began a week later, and were heard by
another magistrate, Mr. Hardwick. This time, however, there was no
defendant, for, on her name being called by the usher, Mr. Bodkin
pulled a long face and announced that his client had left England. "I
cannot," he said, "offer any reason for her absence." Still, he had a
suggestion. "It is possible," he said, "that she has gone abroad for
the benefit of her health." The question of estreating the
recognizances then arose. While not prepared to abandon them
altogether, counsel for the prosecution was sufficiently generous to
say that so far as he was concerned no objection would be offered to
extending them.

When, after two more adjournments, the defendant still failed to
surrender to her bail, the magistrate and counsel for the prosecution
altered their tone.

"Your Worship," said Mr. Clarkson, "it has come to my knowledge that
the person whose real name is Mrs. James, and who is charged with the
felonious crime of bigamy, is now some hundreds of miles beyond your
jurisdiction, and does not mean to appear. Accordingly, on behalf of
the highly respectable Miss Heald, I now ask that the recognizances be
forfeited. My client has been actuated all through by none but the
purest motives, her one object being to remove the only son of a
beloved brother from a marriage that was as illegal as it was
disgraceful. If we secure evidence from India that Captain James is
still alive, we shall then adopt the necessary steps to remove this
deluded lad from the fangs of this scheming woman."

"Let the recognizances be estreated," was the magisterial comment.

"Sensation!" scribbled the reporters.

Serjeant Ballantine, who liked to have a hand in all _causes
celebres_, declares that he was consulted by Lola's solicitors, with a
view to undertaking her defence. If so, he would seem to have read his
instructions very casually, since he adds: "I forget whether the
prosecution was ultimately dropped, or whether she left England before
any result was arrived at. My impression is that the charge could not
have been substantiated."

Ignoring the fact that the case was still _sub judice_, the _Observer_
offered its readers some severe comments:

"The Helen of the age is most assuredly Lola Montez, _alias_
Betsy James, _alias_ the Graefin von Lansfelt, _alias_ Mrs.
Heald. As far as can be gathered from her dark history, her
first public act was alleged adultery, as her last is