e lazy stream that pursued its even course without a quarrel or a
lawsuit; all these, and a thousand other remembrances of home, passed
before the excited and somewhat distempered vision of the farmer on this
unhappy night. Had he been a criminal waiting his trial he could not
have been more wretched. At length he endeavoured to console himself by
thinking of Snooks: tried to believe that victory over that ill-disposed
person would repay the trouble and anxiety it cost him to achieve. But
no, not even revenge was sweet under his present circumstances. It is
always an apple of ashes at the best; but, weighed now against the
comforts and happiness of a peaceful life, it was worse than ashes--it
was poison.

* * * * *

Here I awoke.

"Now," said my wife, "is it not just as I told you? I knew that artful
Sergeant would enlist poor stupid Joe?"

"O," quoth I, "have I been talking again?"

"More than ever; and I am very sorry Joe has deserted his kind master. I
am afraid now he will lose his case."

"I am not concerned about that at present; my work is but to dream, not
to prophesy events. I hope Mr. Bumpkin will win, but nothing is so
uncertain as the Law."

"And why should that be? Law should be as certain as the Multiplication
Table."

"Ah," sighed I, "but--"

"A man who brings an action must be right or wrong," interrupted my wife.

"Yes," said I, "and sometimes he's both; and one judge will take one view
of his case--his conduct out of Court, and his demeanour in--while
another judge will take another; why, I have known a man lose his case
through having a wart upon his nose."

"Gracious!" exclaimed my wife, "is it possible?"

"Yes," quoth I; "and another through having a twitch in his eye. Then
you may have a foolish jury, who take a prejudice against a man. For
instance, if a lawyer brings an action, he can seldom get justice before
a common jury; and so if he be sued. A blue ribbon man on the jury will
be almost sure to carry his extreme virtue to the border of injustice
against a publican. Masters decide against workmen, and so on."

"Well, Mr. Bumpkin is not a lawyer, or a publican, or a blue ribbon man,
so I hope he'll win."

"I don't hope anything about it," I replied. "I shall note down what
takes place; I don't care who wins."

"When will his case at the Old Bailey come on? I think that's the term
you use."

"It will be tried next week."

"He i