must have the Law at his fingers'
ends. Yes, there it is sitting under him in the shape and person of his
truly respectable clerk. The Common Law resides in the breasts of the
Judges, but it is here at my Lord Mayor's fingers' ends. He has to deal
with gigantic commercial frauds; with petty swindlers, common thieves;
mighty combinations of conspirators; with extradition laws; with
elaborate bankruptcy delinquencies; with the niceties of the criminal law
in every form and shape. Surely, thought I, he should be one of those
tremendous geniuses who can learn the criminal law before breakfast, or
at least before dinner! So he was. His lordship seemed to have learned
it one morning before he was awake. But it is not for me to criticise
tribunals or men: I have the simple duty to perform of relating the story
of the renowned Mr. Bumpkin.

After the night charges are disposed of up comes the man through the
floor, not Mr. Bumpkin, but Mr. Bumpkin's prisoner. He comes up through
the floor like the imp in the pantomime: and then the two tall warders
prevent his going any farther.

He was a pale, intelligent looking creature, fairly dressed in frock
coat, dark waistcoat and grey trousers, with a glove on his left hand and
another in his right; looked meekly and modestly round, and then politely
bowed to the Lord Mayor. The charge was then read to him and with a
smile he indignantly repudiated the idea of theft.

And I saw in my dream that he was represented by a learned Counsel, who
at this moment entered the Court, shook hands with the Lord Mayor, and
saying, "I appear, my lord, for the prisoner," took his seat upon the
bench, and entered for a minute or so into some private and apparently
jocular conversation with his Lordship.

The name of the learned Counsel was Mr. Nimble, whom we have before seen.
He was a very goodly-shaped man, with a thin face and brown hair. His
eyes were bright, and always seemed to look into a witness rather than at
him. His manner was jaunty, good-natured, easy, and gay; not remarkable
for courtesy, but at the same time, not unpleasantly rude. I thought the
learned Counsel could be disagreeable if he liked, but might be a very
pleasant, sociable fellow to spend an hour with--not in the witness-box.

He was certainly a skilful and far-seeing Counsel, if I may make so bold
as to judge from this case. And methought that nothing he did or said
was said or done without a purpose. Nor cou