Chapter 7 Chapter Seven Mary Leavenworth

Thank you so much, I am so relieved. Have you ever admired the view of the sun shining through the thick cumulonimbus clouds?If the answer is yes, you can appreciate the impact these two beautiful ladies make when they walk into a room.Mary's pretty look is dazzling no matter when and where, and no matter where she walks into any crowd, she can arouse the unanimous fascination of all the people present.Although Eleanor is slightly inferior, her imaginative demeanor is by no means inferior to that of her cousin.However, after the terrible tragedy happened, this group of people, including me, could only suppress their yearning and admiration, and maybe they didn't react at all.But at the murmur of wonder and admiration I was disgusted and felt my soul recoil.

I found the most inconspicuous position as soon as possible, and let the shivering lady beside me sit down.Then I looked around for her cousin.Although Eleanor Leavenworth had been frail in the conversation upstairs, she showed no hesitation or impatience at this time.Eleanor enters, holding the hand of Detective Gritz.Gritz put on a sudden air of confidence in front of the jury, but it was not at all reassuring.She stood calmly and stared at the scene in front of her, then greeted the coroner, and showed an air of superiority and inferiority, as if she was implying to everyone that he was an uninvited guest in a wealthy family, and the reason why she stayed was only because of the master It's nothing more than courtesy and tolerance.Her servant quickly found a seat for her to sit down, and her graceful posture was more like the arrogant appearance in the reception room, rather than the reserved and restrained that should be in the current scene.Although outsiders perceive these mannerisms to be mostly contrived, her approach is not entirely ineffective.The whispering voices subsided immediately, and the eyes that explored privacy also dissipated, and the faces of the people present seemed to be forced to show respect.Even I, who had seen her different styles in the upstairs room, felt oppressed now.I turned to the lady next to me, and I was shocked to see her staring at my cousin questioningly, which might not be good for her cousin.So I quickly grabbed Mary's hand that was clenched and unconscious on the edge of the chair, and when I was about to ask her to be cautious, the coroner had already pronounced her name slowly and carefully, pulling her thoughts back to reality Come.She hastily withdrew her gaze from her cousin and raised her head to face the jury.At this time, she exuded a touch of pleasant demeanor, which reminded me of my reverie just now about the famous ladies.But her presence was fleeting, and she prepared, with the utmost humility, to answer the coroner's opening questions.

However, the anxiety I feel at this moment is indescribable.Although she appeared gentle and sweet at this time, as far as I know, she is not short-tempered.Will she reiterate here what she finds suspicious?Did she hate her cousin and distrust her?What she could easily say when there was no one else in the room, but would she have the guts to repeat it, here and now, in front of the world?Does she wish she could say it?Her expression did not reveal her intentions, so I had to turn my eyes to Eleanor again in my anxiety.I could easily understand Eleanor's fear and apprehension, and now that her cousin had spoken before her, it made her shrink back even more, and even covered her face with her pale, lifeless hands.

Mary Leavenworth's testimony was short.Most of the questions were about her status in the family and her relationship with the deceased parent.She was then questioned about what she knew about the murder, and about the circumstances when her cousin and servants found the body. She lived a pampered life, and had never felt anxious or distressed before today.She raised one eyebrow and answered in a low, feminine voice that rang like bells throughout the room. "Gentlemen, I can't answer the questions you ask me personally. I know nothing about the murder, and I don't know anything about the discovery. All I know is from other people's accounts. Known."

I breathed a sigh of relief and jumped for joy.At the same time I saw Eleanor Leavenworth drop her heavy hands, a gleam of hope flashed across her face, and vanished like sunlight on marble. "You may find it strange," Mary continued earnestly, unable to conceal the shadow of horror on her face, "I never entered the room where my uncle's body was found. I never thought of going in. I just wanted to fly away impulsively." All horrifying and heartbreaking. But Eleanor went into that room and she can tell you..." "We will ask Miss Eleanor Leavenworth later."

The coroner interrupted her.For himself, such a tone is very gentle.It's clear that this glamorous lady has used her elegance to impress people. "What we want to know is what did you see. You said you didn't know anything about what happened in the room when the body was found?" "Yes, sir." "You only know what happened in the hall?" "Nothing happened in the hall," she said innocently. "Didn't the servants come in from the hall? Didn't your cousin come into the hall after she fainted and came back to life?" Mary Leavenworth's blue-purple eyes blinked suspiciously.

"Yes, sir. It's just that the trifles are not worth mentioning." "You remember, however, that she entered the hall?" "Yes, sir." "Do you have a piece of paper in your hand?" "Paper?" Her eyes flicked and then settled on her cousin's face. "Have you got a piece of paper, Eleanor?" The atmosphere was tense at this moment.Eleanor Leavenworth was alarmed at the mention of paper, stood up at the casual question, and hesitated to speak.At this point the coroner raised his hand in reproach, and said with his customary sternness: "You have no need to question your cousin, miss. You just let us know what you have to say."

Eleanor immediately leaned back in the chair, a blush appeared on her cheeks.There was a slight commotion in the room, and the people present were quite disappointed, because for them, satisfying their curiosity was the most important thing, and whether they followed the law or not was secondary. The coroner was satisfied that he had acted faithfully and at the same time had treated such a charming witness with alacrity.He repeated the question just now. "Tell us, please, did you see a piece of paper in her hand?" "Me? No, no, I didn't see anything." Since the question focused on the events of the previous night, she did not provide any new clues.She admits that her uncle is a little quiet at dinner, but he used to be just as taciturn when things weren't going well at work or when he was in a bad mood.

When asked by the coroner if she had seen her uncle again that night, she said no, and remained in her boudoir.The appearance of him sitting in front of the desk was the last time she saw him. She spoke from her own memory, with a touch of sadness and loneliness in her tone, but without appearing rash, which slowly infected the whole room with sympathy. I even noticed that Mr. Gritz's eyes on the inkstand softened.But Eleanor Leavenworth was unmoved. "Has your uncle had any trouble with anyone?" he asked. "Has he possessed valuable papers or hidden large sums of money?"

She denied all of these questions. "Has your uncle been acquainted with any strangers lately? Has he received any important letters in the past few weeks? These things may help to sort out the case." There was some hesitation in her voice when she answered. "No, as far as I know, I don't know about it." At this point, she glanced at Eleanor secretly, obviously seeing the message that reassured her, so she quickly went on to say, "This question I can answer you with certainty. Absolutely not. My uncle told me his heart, and if he had something important on his mind, I would definitely know."

Regarding Hannah's question, she described the character of this person very accurately, but she didn't know why she disappeared strangely, nor did she know how she was related to the murder case.She couldn't say with whom Hannah was intimately connected, and she didn't know if anyone came to visit her, except that outsiders were not allowed to enter the house on the grounds of visiting the servants.Finally, when the coroner asked her when she had last seen Mr. Leavenworth's pistol in a drawer, she replied that she had seen it only on the day he bought it, while Eleanor was going to and from the several rooms of her uncle's freely. This is the only part of her testimony that makes people suspicious, even though I am preoccupied, I can't help but secretly doubt it.The casualness with which she delivered the above testimony probably would have gone unnoticed had Eleanor herself not been highly skeptical of the speaker. Now, however, it was the turn of the questioning juror to speak.He sat on the front edge of the chair, took a deep breath, and had an ambiguous awe of Marie's beauty, which made his posture seem a little ridiculous.He asked her if she had thought about what she had just said. "I hope so, sir. At this time, I will reconsider any questions that need to be answered." She answered seriously. The little juror leaned back, and I thought his interrogation was coming to an end, when the one on the watch chain caught Mary's eye and asked, "Miss Leavenworth, has your uncle made a will?" ?” This sentence immediately alerted everyone in the room, even her face gradually turned red due to the damage to her dignity.But her answer was firm, without showing a hint of disgust. "Yes, sir," she replied simply. "More than one copy?" "I know only one copy." "Are you familiar with the contents of the will?" "Yes. He told everyone what he thought." The juror looked up at her.He didn't pay attention to her elegant demeanor, and even turned a blind eye to her gorgeous and noble temperament. "Then, perhaps you can tell me who benefits most when he dies?" This question was so cruel that everyone present, including me, couldn't agree with it, so they frowned.But Mary Leavenworth straightened up, looked at the interrogator's face, and said calmly: "I only know who has the most to lose. He takes care of orphaned children, places them in an aura of love and care, and they They were very young then, and needed nothing more than love and protection. Through childhood and adolescence, they looked to him to guide the way of the future. All this, sir, they lost their dependence because of his death. As for what came next Everything about them seems insignificant by comparison." For an insinuation so vile as to be utterly dignified, such an answer seems noble.The juror flinched, but another juror who hadn't spoken yet spoke up.His appearance is not only nobler than others, but also a bit majestic.Leaning forward in his seat, he said in a solemn voice: "Miss Leavenworth, there are always impressions formed in the human mind unconsciously. Have you ever felt for some reason that someone killed your uncle?" suspicion?" It was a scary moment.As for me as it is for others, I believe this moment is not only scary, but also deeply painful.Had her courage crumbled?Could her resolve to avoid suspicion for her cousin remain steadfast in her duty to answer jury questions, or in her personal integrity?I really dare not guess. However, Mary Leavenworth stood up, looked directly at the judge and jury, and gave the following answer clearly in her usual voice: "No. I suspect no one, and I have no reason to suspect anyone. I know nothing of my uncle's murderer, and I have no way of suspecting it." As soon as these words came out, it was as if the suffocating pressure was suddenly removed.When everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Mary Leavenworth stepped aside and it was Eleanor's turn to play.