FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  
Mr. Quirk, it's not to be thought of for a moment--not for a moment," interrupted Gammon, seriously, and even somewhat peremptorily--"nothing should persuade _me_ to be any party to such"---- At this moment Snap burst into the room with a heated appearance, and a chagrined air---- "_Pitch_ v. _Grub_----" he commenced breathlessly-- [This was a little pet action of poor Snap's: it was for slander uttered by the defendant (an hostler) against the plaintiff, (a waterman on a coach stand,) charging the plaintiff with having _the mange_, on account of which a woman refused to marry him.] "Pitch v. Grub--just been tried at Guildhall. Witness bang up to the mark--words and special damage proved; slapping speech from Sergeant Shout. Verdict for plaintiff--but only one farthing damages; and Lord Widdrington said, as the jury had given one farthing for damages, _he_ would give him another for costs,[10] and that would make a halfpenny; on which the defendant's attorney tendered me--a halfpenny on the spot. Laughter in court--move for new trial first day of next term, and tip his lordship a rattler in the next Sunday's _Flash_!" "Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, sternly, "once for all, if this sort of low business is to go on, I'll leave the firm, come what will!" [It flickered across his mind that Titmouse would be a capital client to start with on his own account.] "I protest our names will quite stink in the profession." "Good, Mr. Gammon, good!" interposed Snap, warmly; "your little action for the usury penalties the other day came off so uncommon well! the judge's compliment to you was _so_ nice"---- "Let me tell you, Mr. Snap," interrupted Gammon, reddening---- "Pho! Come! Can't be helped--fortune of the war,"--interrupted the head of the firm,--"there's only one thing to be looked to,--_Is Pitch solvent?_--of course we've security for costs out of pocket--eh, Snap?" Now the fact was, that poor Snap had picked up Pitch at one of the police offices, and, in his zeal for business, had undertaken his case on pure speculation, relying on the apparent strength of the plaintiff's case--Pitch being only a waterman attached to a coach stand. When, therefore, the very ominous question of Mr. Quirk met Snap's ear, he suddenly happened (at least, he chose to appear to think so) to hear himself called for from the clerk's room, and bolted out of Mr. Gammon's room rather unceremoniously. "Snap will be the ruin of the firm,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Gammon
 

plaintiff

 

moment

 

interrupted

 

farthing

 
defendant
 
damages
 

waterman

 
halfpenny
 

account


action

 

business

 
reddening
 

protest

 
client
 

capital

 
Titmouse
 
warmly
 

interposed

 

compliment


penalties

 

uncommon

 

profession

 

question

 

ominous

 

suddenly

 

strength

 

attached

 

happened

 

bolted


unceremoniously

 
called
 

apparent

 

relying

 

solvent

 
looked
 

fortune

 
security
 

pocket

 
undertaken

speculation
 

offices

 
police
 
picked
 

helped

 

charging

 
hostler
 

slander

 
uttered
 

refused