was to rejoin my family in Jamaica, and
probably spend my life in that most
maligned and beautiful of islands. The final
journey, however, was to be made in
company. The will was not even read, the
contents of it being merely communicated to
Fanny Osgood, with a significant hint that
only if she married Dr. Dibble, would she
ever marry with Dr. Dibble's consent; and
we all—that is Mary, and Fanny, and I, and
the elected brothers—got into the great heavy
coach; which, for a wonder, was to take us
from Warwickshire to London in the course
of one day. With the will carefully locked
up in a bag, and guarded by the two brothers
with unceasing attention till they could legally
prove it in Doctors' Commons, we commenced
our journey at early dawn, and rolled along
at the rate, including stoppages, of at least
five miles an hour.

Animal magnetism was not known in those
days; but, some mysterious sympathy which
enables coming events to cast their shadows
before, inspired the two brothers with the
certainty of approaching evil. They whispered
dismally to each other as we entered
upon long tracts of uninhabited country, and
were incessantly engaged in watching on each
side of the road. Nothing, however, occurred
until we came upon a bare open expanse, without
a hedge or tree, not far from where the
pleasant inn, with its pretty garden and wellfilled
stables, gives such life and beauty to
Chapel House. Our horses were tired of the
long stage and lumbering vehicle; then, all
of a sudden, a horseman was seen in the
horizon, pushing his horse across the flat
expanse, evidently in our direction. The
brothers watched his motions with increasing
anxiety as the distance, rapidly diminishing
between them and the object of their observation,
revealed his outward appearance with
greater distinctness. It was easy to see the
butt-end of pistols of the largest size projecting
from his holsters. From a black leather
belt round his waist was suspended a sword,
which jingled on the flank of the large and
fiery black horse he bestrode. A three-cornered
hat rested on the curls of his flowing
wig; and it was very evident that he was
either a young gentleman determined to
defend himself from the assault of the highwaymen
who were reported still to infest that
neighbourhood, or—frightful, but still more
likely supposition!—that he was neither
more nor less than a dashing highwayman
himself. There was no room for doubt ere
many minutes had elapsed; a black crape
was hung over the upper part of his face;
while his chin and lips were sufficiently
concealed by a handsome beard and very
glossy moustaches. On—on he came with
slackened rein; and, on reaching the side of
the coach, said sharply and decidedly to the
driver, " Stop a few minutes;" and then
lifting his hat, bowed in the politest manner
to the passengers inside. "What do you
mean, sir, by alarming people on the KIng's
highway? and what do you want with us?"
said the legal brother in a trembling voice.

"Merely to inquire how you have enjoyed
the drive hitherto, and to wish you a prosperous
journey. In the meantime, I invite
you to get out and stretch your limbs;" as he
said this he touched the butt-end of his pistol,
and we all descended from the coach.

"What! load yourself with a bag of
that enormous size? " he continued, as the
brothers refused to part company with the
treasure they had guarded so long; " Come,
drop it—or I shall conclude it is stuffed
with bank notes—let it go, gentlemen, or—"
and again he laid his hand on the brass
mounted handle. The bag was dropped from
the unwilling hands of its supporters; the
highwayman, dismounting and carrying the
rein upon his arm, neglected the booty at
his feet, and politely begging us to excuse the
liberty he was taking, requested the loan of
any jewels we happened to have about us.
Fanny Osgood wore a beautiful cameo brooch
which had been a gift from Charles Ardley,
and tried to cover it with her shawl in vain,
for the robber's eye was upon it in a moment;
and, in no gentle manner, he wrenched from
her breast the Ariadne and Theseus which
had been her favourite ornament ever since
it came into her possession. Search was made
in all parts of the coach; the pockets were
rifled, the seats lifted up. The gentlemen
were ordered to throw open their waistcoats;
and, at last, the disappointed marauder turned
to the bag, and was assured by the trembling
lips of both the brothers that it contained
nothing but a few shirts,

"They must be prodigiously well starched,"
said the robber, as he wrenched it open, " for
they crackle like so much paper."

So saying, he laid hands upon the will.
"Ha! " he cried; " this is worth all the rest
of the jewels. Whoever wants to recover
this, need only write to the Silver Cups, Duck
Lane, offering a good reward, and Jack
Mollett is not the man to be unreasonable."

"Allow me to write down the address, sir?"
said the lawyer, a little comforted with the
robber's promise of restitution; and we were
again permitted to enter the coach. Before I
did so, however, I managed, while unobserved
by the highwayman, to pick up a small
volume which had fallen out of his pocket
on dismounting from his horse, and I quietly
stowed it away in hopes of discovering the
culprit through its means, and of punishing
him for his crime. And in this I succeeded,
though several years intervened before I could
bring him to justice.

Every effort to discover the malefactor or
regain possession of the will was unavailing.
Charles Ardley, however, continued true to
the disinherited heiress, and married her in
a few months, Doctor Dibble no longer refusing
his consent, as he kindly expressed it,
that one beggar should marry another. A