evidently regarded him as a species of divinity.

'Let me see,' said the legal authority. 'What was I a-saying,
gentlemen?'

'I think you was remarkin' as you wouldn't have no objection to another
o' the same, Sir,' said Mr. Weller, with grave facetiousness. 'Ha, ha!'
laughed Mr. Pell. 'Not bad, not bad. A professional man, too! At this
time of the morning, it would be rather too good a--Well, I don't know,
my dear--you may do that again, if you please. Hem!'

This last sound was a solemn and dignified cough, in which Mr. Pell,
observing an indecent tendency to mirth in some of his auditors,
considered it due to himself to indulge.

'The late Lord Chancellor, gentlemen, was very fond of me,' said Mr.
Pell.

'And wery creditable in him, too,' interposed Mr. Weller.

'Hear, hear,' assented Mr. Pell's client. 'Why shouldn't he be?

'Ah! Why, indeed!' said a very red-faced man, who had said nothing yet,
and who looked extremely unlikely to say anything more. 'Why shouldn't
he?'

A murmur of assent ran through the company.

'I remember, gentlemen,' said Mr. Pell, 'dining with him on one
occasion; there was only us two, but everything as splendid as if twenty
people had been expected--the great seal on a dumb-waiter at his right
hand, and a man in a bag-wig and suit of armour guarding the mace with
a drawn sword and silk stockings--which is perpetually done, gentlemen,
night and day; when he said, "Pell," he said, "no false delicacy, Pell.
You're a man of talent; you can get anybody through the Insolvent Court,
Pell; and your country should be proud of you." Those were his very
words. "My Lord," I said, "you flatter me."--"Pell," he said, "if I do,
I'm damned."'

'Did he say that?' inquired Mr. Weller.

'He did,' replied Pell.

'Vell, then,' said Mr. Weller, 'I say Parliament ought to ha' took it
up; and if he'd been a poor man, they would ha' done it.'

'But, my dear friend,' argued Mr. Pell, 'it was in confidence.'

'In what?' said Mr. Weller.

'In confidence.'

'Oh! wery good,' replied Mr. Weller, after a little reflection. 'If he
damned hisself in confidence, o' course that was another thing.'

'Of course it was,' said Mr. Pell. 'The distinction's obvious, you will
perceive.'

'Alters the case entirely,' said Mr. Weller. 'Go on, Sir.' 'No, I will
not go on, Sir,' said Mr. Pell, in a low and serious tone. 'You have
reminded me, Sir, that this conversation was private--private and
confidential, gent