household word with the Court of Appeal, and a
bye-word among the innumerable loafers about Judge's Chambers.

"What! _Bumpkin_ v. _Snooks_ again!" the President would say. "What is
it now? It's a pity the parties to this case can't agree: it seems a
very trifling matter."

"Not so, my lord, as your lordship will quickly apprehend when the new
point is brought before your notice. A question of principle is here
which may form a precedent for the guidance of future Judges, as did the
famous case of _Perryman_ v. _Lister_, which went to the House of Lords
about prosecuting a man for stealing a gun. This is about a pig, my
lord--a little pig, no doubt, and although there is not much in the pig,
there is a good deal outside it."

And often did Prigg say to Locust:

"I say, Locust, whenever _shall_ we be ready to set this case down for
trial?"

"Really, my dear Prigg," Locust would reply, "it seems interminable--come
and dine with me." So the gentle and innocent reader will at once
perceive that there was great impatience on all sides to get this case
ready for trial. Meanwhile it may not be uninteresting to describe
shortly some of the many changes that had taken place in the few short
months since the action commenced.

First it was clearly observable by the inhabitants of Yokelton that Mr.
Prigg's position had considerably improved. I say nothing of his new
hat; that was a small matter, but not so his style of living--so great an
advance had that made that it attracted the attention of the neighbours,
who often remarked that Mr. Prigg seemed to be getting a large practice.
He was often seen with his lady on a summer afternoon taking the air in a
nice open carriage--hired, it is true, for the occasion. And everybody
remarked how uncommonly ladylike Mrs. Prigg lay back in the vehicle, and
how very gracefully she held her new aesthetic parasol. And what a proud
moment it was for Bumpkin, when he saw this good and respectable
gentleman pass with the ladylike creature beside him; and Mr. Bumpkin
would say to his neighbours, lifting his hat at the same moment,

"That be my loryer, that air be!"

And then Mr. Prigg would gracefully raise his hat, and Mrs. Prigg would
lie back perfectly motionless as became a very languid lady of her
exalted position. And when Mr. Prigg said to Mrs. Prigg, "My dear, that
is our new client;" Mrs. Prigg would elevate her arched eyebrows and
expand her delicate nostrils as she a