me lately as to a rather famous case in which
he is employed."

"Not the Orley Farm case?" said Mrs. Dockwrath immediately.

"Yes, yes; exactly."

"And is he going on with that, sir?" asked Mrs. Dockwrath with great
interest.

"Is he not? I know nothing about it myself, but I always supposed
that such was the case. If I had such a wife as you, Mrs. Dockwrath,
I should not leave her in doubt as to what I was doing in my own
profession."

"I know nothing about it, Mr. Cooke;"--for it was as Mr. Cooke that
he now sojourned at Hamworth. Not that it should be supposed he had
received instructions from Mr. Furnival to come down to that place
under a false name. From Mr. Furnival he had received no further
instructions on that matter than those conveyed at the end of a
previous chapter. "I know nothing about it, Mr. Cooke; and don't want
to know generally. But I am anxious about this Orley Farm case. I do
hope that he's going to drop it." And then Mr. Crabwitz elicited her
view of the case with great ease.

On that evening, about nine, Mr. Dockwrath did go over to Paradise
Row, and did allow himself to be persuaded to mix a glass of brandy
and water and light a cigar. "My missus tells me, sir, that you
belong to the profession as well as myself."

"Oh yes; I'm a lawyer, Mr. Dockwrath."

"Practising in town as an attorney, sir?"

"Not as an attorney on my own hook exactly. I chiefly employ my time
in getting up cases for barristers. There's a good deal done in that
way."

"Oh, indeed," said Mr. Dockwrath, beginning to feel himself the
bigger man of the two; and from that moment he patronised his
companion instead of allowing himself to be patronised.

This went against the grain with Mr. Crabwitz, but, having an object
to gain, he bore it. "We hear a great deal up in London just at
present about this Orley Farm case, and I always hear your name as
connected with it. I had no idea when I was taking these lodgings
that I was coming into a house belonging to that Mr. Dockwrath."

"The same party, sir," said Mr. Dockwrath, blowing the smoke out of
his mouth as he looked up to the ceiling.

And then by degrees Mr. Crabwitz drew him into conversation.
Dockwrath was by nature quite as clever a man as Crabwitz, and in
such a matter as this was not one to be outwitted easily; but in
truth he had no objection to talk about the Orley Farm case. "I have
taken it up on public motives, Mr. Cooke," he said, "and I mean to go