t
each other with savage eyes. And soon the awful discovery was made, that
one of their number had, during the night, been frozen to death!
Yes--there, beneath the _bunk_, cold and ghastly, lay the rigid corpse
of a poor fellow creature, whose only crime had been his poverty! Out
upon such justice and such laws, which tolerate such barbarities to one
whose misfortunes should be pitied, not visited by the damnable cruelty
of the base hirelings of a corrupt misgovernment!

It is not our wish to devote much time to the relation of unimportant
particulars; suffice it to say, that Dr. Sinclair was brought before the
police for drunkenness, and was also charged with having violently
assaulted Watchman Squiggs, who had taken him in custody!

'You see, yer honor, I was going my rounds, when up comes this ere chap
and knocks me down, and would have killed me, if I hadn't hit him a
light tap on the head with my club. Then I rapped for help, and--'

'That's enough!' growled the magistrate, who had himself been drunk the
night before, and was made irritable by a severe headache--'that's
enough--he struck an officer--serious offence--looks guilty--old
offender--thief, no doubt--send him up for six months!'

The Doctor whispered a few words in the ear of the magistrate, who
rubbed his eyes and regarded him with a look of astonishment, saying--

'Bless my soul, is it possible? Dr. Sinclair--humph! Sentence is
revoked--you're discharged; the devil!--about to send you up for six
months--a great mistake, upon my word--ha, ha, ha!'

The rector turned to watchman Squiggs, and said to him, sternly--

'Fellow, when I fell into your infernal clutches, I had a watch and
money about me; they are now missing; can you give any account of them?'

The watchman solemnly declared he knew nothing about them! The Doctor
felt no inclination to bandy words with the scoundrel; he paused a
moment to reflect upon the best course to pursue, under the disagreeable
circumstances in which he found himself placed. A feasible plan soon
suggested itself, and leaving the police office, he stepped into a
hackney coach, and requested the driver to convey him with all despatch
to Franklin house. Arrived there, he dismissed the vehicle, and
ascending to Josephine's chamber, explained to her the whole affair, and
threw himself upon a sofa to obtain a few hours' necessary repose.

As soon as he had left the police office, the magistrate whispered to
the watchman