dable crisis was brought about by
an incident which no one anticipated. It so happened that the stormy
interview between Sir Ratcliffe and his son was overheard by a servant.
This servant, who had been engaged by Miss Grandison in London, was a
member of a club to which a confidential clerk of Messrs. Morris and
Levison belonged. In the ensuing evening, when this worthy knight of
the shoulder-knot just dropped out for an hour to look in at this choice
society, smoke a pipe, and talk over the affairs of his mistress and
the nation, he announced the important fact that the match between Miss
Grandison and Captain Armine was 'no go,' which, for his part, he
did not regret, as he thought his mistress ought to look higher. The
confidential clerk of Messrs. Morris and Levison listened in silence to
this important intelligence, and communicated it the next morning to
his employers. And so it happened that a very few days afterwards,
as Ferdinand was lying in bed at his hotel, the door of his chamber
suddenly opened, and an individual, not of the most prepossessing
appearance, being much marked with smallpox, reeking with gin, and
wearing top-boots and a belcher handkerchief, rushed into his room and
enquired whether he were Captain Armine.

'The same,' said Ferdinand. 'And pray, sir, who are you?'

'Don't wish to be unpleasant,' was the answer, 'but, sir, you are my
prisoner.'

There is something exceedingly ignoble in an arrest: Ferdinand felt that
sickness come over him which the uninitiated in such ceremonies must
experience. However, he rallied, and enquired at whose suit these
proceedings were taken.

'Messrs. Morris and Levison, sir.'

'Cannot I send for my lawyer and give bail?'

The bailiff shook his head. 'You see, sir, you are taken in execution,
so it is impossible.'

'And the amount of the debt?'

'Is 2,800L., sir.'

'Well, what am I to do?'

'Why, sir, you must go along with us. We will do it very quietly. My
follower is in a hackney-coach at the door, sir. You can just step in
as pleasant as possible. I suppose you would like to go to a house, and
then you can send for your friends, you know.'

'Well, if you will go down stairs, I will come to you.'

The bailiff grinned. 'Can't let you out of my sight, sir.'

'Why, I cannot dress if you are here.'

The bailiff examined the room to see if there were any mode of escape;
there was no door but the entrance; the window offered no chance. 'Well,
sir,