se is extremely comfortable--gentlemen
of the first fashion go there--quite moderate, too, only a guinea
a-day--find your own wine."

"I do--no--understand, Sare," said the merchant, smiling amiably,
"I am ver vell off here--thank you--"

"Come, come," said the other gentleman, speaking for the first time,
"no parlavoo Monsoo, you are our prisoner--this is a warrant for the
sum of 10,000l. due to Captain Gregory Jones."

The merchant stared--the merchant frowned--but so it was. Captain
Gregory Jones, who owed Mynheer Meyer 500l., had arrested Mynheer Meyer
for 10,000l.; for, as every one knows, any man may arrest us who has
conscience enough to swear that we owe him money. Where was Mynheer
Meyer in a strange town to get bail? Mynheer Meyer went to prison.

"Dis be a strange vay of paying a man his monish!" said Mynheer Meyer.

In order to wile away time, our merchant, who was wonderfully social,
scraped acquaintance with some of his fellow-prisoners. "Vat be you in
prishon for?" said he to a stout respectable-looking man who seemed in
a violent passion--"for vhat crime?"

"I, Sir, crime!" quoth the prisoner; "Sir, I was going to Liverpool
to vote at the election, when a friend of the opposite candidate had
me suddenly arrested for 2,000l. Before I get bail the election will
be over!"

"Vat's that you tell me? arrest you to prevent your giving an honesht
vote? is that justice?"

"Justice, no!" cried our friend, it's the Law of Arrest."

"And vat be you in prishon for?" said the merchant pityingly to a thin
cadaverous-looking object, who ever and anon applied a handkerchief to
eyes that were worn with weeping.

"An attorney offered a friend of mine to discount a bill, if he could
obtain a few names to indorse it--_I_, Sir, indorsed it. The bill
became due, the next day the attorney arrested all whose names were
on the bill; there were eight of us, the law allows him to charge two
guineas for each; there are sixteen guineas, Sir, for the lawyer--but
I, Sir--alas my family will starve before _I_ shall be released.
Sir, there are a set of men called discounting attorneys, who live upon
the profits of entrapping and arresting us poor folk."

"Mine Gott! but is dat justice?"

"Alas! No, Sir, it is the law of arrest."

"But," said the merchant, turning round to a lawyer, whom the Devil had
deserted, and who was now with the victims of his profession; "dey tell
me, dat in Englant a man be called innoshent till h