to confess everything.

When he first heard that the diamonds had been stolen at Carlisle, he
was eager with Mr. Eustace in contending that the widow's liability
in regard to the property was not at all the less because she had
managed to lose it through her own pig-headed obstinacy. He consulted
his trusted friend, Mr. Dove, on the occasion, making out another
case for the barrister, and Mr. Dove had opined that, if it could be
first proved that the diamonds were the property of the estate and
not of Lady Eustace, and afterwards proved that they had been stolen
through her laches,--then could the Eustace estate recover the value
from her estate. As she had carried the diamonds about with her in an
absurd manner, her responsibility might probably be established;--but
the non-existence of ownership by her must be first declared by a
Vice-Chancellor,--with probability of appeal to the Lords Justices
and to the House of Lords. A bill in Chancery must be filed, in the
first place, to have the question of ownership settled; and then,
should the estate be at length declared the owner, restitution of the
property which had been lost through the lady's fault must be sought
at Common Law.

That had been the opinion of the Turtle Dove, and Mr. Camperdown had
at once submitted to the law of his great legal mentor. But John
Eustace had positively declared when he heard it that no more money
should be thrown away in looking after property which would require
two lawsuits to establish, and which, when established, might not be
recovered. "How can we make her pay ten thousand pounds? She might
die first," said John Eustace;--and Mr. Camperdown had been forced to
yield. Then came the second robbery, and gradually there was spread
about a report that the diamonds had been in Hertford Street all the
time;--that they had not been taken at Carlisle, but certainly had
been stolen at last.

Mr. Camperdown was again in a fever, and again had recourse to Mr.
Dove and to John Eustace. He learned from the police all that they
would tell him, and now the whole truth was to be divulged to him by
the chief culprit herself. For, to the mind of Mr. Camperdown the
two housebreakers, and Patience Crabstick,--and even Mr. Benjamin
himself, were white as snow compared with the blackness of Lady
Eustace. In his estimation no punishment could be too great for
her,--and yet he began to understand that she would escape scot-free!
Her evidence would be n