ng himself
unexpectedly surrounded by active friends, once more reared his crest,
and seemed disposed, for a time, to put on the air of injured
innocence. The Squire, however, with all his benevolence of heart, and
his lurking weakness towards the prisoner, was too conscientious to
swerve from the strict path of justice. There was abundant concurring
testimony that made the proof of guilt incontrovertible, and Starlight
Tom's mittimus was made out accordingly.

The sympathy of the ladies was now greater than ever; they even made
some attempts to mollify the ire of Ready-Money Jack; but that sturdy
potentate had been too much incensed by the repeated incursions that
had been made into his territories by the predatory band of Starlight
Tom, and he was resolved, he said, to drive the "varment reptiles" out
of the neighbourhood. To avoid all further importunities, as soon as
the mittimus was made out, he girded up his loins, and strode back to
his seat of empire, accompanied by his interceding friend, Slingsby,
and followed by a detachment of the gipsy gang, who hung on his rear,
assailing him with mingled prayers and execrations.

The question now was, how to dispose of the prisoner--a matter of
great moment in this peaceful establishment, where so formidable a
character as Starlight Tom was like a hawk entrapped in a dove-cote.
As the hubbub and examination had occupied a considerable time, it was
too late in the day to send him to the county prison, and that of the
village was sadly out of repair, from long want of occupation. Old
Christy, who took great interest in the affair, proposed that the
culprit should be committed for the night to an upper loft of a kind
of tower in one of the outhouses, where he and the gamekeeper would
mount guard. After much deliberation, this measure was adopted; the
premises in question were examined and made secure, and Christy and
his trusty ally, the one armed with a fowling-piece, the other with an
ancient blunderbuss, turned out as sentries to keep watch over this
donjon-keep.

Such is the momentous affair that has just taken place, and it is an
event of too great moment in this quiet little world, not to turn it
completely topsy-turvy. Labour is at a stand: the house has been a
scene of confusion the whole evening. It has been beleagured by gipsy
women, with their children on their backs, wailing and lamenting;
while the old virago of a mother has cruised up and down the lawn in
f