Mr.
Beaufort put the letter in his bureau, labelled, "Impertinent answer from Mrs.Morton, Sept.

14," and was quite contented to forget the existence of the writer, until his lawyer, Mr.Blackwell, informed him that a suit had been instituted by Catherine.
Mr.Robert turned pale, but Blackwell composed him.
"Pooh, sir! you have nothing to fear.

It is but an attempt to extort money: the attorney is a low practitioner, accustomed to get up bad cases: they can make nothing of it." This was true: whatever the rights of the case, poor Catherine had no proofs--no evidence--which could justify a respectable lawyer to advise her proceeding to a suit.

She named two witnesses of her marriage--one dead, the other could not be heard of.

She selected for the alleged place in which the ceremony was performed a very remote village, in which it appeared that the register had been destroyed.