Sentence:  Not unnaturally, "Auntie" took this communication in bad part....Next day she...tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the <WSD>law</WSD>, and had perhaps spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The body of binding rules and regulations, customs(,) and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.