speak out before her, as he would have done
to Mr. Gray. Lady Ludlow, however, caught
the look of stubbornness in his face, and it
roused her as I had never seen her roused.

"I am sure you will not refuse, sir, to
accept my bail. I offer to bail the fellow out,
and to be responsible for his appearance at
the sessions. What say you to that, Mr.
Lathom?"

"The offence of theft is not bailable, my
lady."

"Not in ordinary cases, I dare say. But I
imagine this is an extraordinary case. The
man is sent to prison out of compliment to
you, and against all evidence, as far as I can
learn. He will have to rot in gaol for two
months, and his wife and children to starve.
I, Lady Ludlow, offer to bail him out, and
pledge myself for his appearance at next
quarter sessions."

"It is against the law, my lady."

"Bah!  Bah!  Bah! Who makes laws?
Such as I in the House of Lords—such as
you in the House of Commons. We, who
make the laws in St. Stephen's, may break
the mere forms of them, when we have right
on our sides, on our own land, and amongst
our own people."

"The lord-lieutenant may take away my
commission, if he heard of it."

"And a very good thing for the county,
Harry Lathom; and for you too, if he did,
—if you don't go on more wisely than you
have begun. A pretty set you and your
brother magistrates are to administer justice
through the land! I always said a good
despotism was the best form of government;
and I am twice as much in favour of it now
I see what a quorum is! My dears!"
suddenly turning round to us, "if it would not
tire you to walk home, I would beg Mr.
Lathom to take a seat in my coach, and we
would drive to Henley Gaol, and have the
poor man out at once."

"A walk over the fields at this time of day
is hardly fitting for young ladies to take
alone," said Mr. Lathom, anxious no doubt
to escape from his tête-a-tête drive with my
lady, and possibly not quite prepared to go
to the illegal length of prompt measures,
which she had in contemplation.

But Mr. Gray now stepped forward, too
anxious for the release of the prisoner to
allow any obstacle to intervene which he
could do away with. To see Lady Ludlow's
face when she first perceived whom she had
had for auditor and spectator of her interview
with Mr. Lathom, was as good as a
play. She had been doing and saying the
very things she had been so much annoyed
at Mr. Gray's saying and proposing only an
hour or two ago. She had been setting down
Mr. Lathom pretty smartly, in the presence
of the very man to whom she had spoken of
that gentleman as so sensible, and of such a
standing in the county, that it was presumption
to question his doings. But before
Mr. Gray had finished his offer of escorting
us back to Hanbury Court, my lady had
recovered herself. There was neither surprise
nor displeasure in her manner, as she
answered:

"I thank you, Mr. Gray. I was not aware
that you were here, but I think I can understand
on what errand you came. And seeing you
here, recalls me to a duty I owe Mr. Lathom.
Mr. Lathom, I have spoken to you pretty
plainly,—forgetting, until I saw Mr. Gray,
that only this very afternoon I differed from
him on this very question; taking completely
at that time the same view of the whole
subject which you have done; thinking that the
county would be well rid of such a man as
Job Gregson, whether he had committed this
theft or not.  Mr. Gray and I did not part
quite friends," she continued, bowing towards
him; "but it so happened that I saw Job
Gregson's wife and home,—I felt that Mr.
Gray had been right and I had been wrong,
so, with the famous inconsistency of my sex,
I came hither to scold you," smiling towards
Mr. Lathom, who looked half-sulky yet, and
did not relax a bit of his gravity at her smile,
"for holding the same opinions that I had
done an hour before. Mr. Gray," (again
bowing towards him) "these young ladies
will be very much obliged to you for your
escort, and so shall I. Mr. Lathom, may I
beg of you to accompany me to Henley?"

Mr. Gray bowed very low, and went very
red; Mr. Lathom said something which we
none of us heard, but which was I think
some remonstrance against the course he
was, as it were, compelled to take. Lady
Ludlow, however, took no notice of his
murmur, but sate in an attitude of polite
expectancy; and as we turned off on our
walk, I saw Mr. Lathom getting into the
coach with the air of a whipped hound. I
must say, considering my lady's feeling, I did
not envy him his ride,—though, I believe, he
was quite in the right as to the object of the
ride being illegal.

Our walk home was very dull. We had
no fears, and would far rather have been
without the awkward, blushing young man,
into which Mr. Gray had sunk. At every
stile he hesitated,—sometimes he half got
over it, thinking that he could assist us better
in that way; then he would turn back
unwilling to go before ladies. He had no ease
of manner, as my lady once said of him,
though on any occasion of duty, he had an
immense deal of dignity.

                   SHOT.

IT is the fortune of war to be honoured
with monuments. Not always dignified statues
standing on short pedestals—not always
marble horsemen sitting jauntily upon marble
steeds—not always blood and fury relievi,
which, with their attendant tablets, adorn
the peaceful, dim, religious aisles of the