'And that John Crawford, still a young man, made love to you--to you who are now ninety years old, if a day, so that he at the age of twenty-five must have made love to a lady older than his grandmother.' Even the jury smiled, and John thought his case was won. His counsel sat down with a satisfied smirk. But Crona kept standing, and whispered to Lotty's counsel. 'This witness,' said the latter, 'wishes to retire'---- 'It is time,' said the other counsel. But Lotty's counsel turned furiously on him. 'How dare you interrupt me, sir? Retire,' he added, 'not from the case, but for ten minutes to change her dress.' Leave was given, and in less than five minutes Crona had returned, raven and all. But to the astonishment of all she now stood before the court a young and beautiful lady, much under thirty. She laughed a little. 'I think, my lord, that even John Crawford's counsel will admit that if I was no actress eleven years ago I am a very good specimen of one now.' 'Bravo! bravo!' cried Joe. 'Ha, ha, ha!' She threw the bird high towards the roof, and there he perched on a bracket defiantly. 'John Crawford,' Crona went on, 'made love to me, promised me marriage, deserted me in a cowardly way, and I have to confess that I swore revenge. I found out about the child-stealing, and knew well that as soon as the lord of the manor died that low-browed man yonder would put in his claim. He thought, as every one else did, that I was a witch. It strikes me, your honour, I have bewitched him to good account.' She sat down by Lotty, and even the judge could not prevent a buzz of applause. 'I will now,' said our heroine's counsel, 'produce the man who was paid to take away the child, Lotty Broxley--namely, the showman Josiah Radcliffe.' Then Biffins Lee himself appeared, and at this moment those who had their gaze fixed upon John Crawford noticed that he turned suddenly pale, and, leaning towards his counsel, began to whisper to him in a somewhat agitated manner. His counsel immediately arose. 'My client,' he said, 'wishes to retire from the case.' 'It is time,' this from Lotty's legal adviser, for it was his turn now. 'Ha, ha, ha!' chuckled the raven. 'Set _him_ up. Ho, ho, ho! Set _him_ up. Joe's cross! Ho, ho, _ho_!' As he left the court that day, John Crawford was tapped upon the arm by a detective. 'I hold a warrant for your arrest, John Crawford Broxley, for child-stealing.' And so the nine days' wonder ended, and ends our story with it. When Crona with her charge alighted from the hansom that had driven them from court to the little cottage of Chops's parents, the first to meet her was Chops himself. The second was Wallace. Ah! what a welcome that dog's was! From the tones of his voice it really seemed as if he were crying and scolding her lovingly at the same time. Why had she gone away so long and left him to break his heart? _He_ would ne'er have gone away from _her_, and so on, and so forth in a dog's own way.