kwick, made one of the party. In reply to it, the lame man touched
his hat again, with all imaginable politeness, and motioned towards Mr.
Pickwick.

'No, no,' said Perker, with a smile. 'We don't want you, my dear friend,
we don't want you.'

'I beg your pardon, sir,' said the lame man. 'The gentleman took my
card. I hope you will employ me, sir. The gentleman nodded to me. I'll
be judged by the gentleman himself. You nodded to me, sir?'

'Pooh, pooh, nonsense. You didn't nod to anybody, Pickwick? A mistake, a
mistake,' said Perker.

'The gentleman handed me his card,' replied Mr. Pickwick, producing it
from his waistcoat pocket. 'I accepted it, as the gentleman seemed to
wish it--in fact I had some curiosity to look at it when I should be at
leisure. I--'

The little attorney burst into a loud laugh, and returning the card
to the lame man, informing him it was all a mistake, whispered to Mr.
Pickwick as the man turned away in dudgeon, that he was only a bail.

'A what!' exclaimed Mr. Pickwick.

'A bail,' replied Perker.

'A bail!' 'Yes, my dear sir--half a dozen of 'em here. Bail you to any
amount, and only charge half a crown. Curious trade, isn't it?' said
Perker, regaling himself with a pinch of snuff.

'What! Am I to understand that these men earn a livelihood by waiting
about here, to perjure themselves before the judges of the land, at the
rate of half a crown a crime?' exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, quite aghast at
the disclosure.

'Why, I don't exactly know about perjury, my dear sir,' replied the
little gentleman. 'Harsh word, my dear sir, very harsh word indeed. It's
a legal fiction, my dear sir, nothing more.' Saying which, the attorney
shrugged his shoulders, smiled, took a second pinch of snuff, and led
the way into the office of the judge's clerk.

This was a room of specially dirty appearance, with a very low ceiling
and old panelled walls; and so badly lighted, that although it was broad
day outside, great tallow candles were burning on the desks. At one end,
was a door leading to the judge's private apartment, round which were
congregated a crowd of attorneys and managing clerks, who were called
in, in the order in which their respective appointments stood upon the
file. Every time this door was opened to let a party out, the next
party made a violent rush to get in; and, as in addition to the numerous
dialogues which passed between the gentlemen who were waiting to see the
judge, a variety of