finding the post-office in Dublin open, as he had
intended to cash some money orders there; but
he must now ask that these orders might be
taken in payment for the goods which he had
purchased, and that he might have the balance
in cash. His story was so plausible and good,
that from these three tradesmen he got about
seventy-five pounds in goods and seventy-five
pounds in money.

You would have thought that that would
have contented him for the time, but they are
cormorants, these fellows, and always come to
grief by overreaching. That same evening, in
fact before his second visit to Repps and
Grodynapp's, one of the mercers' shops, Morris and
two other men went to a public-house and called
for some sherry. They got it, and liked it so
much that they offered to buy a dozen if the
landlord would change a money-order for ten
pound. The landlord, who was rather staggered
at hearing his sherry praised, made some difficulty
with regard to the money order, on which
Morris offered him a sovereign to cash the order.
This roused the landlord's suspicions at once,
and he declined. The three men shortly afterwards
left the public-house, and Morris went to
complete his purchase at the shop of Repps and
Grodynapp. But, unfortunately for him, it
happened that a young man in the employ of
Repps and Grodynapp was drinking at the bar
of the public-house where Morris attempted to
pass off the money order on the landlord, and
heard all that went on. As he entered his
employer's shop, he was met by the cashier, who
told him he had just done an excellent stroke of
business, having sold goods to the amount of
twenty-five pounds, and having been paid for
them with money orders to the value of fifty
pounds, so that he had been compelled to pay
the balance to the purchaser in cash. He added,
that the porter was just then in the act of
putting the goods on the car for the purchaser.
On learning this, the first young man went to
look at the purchaser, and found him to be no
other than the man who had just attempted to
pass off a money order at the public-house. He
communicated what he knew to the cashier, and
they both thought it so suspicious that they
followed the man from place to place in Dublin,
and hence to Malahide, where, after communication
with the post-office solicitor, they had
them arrested. On Morris was found the stamp
with which the forged money orders had been
stamped, and which had been formed by packing
loose types in a piece of brass tube, and securing
them in their places with sealing-wax. The
permanent stamp merely contained the words
"Higher Brickey," but the thieves were
supplied with loose types for the dates.

The two men who were with Morris called
themselves Chesterfield and Martin. In
Chesterfield's pocket was found a chamois leather
(probably that which Morris had purchased)
and a bottle of printer's ink. On the leather
were impressions of the loose types which had
been used to complete the stamped impressions
on the money-orders, and Chesterfield was thus
clearly connected with the fraud. There was
more difficulty about Martin. He had been
seen to drink with the other two men, and to
assist in carrying their trunks; but he
declared they had employed him, and that he
had never seen them before. His story was
so far a plausible one, that the magistrate
before whom they were taken was disposed to
discharge him; but, fortunately, at this juncture
the registered letter which we had caused
to be delivered to Naylor nine days before
was found in the pocket of Martin's coat.
The Dublin solicitor could not tell what to
make of the letter, but, thinking it might
furnish us with a clue to the rest of the gang,
sent me a copy, and of course I at once
perceived that we had caught Naylor as well as
Morris. I accordingly went over to Dublin,
taking with me the letter-carrier who had
delivered the registered letter to Naylor, and a
constable who knew Naylor, and these two
men identified Martin as Naylor without
hesitation.

They were tried at the September assizes,
convicted, and sentenced, Morris to twenty
years'; Naylor to ten, and the third man to
six years' penal servitude. I believe care has
been taken to prevent Mr. Morris coming
out before the expiration of his time. He
was certainly one of the most cunning and
most daring thieves that the Post-office had
ever to contend against.

This day is published, in Three Volumes,
BLACK SHEEP:
A NOVEL. BY EDMUND YATES.
TINSLET BROTHERS, 18, Catherine-street.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS'S READINGS.
MR. CHARLES DICKENS will read at St. James's Hall,
London, on Tuesday the 26th; at Cambridge on the 28th;
and at Norwich on the 29th of March.

Very shortly after the conclusion of " BLACK SHEEP,'
A NEW SERIAL STORY,
BY THE AUTHOR OF
AUNT MARGARET'S TROUBLE,
Will be commenced in these pages, and continued
from week to week until completed.