The Heart of Mid-Lothian Volume 1 Chapter 22

In which the gentle Euphemia Deans stands trembling before the stern court, accused under a harsh statute for the concealment and suspected death of her infant, her beauty and sorrow stirring the compassion of many who hear the grave indictment read. Her counsel, with eloquence and tender pleading, seeks to unveil a deeper truth hidden in secrecy and sorrow, urging the judges to consider a defence founded on the bonds of sisterly confidence amid the relentless severity of the law.