Litchfield enquirer., 1872-01-25


 three years-2or without lawful issue, the property was to go to the major, to be by him willed at his pleasure. Major Bran don, whose physical and mental energies had been prematufely broken down-he was only in his ffty-second year either by excess or hard service in the East, per haps both, had married late in life the widow of & brother officer, and the moth er Of d gfownldp son. The lady, q we=. man of infiexible will, considerable re- mains of 8 somewhat masculine beauty, and about ten years her husbands g junior, held him in state of thorough pupilage and, unchecked by him, devoted all her energies to bring about, by fair or foul means, union between Clara and her son, cub of some two or three-and- twenty years of age, whose sole object in seconding his mothers views upon Clara was the acquisition of her wealth. Ac- cording to popular surmise and report, the young lady's mental infirmity had been brought about by the prosecutions she had endured at the hands of Mrs. Brandon, with view to force her into marriage she detested. The most relia- ble authority for the truth of these ru- mors was Susan Hopley, now in the ser vice of Lady Compton, but who had lived for many years with MT. Frederick Bran don and his daughter. She had been dis charged about six months after her mas ter's decease by Mrs. Major Brandon for alleged impertinence and 30 thoroughly convinced was Susan that the soon-after- wards alleged lunacy of Clara was but juggling pretence to excuse the restraint under which her aunt-in-law, for the fur therance of her own vile purposes, had de- termined to keep her, that although out of place at the time, she devoted all the savings of her life, between eighty and ninety pounds, to procure 'sjustice' for the il-nsed orphan. This article, Susan was advised, could be best obtained of the lord chancellor; and proceedings were accordingly taken before the keeper of the kings conscience, in order to change the custody of the pretended lunatic. The affidavits filed in support of the pc tition were, however, so loose and vague, and were met with such positive counter allegations, that the application was at once dismissed with costs and poor Su- san-rash suitor for 'iustice"-reduced to absolute penury. These circumstances becoming known to Lady Compton, Susan was taken into her service and it was principally owing to her frequently-itera- ted version of the affair that Clara had been forcibly rescued from Mrs. Bran don's son. e. -.s
 On the following morning the patient was much calmer, though her mind still wandered somewhat. Fortified by the authority of the physician, who certified that to remove her, or to even expose her to agitation, would be dangerous, if not fatal, Lady Compton not only refused to deliver her mp to the Major and Mrs. Braddon, but to allow them to see her. Mrs. Brandon, in towering rage, posted off to the nearest magistrate, to demand the assistance of peace-oficers in obtain ing possession of the person of the fugi- tive. That functionary would, however, only so far comply with the indignant lady's solicitations, as to send his clerk to the castle to ascertain the reason of the young lady's detention; and when his messenger returned with note, enclosing copy of the physician's certificate, he peremptorily decided that the conduct of Lady Compton was not only perfectly iustifiable, but praiseworthy, and that the matter must remain over till the patient was in condition to be moved Things were precisely in this state, except that Clara Brandon had become perfectly ra- tional and but for an irrepressible ner- vous dread of again falling into the pow CT of her interruptions relative, quite calm, when MT. Samuel Ferret made his wished-for appearance on the scene of ac tion. @ 1- which Mir. Ferret held with his munifcent client and her interestingprote if con- ference that may be called in which the ,A- okk 4rx1 oR CT only, scarcely once opening his thin, silently ransack the whole armory of the afforded the slightest hope of fighting a guardian for the custody of his ward. And yet Mr. Ferret felt, as he looked up- on the flashing eye and glowing counte- a few of the grievous outrages inflicted upon the fair and helpless girl reclining beside her-whose varying cheek and meek suffused eyes bore eloquent testi-, mony to the truth of the relation that he would willingly exert vigor even be- yo,ad the law to meet his clients wishes, could he but see his way to safe result. At length ray of light, judging from his suddenly -gleaming eyes, seemed to have broken upon the troubled chambers of his brain, and he rose somewhat hastily from his chair. Ha a&isi&21c 4>=sizs o
 t'By the by, I will just step and speak to this Susan Hopley, if your ladyship can inform me in what part of the lower regions am likely to meet with her?p
 dstLet me ring for her." ~ f5 s... 9stNo; if you please not. What have to ask her is of very little importance {; still, to summon her here might give rise to surmises, reports, and so on, which it may be as well to avoid I had much rather see her accidentally, as it were"
 GAS you please. You will find her somewhere about the housekeeper's apart ments. You know her by sight, I think?" ? Perfectly and with your leave I'll take the opportunity of directing the horses to be put to. must einLondon by noon tomorrow if possible ;s ;" and away Mr. Ferret hustled. - ssf
 ssSusan," said Mir. Ferret few minutes afterwards, .'step this way i; I want to have word with you. Nov, tell me are you goose enough to expect you will ever see the money again you so fooliahly threw into the bottomless pit of chance y?" 0S
 "Of course I shall, MT. Ferret, as soon as ever Miss Clara comes to her own. She mentioned it only this morning, and said she was sorry she could not repay me at once" F.t71aava z3 < essfaaa. 4 sai A
 "You are sensible girl, Susan, though you did go to law with the lord chancel- lori I want you to be of with me to London; and then perhaps we may get your money sooner than you expect #
 stOh, bother the moneyl Is that att you want me to go to Lunnon for?" fl MT. Ferret replied with a wink of such exceeding intelligence, that Susan ct once declared she should be ready to start in ten minutes at the latest, .,,.a,,..s6
 That's good creature and, Susan, as there's not the slightest occasion to let all the world know who's going to run of with you, 1t may be as well for you to take your bundle and step on mile or so on the road, say to the turn, just beyond the frst turnpike" Susan nodded with brisk good -hnmor, and disappeared in 3