dows was promptly hindered
from pursuing any advantage by the arrival of Isaac Levi, with a
magistrate and police officers. Presently Crawley was produced. The game
was up. Levi had overheard all that had passed between Meadows and
Crawley. Crawley turned upon Meadows, and the magistrate had no choice
but to commit Meadows for trial, while the notes were returned to their
rightful owners.

A month later George and Susan were married, and Farmer Merton's debts
paid.

Robinson wisely went back to Australia, and more wisely married an
honest serving-maid. He is respected for his intelligence and good
nature, and is industrious and punctilious in business.

When the assizes came on neither Robinson nor George was present to
prosecute, and their recognisances were forfeited. Meadows and Crawley
were released, and Meadows went to Australia. His mother, who hated her
son's sins, left her native land at seventy to comfort him and win him
to repentance.

"Even now his heart is softening," she said to herself. "Three times he
has said to me 'That George Fielding is a better man than I am.' He will
repent; he bears no malice, he blames none but himself. It is never too
late to mend."

* * * * *

The Cloister and the Hearth

"The Cloister and the Hearth" a Tale of the Middle Ages, is by
common consent the greatest of all Charles Reade's stories. A
portion of it originally appeared in 1859 in "Once a Week,"
under the title of "A Good Fight," and such was its success in
this guise that it increased the circulation of that
periodical by twenty thousand. During the next two years
Reade, recognising its romantic possibilities, expanded it to
its present length. As a picture of the manners and customs of
the times it is almost unsurpassable; yet pervading the whole
is the strong, clear atmosphere of romantic drama never
allowing the somewhat ample descriptions to predominate the
thrilling interest with which the story is charged. Sir Walter
Besant regarded it as the "greatest historical novel in the
language." Swinburne remarked of it that "a story better
conceived, better constructed, or better related, it would be
difficult to find anywhere."

_I.--Gerard Falls in Love_

It was past the middle of the fifteenth century when our tale begins.

Elias, and Catherine his wife, lived in the little town of Te