ce."

"O, my lud, with all submission, with the greatest possible deference and
respect to the learned Judge, I assure your ludship that it was so, for I
have a note of it."

"I was about to say," continued Mr. Justice Doughty, "as my brother
Pangloss says, it may have been given while he was considering a point in
Justinian. What is the misdirection?"

"O, my lud, the misdirection was, I venture respectfully and
deferentially to submit, and with the utmost deference to the learned
Judge, in his lordship's telling the jury that if they found that the
right of way which the defendant set up in his answer to the trespass, or
easement--but perhaps, my lud, I had better read from the short-hand
writer's notes of his ludship's summing-up. This is it, my lud, his
ludship said: 'In an action for stopping of his _ancient_ lights --."

"What!" said Mr. Justice Doughty, "_did he black the plaintiff's eyes_,
then?"

"No, my lud," said Mr. Ricochet, "that was never alleged or suggested."

"I only used it by way of illustration," said Mr. Justice Pangloss.

Then their lordships consulted together, and after about three-quarters
of an hour's conversation the learned Mr. Justice Doughty said:

"You can take a rule, Mr. Ricochet."

"On all points, my lud, if your ludships please."

"It will be more satisfactory," said his lordship, "and then we shall see
what there is in it. At present, I must confess, I don't understand
anything about it."

And I saw that what there was really in it was very much like what there
is in a kaleidoscope, odds and ends, which form all sorts of combinations
when you twist and turn them about in the dark tube of a "legal
argument." And so poor Bumpkin was deprived of the fruit of his victory.
Truly the law is very expeditious. Before Bumpkin had got home with the
cheerful intelligence that he had won, the wind had changed and was
setting in fearfully from the north-east. Juries may find as many facts
as they like, but the Court applies the law to them; and law is like
gunpowder in its operation upon them,--twists them out of all
recognisable shape. It is very difficult in a Court of law to get over
"_guttatims_" and "_stillatims_," even in an action for the price of a
pig.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Mr. Bumpkin is congratulated by his neighbours and friends in the market
place and sells his corn.

What a lovely peace there was again over the farm! It was true Mr.
Bumpkin had not obta