the timid, rueful, lackadaisical air with which
he regarded the dreaded Mr. Gammon, only prolonged and aggravated the
agonies of that gentleman. When at length he had a little recovered
himself, holding his left hand to his side, with an exhausted air, he
entered the little apartment, and asked Titmouse what in the name of
heaven he had been doing to himself: "_Without this_" (in the absurd
slang of the lawyers) that he suspected most vehemently, all the while,
what Titmouse had been about; but he wished to hear Titmouse's own
account of the matter!--Titmouse, not daring to hesitate,
complied--Gammon listening in an agony of suppressed laughter. He looked
as little at Titmouse as he could, and was growing a trifle more sedate,
when Titmouse, in a truly lamentable tone, inquired, "What's the good,
Mr. Gammon, of ten thousand a-year with such a horrid head of hair as
this?" On hearing which Gammon jumped off his chair, started to the
window, and laughed for one or two minutes without ceasing. This was too
much for Titmouse, who presently cried aloud in a lamentable manner; and
Gammon, suddenly ceasing his laughter, turned round and apologized in
the most earnest manner; after which he uttered an abundance of sympathy
for the sufferings which "he deplored being unable to alleviate." He
even restrained himself when Titmouse again and again asked if he could
not "have the law" of the man who had so imposed on him. Gammon diverted
the thoughts of his suffering client, by taking from his pocket some
very imposing packages of paper, tied round with red tape. From time to
time, however, he almost split his nose with efforts to restrain his
laughter, on catching a fresh glimpse of poor Titmouse's emerald hair.
Mr. Gammon was a man of business, however; and in the midst of all this
distracting excitement, contrived to get Titmouse's signature to sundry
papers of no little consequence; among others, first, to a bond
conditioned for the payment of L500; secondly, another for
L10,000;--both to Caleb Quirk, gentleman; and lastly, an agreement (of
which he gave Titmouse _an alleged_ copy) by which Titmouse, in
consideration of Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap using their best
exertions to put him in possession of the estate, &c. &c., bound himself
to conform to their wishes in everything, on pain of their instantly
throwing up the whole affair, looking out for another heir at law (!)
and issuing execution forthwith against Titmouse for al