On the next morning, the morning of the trial, Margaret awoke at six o’clock after a night of uneasy sleep. As she looked from her window she saw the light of a lamp glowing in the tower room, and wondered whether her father had spent the whole night awake. Whatever the outcome of the trial might be, every day of its progress was bound to be an ordeal for a man who had never been accustomed to hearing his decisions questioned. The proceedings were due to start at ten o’clock and he had been ordered to surrender to his bail at nine. Margaret was appalled to discover that as early as seven o’clock a crowd was beginning to gather outside the house. The gatekeeper had been dismissed with the rest of the staff, so that there was no one to prevent the intrusion. Although there was no demonstration of hostility, Margaret found the mere presence of the silent watchers frightening. She made no mention of them, however, when her father appeared for breakfast. Instead she studied him covertly as he sat motionless in his place.
