elopement. So it was discovered, and perhaps her father would be so taken up with this event he would hardly think about his five hundred pound note. She wondered whether it would make any difference, and as she so wondered the door of the room opened, and Mr. Hope made his appearance.

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'It is his daughter's elopement,' she thought; 'but no one can pity him, when they remember the bad character and wooden legs.'

'You wished to speak to me, Mrs. Tippington?' said he.

'I did,' replied Lettice; and then to her surprise she found that her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth, and she could not utter another word.

Mr. Hope, however, spoke for her.

'I had better tell you at once,' he said, 'that it is of no use whatever. You have come to plead for your husband, but I cannot listen to you; justice must have its course.'

There are, perhaps, no five consecutive words in

our language, that are ever used by respectable people, more inhuman or more unchristian than those five: Justice must have its course.'

Mr. Hope having uttered them, was capable of saying anything else of the same nature; so he proceeded to inform Lettice that she had better go home at once to her husband, as her doing so would save her and Mr. Hope, both of them, useless pain.

'If you can use your influence to make him confess about it, then you will be doing some good,' he added almost roughly.

'Sure he has nothing to confess,' cried Lettice, trembling, but eager; 'he knows nothing about it.'

'Yes, I daresay,' was the reply, given with polite irony; ‘at the same time, you may believe me, my advice is good, and the best thing you can do is to follow it.'

'It is you that does not understand,' she began, but was stopped by his look of blank amazement.

'I understand that I have had five hundred pounds stolen from me,' he replied quickly, ‘and that I do not intend to let off the thief.'

She turned towards him as he said that, and advanced a step nearer.

'Take me, then,' she cried desperately; 'I am the thief!'

He started back horror-struck, yet unbelieving.

'You?' he cried, his eyes fixed on her fresh, fair, innocent face. 'Don't say so; it is impossible!'

Lettice felt inclined to burst out crying, and restrained the inclination with the greatest difficulty. She hid her face in her hands, and having made her confession, had not another word to say.

'You mean to tell me that you stole my five hundred pound note?' he said at last, speaking slowly and even reluctantly; and that your husband gave himself up to shield you? Is that it?'

'I did not know it,' she cried; 'he sent me away. It is this minute only I came back. It was Mr. Donolly wrote to me.'

'And you stole my money?'

'Oh, I beg your pardon. I don't understand these nice distinctions, these refinements of language. You did not steal it, you only took it! And then, may I ask what you did with my money, after you so obligingly took it?'

'I gave it away,' replied she in a very low voice.

'Oh,' continued Mr. Hope, 'this is a nice story-a very nice story indeed, I am to understand that nobody stole my money, but that you took it, and were so very generous and kind as to give it to somebody who wanted it more than I did, I suppose?'

'Will I never make you understand?' cried Lettice, wringing her hands in despair. 'You shall get it back again, very soon maybe. I thought it was fifty pounds.'

'This is better and better,' said he, cool and sarcastic as ever; 'you lent it, then, and it will be returned to me, with interest I dare say, by and by? Just a business transaction of the simplest description. Perhaps you will add to all your other kindnesses by informing me who the third person in this little affair is? The money is mine,—you lend it,—and who receives it?'

'It's that I can't tell you. I promised not.'

'Now this is rather too much of a good thing, young woman; and if you expect me to let you off because you are pretty, let me tell you that you have mistaken the man you have to deal with. You lend my money to somebody, and promise him not to tell! Do you think I believe one word you're saying? Your husband has sent you here with this cock-and-bull story, thinking I will let you off because of your pretty face; but I shall not. If your story was true, I'd have you taken up this minute, and you should be tried at the Assizes along with him.'

Lettice gave a little scream, and again hid her face in her hands, keeping back her tears with the utmost difficulty.

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