to
stand a siege, and all the lower windows are barred and fastened with
shutters. The servants' entrance is at the back towards the river, but
no doubt it is also guarded, and my key will not serve for it."

"I could get some sprightly fellow of ours to come disguised as Mohocks,
and break in," proceeded the youth, eagerly. "Once in the court, trust
me for forcing my way to her."

"And getting lodged in Newgate for your pains, or tried by
court-martial," said the Major. "No, when right is on our side, do
not let us make it wrong. Hush, Sir Amyas, it is I who must here act.
Whether you are her husband I do not know, I know that I am her father,
and to-morrow morning, as soon as a magistrate can be spoken with,
I shall go and demand a search warrant for the body of my daughter,
Aurelia Delavie."

"The body! Good Heavens, sir," cried Betty.

"Not without the sweet soul, my dear Miss Delavie," said Mr. Belamour.
"Your excellent father has arrived at the only right and safe decision,
and provided no farther alarm is given, I think he may succeed. It is
scarcely probable that my Lady is in constant communication with her
stern porteress, and my person was evidently unknown. For her own
sake, as well as that of the small fee I dropped into her hand, she is
unlikely to report my reconnoissance."

Sir Amyas was frantic to go with his father-in-law, but both the elder
men justly thought that his ambiguous claims would but complicate the
matter. The landlord was consulted as to the acting magistrates of the
time, and gave two or three addresses.

Another night of prayer, suspense, and hope for Betty's sick heart.
Then, immediately after breakfast, the Major set forth, attended by
Palmer, long before Mr. Belamour had left his room, or the young baronet
could escape from his military duties. Being outside the City,
the Strand was under the jurisdiction of justices of the peace for
Middlesex, and they had so much more than they could do properly, that
some of them did it as little as possible. The first magistrate would
not see him, because it was too early to attend to business; the second
never heard matters at his private house, and referred him to the office
in Bow Street. In fact he would have been wiser to have gone thither at
first, but he had hoped to have saved time. He had to wait sitting on
a greasy chair when he could no longer stand, till case after case
was gone through, and when he finally had a hearing and app