Hardie v. Hardie.

"Dear Sir,— If you had been in my office when
I received your favour of yesterday relating
deft.'s ruffian-like assault, you would have
seen the most ridiculous sight in nature— videlicet,
an attorney in a passion. I threw professional
courtesy to the winds, and sent Colls off
to Clare Court to serve the writ personally.
Next day, he found the deft, walking in his
garden with Mr. Richard Hardie. Having learned
from the servant which was his man, he stepped
up and served copy of the writ in the usual way.
Deft, turned pale, and his knees knocked
together, and Colls thinks he mistook himself
for a felon, and was going to ask for mercy, but
Mr. Richard stopped him, and said his attorney
was Messrs. Heathfield, in Chancery-lane; and
was this the way Mr. Compton did business?
serving a writ personally on a gentleman in weak
health. So Colls, who can sneer in his quiet
way, told him 'No,' but the invalid had declined
to answer my letter, and the invalid had made a
violent attack upon our client's person, avoiding
his attorney, 'so, as his proceedings are summary,
we meet him in kind,' says little Colls. ' Oho,'
says Mr. Richard, 'you are a wit, are you?
Come and have some luncheon.' This was to
get him away from the weaker brother, I take it.
He gave Colls an excellent luncheon, and some
admirable conversation on policy and finance:
and, when he was going, says this agreeable host,
' Well, Mr.— , you have had your bellyful of
chicken and Madeira; and your client shall have
his bellyful of law.' And this Colls considers
emphatic but coarse.

                         " I am, yours faithfully,
                                            " JOHN COMPTON.

"P. S.— Colls elicited that no further attempt
will be made to capture you. It seems some
injudicious friend of yours has been writing to
the newspapers. Pray stop that."

On receiving this letter, Alfred bought another
double pistol, loaded it, hired a body-guard of
two prize-fighters, and with these at his heels,
repaired to 66, Pembroke-street. No enemy was
near: the press had swept the street alike of
keepers and police with one Briarian gesture.
He found Julia and Edward in great anxiety
about their father. The immediate cause was a
letter from Mrs. Dodd, which Edward gave him
to read; but not till he had first congratulated
him heartily on the aegis of the press being
thrown over him. " The 'Tizer has a leader on
it," said he.

Mrs. Dodd's letter ran thus:

"My dear dear Children,— I am coming home
to you heartbroken, without your poor father. I
saw an East Indian ship go to sea, and some
instinct whispered, suppose he should be on board
that ship! But, foolishly, I did not utter my
thoughts: because they call these instincts
women's fancies. But now even Mr. Green
thinks he is gone to sea, as the town has been
ransacked, and no trace of him can we find. I
met my cousin, Captain Bazalgette, here, and he
is promoted to the Vulture frigate, and sails today.
I have told him all our misfortunes, and he
has promised to overhaul that merchant ship if
he comes up with her: but I can see by the way
his eye shuns mine he has no real hopes. His
ship is the swifter, but he may pass her in the
night. And then he is bound for New Zealand,
not India. I told Reginald my poor husband's
expression of face is altered by his affliction, and
that he takes himself for a common sailor, and
has his medal still round his neck. Our cousin
is very kind, and will do all he can. God can
protect my darling at sea, as he has ashore: and
in his power alone have I any trust. Any further
stay here is vain: my heart, too, yearns for
my other treasures, and dreads lest whilst I am
here, and because I am here, some evil should
befal you too. Expect me soon after this letter,
and let us try and comfort one another under
this the heaviest of all our many troubles.

           "With sad heart, I am,
"Both my darlings' loving mother and friend,
"                                            LUCY DODD."

In the discussion of this letter Alfred
betrayed a slight defect of character. He pooh-
poohed the calamity: said David had now a
chance, and a good one, of being cured: whereas
confinement was one of the common causes of
insanity even in sane persons. And he stoutly
maintained that David's going to sea was a
happy inspiration. Edward coloured, but deigned
no reply. Julia was less patient, and though she
was too loving and too womanly to tell Alfred to
his face he was deceiving himself and arguing
thus indirectly to justify himself in taking her
father out of the asylum at all, yet she saw it,
and it imparted a certain coldness into her
replies. Alfred noticed this, and became less
confident and louder, and prodigiously logical.

He was still flowing on with high imperious
voice, which I suppose overpowered the sound
of Mrs. Dodd's foot, when she entered suddenly,
pale and weary, in her travelling-dress.

Alfred stopped, and they all started to their
feet.

At sight of Alfred she stood dumbfoundered a
single moment; then uttered a faint shriek; and
looked at him with unutterable terror.

He stood disconcerted.

Julia ran, and throwing her arms round Mrs.
Dodd's neck, entreated her not to be afraid of
him: he was not mad; Dr. Sampson said so.
Edward confirmed her words; and then Julia
poured out the story of his wrongs with great
gushes of natural eloquence that might have
melted a rock, and, as anti-climax is part of a
true woman, ended innocently by begging her
mother not to look so unkindly at him; and his
ankle so sprained, and him in such pain. For
the first time in her life Mrs. Dodd was deaf to
her daughter's natural eloquence; it was
remarkable how little her countenance changed
while Julia appealed; she stood looking askant