house forty years. He has been honest, faithful, and trustworthy. He would no more be capable of this crime than you would, or my grandson Tom. Sandy has too much respect for the family to do anything that would reflect disgrace upon it."
"My dear Mr. Delamere," asked Carteret, with an indulgent smile, "how could a negro possibly reflect discredit4 upon a white family? I should really like to know."
"How, sir? A white family raised him. Like all the negroes, he has been clay in the hands of the white people. They are what we have made them, or permitted them to become."
"We are not God, Mr. Delamere! We do not claim to have created these—masterpieces."
"No; but we thought to overrule God's laws, and we enslaved these people for our greed, and sought to escape the manstealer's curse by laying to our souls the flattering unction that we were making of barbarous negroes civilized5 and Christian6 men. If we did not, if instead of making them Christians7 we have made some of them brutes8, we have only ourselves to blame, and if these prey9 upon society, it is our just punishment! But my negroes, Carteret, were well raised and well behaved. This man is innocent of this offense10, I solemnly affirm, and I want your aid to secure his safety until a fair trial can be had."
"On your bare word, sir?" asked Carteret, not at all moved by this outburst.
Old Mr. Delamere trembled with anger, and his withered11 cheek flushed darkly, but he restrained his feelings, and answered with an attempt at calmness:—
"Time was, sir, when the word of a Delamere was held as good as his bond, and those who questioned it were forced to maintain their skepticism upon the field of honor. Time was, sir, when the law was enforced in this state in a manner to command the respect of the world! Our lawyers, our judges, our courts, were a credit to humanity and civilization. I fear I have outlasted12 my epoch,—I have lived to hear of white men, the most favored of races, the heirs of civilization, the conservators of liberty, howling like red Indians around a human being slowly roasting at the stake."
"My dear sir," said Carteret soothingly13, "you should undeceive yourself. This man is no longer your property. The negroes are no longer under our control, and with their emancipation14 ceased our responsibility. Their insolence15 and disregard for law have reached a point where they must be sternly rebuked16."
"The law," retorted Mr. Delamere, "furnishes a sufficient penalty for any crime, however heinous17, and our code is by no means lenient18. To my old-fashioned notions, death would seem an adequate punishment for any crime, and torture has been abolished in civilized countries for a hundred years. It would be better to let a crime go entirely19 unpunished, than to use it as a pretext20 for turning the whole white population into a mob of primitive21 savages22, dancing in hellish glee around the mangled23 body of a man who has never been tried for a crime. All this, however, is apart from my errand, which is to secure your assistance in heading off this mob until Sandy can have a fair hearing and an opportunity to prove his innocence24."
"How can I do that, Mr. Delamere?"
"You are editor of the Morning Chronicle. The Chronicle is the leading newspaper of the city. This morning's issue practically suggested the mob; the same means will stop it. I will pay the expense of an extra edition, calling off the mob, on the ground that newly discovered evidence has shown the prisoner's innocence."
"But where is the evidence?" asked Carteret.
Again Mr. Delamere flushed and trembled. "My evidence, sir! I say the negro was morally incapable25 of the crime. A man of forty-five does not change his nature over-night. He is no more capable of a disgraceful deed than my grandson would be!"
Carteret smiled sadly.
"I am sorry, Mr. Delamere," he said, "that you should permit yourself to be so exercised about a worthless scoundrel who has forfeited26 his right to live. The proof against him is overwhelming. As to his capability27 of crime, we will apply your own test. You have been kept in the dark too long, Mr. Delamere,—indeed, we all have,—about others as well as this negro. Listen, sir: last night, at the Clarendon Club, Tom Delamere was caught cheating outrageously28 at cards. He had been suspected for some time; a trap was laid for him, and be fell into it. Out of regard for you and for my family, he has been permitted to resign quietly, with the understanding that he first pay off his debts, which are considerable."
Mr. Delamere's face, which had taken on some color in the excitement of the interview, had gradually paled to a chalky white while Carteret was speaking. His head sunk forward; already an old man, he seemed to have aged30 ten years in but little more than as many seconds.
"True as gospel; true as it is that Mrs. Ochiltree has been murdered, and that this negro killed her. Ellis was at the club a few minutes after the affair happened, and learned the facts from one of the participants. Tom made no attempt at denial. We have kept the matter out of the other papers, and I would have spared your feelings,—I surely would not wish to wound them,—but the temptation proved too strong for me, and it seemed the only way to convince you: it was your own test. If a gentleman of a distinguished33 name and an honorable ancestry34, with all the restraining forces of social position surrounding him, to hold him in check, can stoop to dishonor, what is the improbability of an illiterate35 negro's being at least capable of crime?"
"Enough, sir," said the old gentleman. "You have proved enough. My grandson may be a scoundrel,—I can see, in the light of this revelation, how he might be; and he seems not to have denied it. I maintain, nevertheless, that my man Sandy is innocent of the charge against him. He has denied it, and it has not been proved. Carteret, I owe that negro my life; he, and his father before him, have served me and mine faithfully and well. I cannot see him killed like a dog, without judge or jury,—no, not even if he were guilty, which I do not believe!"
Carteret felt a twinge of remorse36 for the pain he had inflicted37 upon this fine old man, this ideal gentleman of the ideal past,—the past which he himself so much admired and regretted. He would like to spare his old friend any further agitation38; he was in a state of health where too great excitement might prove fatal. But how could he? The negro was guilty, and sure to die sooner or later. He had not meant to interfere39, and his intervention40 might be fruitless.
"Mr. Delamere," he said gently, "there is but one way to gain time. You say the negro is innocent. Appearances are against him. The only way to clear him is to produce the real criminal, or prove an alibi41. If you, or some other white man of equal standing29, could swear that the negro was in your presence last night at any hour when this crime could have taken place, it might be barely possible to prevent the lynching for the present; and when he is tried, which will probably be not later than next week, he will have every opportunity to defend himself, with you to see that he gets no less than justice. I think it can be managed, though there is still a doubt. I will do my best, for your sake, Mr. Delamere,—solely for your sake, be it understood, and not for that of the negro, in whom you are entirely deceived."
"I shall not examine your motives42, Carteret," replied the other, "if you can bring about what I desire."
"Whatever is done," added Carteret, "must be done quickly. It is now four o'clock; no one can answer for what may happen after seven. If he can prove an alibi, there may yet be time to save him. White men might lynch a negro on suspicion; they would not kill a man who was proven, by the word of white men, to be entirely innocent."
"I do not know," returned Mr. Delamere, shaking his head sadly. "After what you have told me, it is no longer safe to assume what white men will or will not do;—what I have learned here has shaken my faith in humanity. I am going away, but shall return in a short time. Shall I find you here?"
"I will await your return," said Carteret.
He watched Mr. Delamere pityingly as the old man moved away on the arm of the coachman waiting in the hall. He did not believe that Mr. Delamere could prove an alibi for his servant, and without some positive proof the negro would surely die,—as he well deserved to die.
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1
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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outlasted
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| v.比…长久，比…活得长( outlast的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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emancipation
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| n.（从束缚、支配下）解放 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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heinous
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| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
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lenient
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| adj.宽大的，仁慈的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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capability
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| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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outrageously
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| 凶残地； 肆无忌惮地； 令人不能容忍地； 不寻常地 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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41
alibi
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| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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