to a sponging-house; and that unless you pay the
money, or file bail, she will tomorrow be lodged in jail," replied the
unmoved man of law.

"Bail! money! How are we to do either in London, away from home?"
demanded the major with, for him, much emotion.

I did not wait to hear more, but, almost suffocated with laughter at the
success of Ferret's audacious _ruse_, hastened over to the Temple. I was
just leaving chambers for the night--about ten o'clock I think it must
have been--when Ferret, in exuberant spirits, burst into the room.

"Well, sir, what do you think _now_ of a writ _ad sub._?"

"Why, I think, Mr. Ferret," replied I, looking as serious as I could,
"that yours is very sharp practice; that the purpose you have put it to
is an abuse of the writ; that the arrest is consequently illegal; and
that a judge would, upon motion, quash it with costs."

"To be sure he would: who doubts that? Let him, and welcome! In the
meantime, Clara Brandon is safe beyond the reach of all the judges or
chancellors that ever wore horsehair, and that everlasting simpleton of a
major and his harridan wife roaming the metropolis like distracted
creatures; and that I take to be the real essence of the thing, whatever
the big-wigs may decide about the shells!"

"I suppose the plaintiff soon discharged her debtor out of custody?"

"Without loss of time, you may be sure. Miss Brandon, I may tell _you_,
is with the Rev. Mr. Derwent at Brompton. You know him: the newly-married
curate of St. Margaret's that was examined in that will case. Well him:
he is an intelligent, high-principled man; and I have no doubt that,
under his and Mrs. Derwent's care, all trace of Miss Brandon's mental
infirmity will disappear long before she attains her majority next June
twelvemonth; whilst the liberal sum per month which Lady Compton will
advance, will be of great service to him"

"That appears all very good. But are you sure you can effectually
conceal the place of her retreat?"

"I have no fear: the twigs that will entangle her precious guardians in
the labyrinths of a false clue are already set and limed. Before
to-morrow night they will have discovered, by means of their own
wonderfully-penetrative sagacity, that Clara has been spirited over to
France; and before three months are past, the same surprising
intelligence will rejoice in the discovery that she expired in a _maison
de sante_--fine comfortable repose, in which fool's paradise I hope