here.

"What be all these 'ere books, sir?" he whispered to Prigg.

"These are law books," answered the intelligent Prigg; "but these are
only a few."

"Must be a good dale o' law," said Bumpkin.

"A good deal too much," observed Mr. Dynamite, with a smile; "if we were
to burn nine-tenths of the law books we should have better law, eh, Mr.
Prigg?"

Mr. Prigg never contradicted counsel; and if Mr. Dynamite had said it's a
great pity that our libraries have so few authorities, Prigg would have
made the same answer, "I quite agree, quite so! quite so!"

"Mr. Cats-'is-name don't seem to come," observed Bumpkin, after an hour
and a half had passed.

"Mr. _Catapult_, Mr. _Catapult_," said Mr. Prigg; "no, he doesn't seem to
come." And then he rang for the clerk, and the clerk came.

"Do you think Mr. Catapult will return to-night?" inquired Prigg.

"I don't think he will," said the clerk, looking at his watch; "I am
afraid not."

"Beant much good to stop then," said Mr. Bumpkin.

"I fear not," observed the clerk, "he has so many engagements. Shall we
fix another consultation, Mr. Prigg?"

"If you please," said that gentleman.

"Say half-past seven to-morrow, then. The case, I find, is not in the
paper to-morrow."

"Quite so, quite so," returned Prigg, "half-past seven to-morrow."

And thus the consultation was at an end and the parties went their
several ways.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Mr. Bumpkin receives compliments from distinguished persons.

One evening as Mr. Bumpkin was sitting in his little parlour, ruminating,
or as he termed it, "rummaging" in his mind over many things, and
especially wondering when the trial would come on, Horatio, in breathless
impatience, entered the room. His excited and cheerful appearance
indicated that something of an unusually pleasant nature had occurred. A
strong intimacy had long been established between this boy and Mr.
Bumpkin, who regarded Horatio as a kind of legal prodigy; his very hopes
seemed centered in and inspired by this lad. He seemed to be the guiding
spirit and the flywheel of the whole proceedings. Was Snooks to be
pulverized? it must be under Horatio's heel!

This legal stripling brought almost as much comfort as Mr. Prigg himself;
and it was quite a pleasure to hear the familiar terms in which he spoke
of the bigwigs of the profession. He would say of McCannister, the
Queen's Counsel, "I like Mac's style of putting a question, it's so soft
l