hen he communicated this resolve, Grace sighed.

"The last visit there was disastrous," said she. "But," recovering
herself, "we can not be deceived again, nor doubt each other's constancy
again." So she sighed, but consented.

Coventry heard of it, and chuckled inwardly. He felt sure that in time
he should wear out his rival's patience.

A week or two more, and Little named the very day for sailing.

The Assizes came on. The Sheriff met the Judges with great pomp, and
certain observances which had gone out. This pleased the Chief Justice;
he had felt a little nervous; Raby's predecessor had met him in a
carriage and pair and no outriders, and he had felt it his duty to fine
the said Sheriff L100 for so disrespecting the Crown in his person.

So now, alluding to this, he said, "Mr. Sheriff, I am glad to find
you hold by old customs, and do not grudge outward observances to the
Queen's justices."

"My lord," said the Sheriff, "I can hardly show enough respect to
justice and learning, when they visit in the name of my sovereign."

"That is very well said, Mr. Sheriff," said my lord.

The Sheriff bowed.

The Chief Justice was so pleased with his appearance, and his respectful
yet dignified manner, that he conversed with him repeatedly during the
pauses of the trials.

Little was cording his boxes for America when Ransome burst in on him,
and said, "Come into court; come into court. Shifty Dick will be up
directly."

Little objected that he was busy; but Ransome looked so mortified that
he consented, and was just in in time to see Richard Martin, alias Lord
Daventree, alias Tom Paine, alias Sir Harry Gulstone, alias the Quaker,
alias Shifty Dick, etc., etc., appear at the bar.

The indictment was large, and charged the prisoner with various frauds
of a felonious character, including his two frauds on the Gosshawk.

Counsel made a brief exposition of the facts, and then went into the
evidence. But here the strict, or, as some think, pedantic rules of
English evidence, befriended the prisoner, and the Judge objected to
certain testimony on which the prosecution had mainly relied. As for the
evidence of coining, the flood had swept all that away.

Ransome, who was eager for a conviction, began to look blue.

But presently a policeman, who had been watching the prisoner, came and
whispered in his ear.

Up started Ransome, wrote the Crown solicitor a line, begging him
to keep the case on its legs anyhow for ha