box."

"Mrs. Staines will not search your box; and you will retire at once to
your own part of the house."

"I'll go farther than that," said she, and soon after the street door
was slammed; the Bijou shook.

At six o'clock next morning, she came for her box. It had been put away
for safety. Pearman told her she must wait till the doctor came down.
She did not wait, but went at eleven A.M. to a police-magistrate, and
took out a summons against Dr. Staines, for detaining a box containing
certain articles specified--value under fifteen pounds.

When Dr. Staines heard she had been for her box, but left no address,
he sent Pearman to hunt for her. He could not find her. She avoided the
house, but sent a woman for her diurnal love letters. Dr. Staines sent
the woman back to fetch her. She came, received her box, her letters,
and the balance of her wages, which was small, for Staines deducted the
three weeks' wages.

Two days afterwards, to his surprise, the summons was served.

Out of respect for a court of justice, however humble, Dr. Staines
attended next Monday to meet the summons.

The magistrate was an elderly man, with a face shaped like a hog's, but
much richer in color, being purple and pimply; so foul a visage Staines
had rarely seen, even in the lowest class of the community.