’Thomas Crinkett, and Euphemia Smith, who gave evidence against Mr. John Caldigate in the well-known trial at the last Cambridge assizes, have been arrested at Plymouth just as they were about to leave the country for New Zealand.  These are the persons to whom it was proved that Caldigate had paid the enormous sum of twenty thousand pounds a few days before the trial.  It is alleged that they are to be indicted for perjury.  If this be true, it implies the innocence of Mr. Caldigate, who, as our readers will remember, was convicted of bigamy.  There will be much in the whole case for Mr. Caldigate to regret, but nothing so much as the loss of that very serious sum of money.  It would be idle to deny that it was regarded by the jury, and the judge, and the public as a bribe to the witnesses.  Why it should have been paid will now probably remain for ever a mystery.’

The squire read this over three times before he could quite understand the gist of it, and at last perceived,—­or thought that he perceived,—­that if this were true the innocence of his nephew was incontestable.  But Julia, who seemed to prefer the paternal mansion at Babington to her own peculiar comforts and privileges at Plum-cum-Pippins, declared that she didn’t believe a word of it; and aunt Polly, whose animosity to her nephew had somewhat subsided, was not quite inclined to accept the statement at once.  Aunt Polly expressed an opinion that newspapers were only born to lie, but added that had she seen the news anywhere else she would not have been a bit surprised.  The squire was prepared to swear by the tidings.  If such a thing was not to be put into a newspaper, where was it to be put?  Aunt Polly could not answer this question, but assisted in persuading her husband to go into Cambridge for further information.

‘I hope this is true,’ said the Suffolk squire, tendering his hand cordially to his brother-in-law.  He was a man who could throw all his heart into an internecine quarrel on a Monday and forget the circumstance altogether on the Tuesday.

‘Of what are you speaking?’ asked the squire of Folking, with his usual placid look, partly indifferent and partly sarcastic, covering so much contempt of which the squire from Suffolk was able to read nothing at all.

’About the man and the woman, the witnesses who are to be put in prison at Plymouth, and who now say just the contrary to what they said before.’

‘I do not think that can be true,’ said Mr. Caldigate.

‘Then you haven’t seen the “Snapper"?’ asked Mr. Babington, dragging the paper out of his pocket.  ‘Look at that.’

They were now in a cab together, going towards the town, and Mr. Caldigate did not find it convenient to read the paragraph.  But of course he knew the contents.  ‘It is quite true,’ he said, ’that the persons you allude to have been arrested, and that they are up in London.  They will, I presume, be tried for perjury.’