Reginald Mohun meanwhile went his way to the officer of Inland Revenue, who already had his suspicions as to Mrs. Schnetterling, and was glad of positive evidence.  He returned with the General to hear from Mr. Underwood the condition in which he had found the boys, and the cause he had for attributing it to the supplies from Mother Butterfly, and this was thought sufficient evidence to authorize the sending a constable with a search-warrant to the shop.  The two gentlemen were glad that the detection should be possible without either sending a spy, or forcing evidence from the boys, who had much better be kept out of the matter altogether.  No lack of illicit stores was found when the policemen made their descent, and a summons was accordingly served on its mistress to appear at the next Petty Sessions.

Reginald Mohun, used to the justice of county magistrates, and the unflinching dealings of courts-martial, was determined to see the affair through, so he went to the magistrates’ meeting, and returned with the tidings that the possession of smuggled tobacco ready for sale had been proved against Mrs. Schnetterling, and she had been fined twenty-five pounds, to be paid at the next Petty Sessions.  Otherwise goods would be seized to that value, or she would have a short term of imprisonment.  There was no doubt that contraband spirits were also found, but it was not thought expedient to press this charge.

He said the poor woman had been in a great passion of despair, wringing her hands and weeping demonstratively.

“Quite theatrical,” he said.  “I am sure she has been an actress.”

“It did not prejudice your hard-headed town-councillors in her favour,” said Gerald.

“Far from it!  In fact old Simmonds observed that she was a painted foreign Jezebel.”

“Not to her face!” said Gerald.

“We are not quite brutes, whatever you may think us, my boy,” said the General good-humouredly.

“Well,” said Gerald, in the same tone, “how could I tell how it might be when the Philistines conspired to hunt down a poor foreign widow trying to pick up a scanty livelihood ?”

“If the poor foreign widow had been content without corrupting the boys,” said Clement, “she would have been let alone.”

“It was not for corrupting the boys.  That was done-—or not done—-by my amiable cousin Ted.  What harm did her ’baccy do to living soul?”

“It is a risky thing, to say the least of it, for a living soul to defraud the revenue,” said Clement.

“Of which probably she never heard.”

“She must have seen the terms of her licence,” said the General.

“Aye, a way of increasing the revenue by burthens on the chief solace of poverty,” said Gerald hotly.

“You’ll come to your senses by and by, young man,” imperturbably answered the General.

“Is she likely to be able to pay?” asked Gerald in return.