ct you
will ever see the money again you so foolishly threw into the bottomless
pit of chancery?"

"Of course I shall, Mr. Ferret, as soon as ever Miss Clara comes to her
own. She mentioned it only this morning, and said she was sorry she could
not repay me at once."

"You are a sensible girl, Susan, though you _did_ go to law with the lord
chancellor! I want you to be off with me to London; and then perhaps we
may get your money sooner than you expect."

"Oh, bother the money! Is that _all_ you want me to go to Lunnon for?"

Mr. Ferret replied with a wink of such exceeding intelligence, that
Susan at once declared she should be ready to start in ten minutes at
the latest.

"That's a good creature; and, Susan, as there's not the slightest
occasion to let all the world know who's going to run off with you, it
may be as well for you to take your bundle and step on a mile or so on
the road, say to the turn, just beyond the first turnpike." Susan nodded
with brisk good-humor, and disappeared in a twinkling.

An hour afterwards, Mr. Ferret was on his way back to London, having
first impressed upon Lady Compton the necessity of immediately relieving
herself of the grave responsibility she had incurred towards Major
Brandon for the safe custody of his ward, by sending her home
immediately. He promised to return on the third day from his departure;
but on the nature of the measures he intended to adopt, or the hopes he
entertained of success, he was inflexibly silent; and he moreover
especially requested that no one, not even Miss Brandon, should know of
Susan Hopley's journey to the metropolis.

Mr. Ferret, immediately on his arrival in town, called at my chambers,
and related with his usual minuteness and precision as many of the
foregoing particulars as he knew and thought proper to communicate to me.
For the rest I am indebted to subsequent conversations with the different
parties concerned.

"Well," said I, as soon as he had concluded, "what course do you propose
to adopt?"

"I wish you to apply, on this affidavit, for a writ of _habeas ad sub._,
to bring up the body of Clara Brandon. Judge Bailey will be at chambers
at three o'clock: it is now more than half-past two, and I can be off on
my return by four at latest."

"A writ of habeas!" I exclaimed with astonishment. "Why, what end can
that answer? The lady will be remanded, and you and I shall be laughed at
for our pains."

This writ of _habeas corpus "ad