-don't, if you please."

And here his profound sentiments died away again and were lost to the
world; and the worthy man, not long after, was discussing his favourite
dish with greedy relish.

"An when'll this 'ere thing be on, Mr. Prigg, does thee think? It be a
hell of a long time."

"Tom! Tom!" exclaimed Mrs. Bumpkin. But Mr. Prigg was too well bred and
too much occupied with his pork and greens to hear the very wayward
epithet of the Farmer Bumpkin.

"Quite so," said the lawyer; "quite so, it is so difficult to tell when a
case will come on. You're in the list to-day and gone to-morrow; a man
the other day was just worried as you have been; but mark this; at the
trial, Mr. Bumpkin, the jury gave that man a verdict for a thousand
pounds!"

"Look at that, Nancy," exclaimed Mr. Bumpkin; "Will 'ee tak a little more
pork, sir?"

"Thank you," said Mr. Prigg, "it's uncommonly good; some of your own
feeding, I suppose?"

"Ay," said Mr. Bumpkin.

"Were that a pig case, Mr. Prigg, where the man got the thousand pounds?"
asked Mrs. Bumpkin.

"Let me see," answered Prigg, "_was_ it a pig case?" Here he put his
finger to the side of his nose. "I really, at this moment, quite forget
whether it was or was not a pig case. I'll trouble you, Mrs. Bumpkin,
for a little more greens, if you please."

"Now, I wur saying," said Bumpkin, "jist as thee comed in, where be I to
lodge when I gooes to Lunnon agin?"

"Ah, now, quite so--yes; and you must go in a day or two. I expect we
shall be on shortly. Now, let me see, you don't like 'The Goose'? A
nice respectable hostelry, too!"

"I wunt 'ave un goo there, Mr. Prigg," said Mrs. Bumpkin.

"Quite so--quite so. Now what I was thinking was, suppose you took
lodgings at some nice suburban place, say--"

"What pleace, sir?" inquired Bumpkin.

"Let us say Camden Town, for instance--nice healthy neighbourhood and
remarkably quiet. You could come every morning by 'bus, or if you
preferred it, by rail; and if by rail, you could take a season ticket,
which would be much cheaper; a six months' ticket, again, being cheaper
than a three months' ticket."

"In the name o' Heaven, sir," exclaimed Mrs. Bumpkin, "be this 'ere thing
gwine on for ever?"

Mr. Prigg smiled benignly, as much as to say, "You ladies are so
impatient, so innocent of the business of life."

"It seems to me, Mr. Prigg, one need live to be as old as thic there
Mackthusaler to bring a law-suit now-a-