Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, with an air
of disgust. "But I really must get on with the brief I'm drawing; so,
Mr. Quirk, we can talk about Titmouse to-morrow!"

The brief he was drawing up was for a defendant who was going to nonsuit
the plaintiff, (a man with a large family, who had kindly lent the
defendant a considerable sum of money,) solely because of the _want of a
stamp_.

Quirk differed in opinion with Gammon, and, as he resumed his seat at
his desk, he could not help writing the words, "_Quirk and Snap_," and
thinking how well such a firm would sound and work--for Snap was verily
a chip of the old block!

There will probably never be wanting those who will join in abusing and
ridiculing attorneys and solicitors. Why? In almost every action at law,
or suit in equity, or proceeding which may, or may not, lead to one,
each client conceives a natural dislike for his opponent's attorney or
solicitor. _If the plaintiff succeeds_, he hates the defendant's
attorney for putting him (the said plaintiff) to so much expense, and
causing him so much vexation and danger; and, when he comes to settle
with his own attorney, there is not a little heart-burning in looking at
his bill of costs, however reasonable. _If the plaintiff fails_, of
course it is through the ignorance and unskilfulness of his attorney or
solicitor! and he hates almost equally his own, and his opponent's
attorney!--Precisely so is it with a successful or unsuccessful
_defendant_. In fact, an attorney or solicitor is almost always obliged
to be acting _adversely to some one_ of whom he at once makes an enemy;
for an attorney's weapons must necessarily be pointed almost invariably
at our pockets! He is necessarily, also, called into action in cases
when all the worst passions of our nature--our hatred and revenge, and
our self-interest--are set in motion. Consider the mischief which might
be constantly done on a grand scale in society, if the vast majority of
attorneys and solicitors were not honorable, and able men! Conceive
them, for a moment, disposed everywhere to stir up litigation, by
availing themselves of their perfect acquaintance with almost all men's
circumstances--artfully inflaming irritable and vindictive clients,
kindling, instead of stifling, family dissensions, and fomenting public
strife--why, were they to do only a hundredth part of what it is thus in
their power to do, our courts of justice would soon be doubled, together
with the number