enance of Mr. Flaw.

The alderman laughed till the tears ran out of his little eyes, which he
constantly wiped with his napkin! Amid the general laughter and
excitement, Miss Quirk, leaning her chin on her hand, her elbow resting
on the table, several times directed soft, languishing looks towards
Titmouse, unobserved by any one but himself; and they were not entirely
unsuccessful, although Titmouse was wonderfully taken with the stories
of the two counsellors, and believed them to be two of the greatest men
he had ever seen or heard of, and at the head of their profession.

"'Pon my soul--I hope, sir, you'll have those two gents in _my_ case?"
said he, earnestly, to Gammon.

"Unfortunately, your case will not come on in their courts," said
Gammon, with a very expressive smile.

"Why, can't it come on where I choose?--or when you like?" inquired
Titmouse, surprisedly.

Mr. Quirk had been soured during the whole of dinner, for he had
anxiously desired to have Titmouse sit beside him at the bottom of the
table; but in the little hubbub attendant upon coming down to dinner and
taking places, Titmouse slipped out of sight for a minute; and when all
were placed, Quirk's enraged eye perceived him seated in the middle of
the table, beside Gammon. Gammon _always_ got hold of Titmouse!--Old
Quirk could have flung a decanter at his head.--In his own house!--at
his own table! Always anticipating and circumventing him.

"Mr. Quirk, I don't think we've taken a glass of wine together yet, have
we?" said Gammon, blandly and cordially, at the same time pouring one
out for himself. He perfectly well knew what was annoying his respected
partner, whose look of quaint embarrassment, when so suddenly assailed,
infinitely amused him. "Catch me asking you here again, Master Gammon,"
thought Quirk, "with Titmouse!" The reason why Mr. Snap had not been
asked was, that Quirk had some slight cause to suspect his having
presumptuously conceived the notion of paying his addresses to Miss
Quirk--a thing at any time not particularly palatable to Mr. Quirk; but
in the present conjuncture of circumstances quite out of the question,
and intolerable even in idea. Snap was not slow in guessing the reason
of his exclusion, which had greatly mortified, and also not a little
alarmed him. As far as he could venture, he had, during the week,
endeavored to "set" Titmouse "against" Miss Quirk, by such faint
disparaging remarks and insinuations as he dared