of the climate of London, which
is extremely disagreeable.' 'You are very right, sir,' said the
ghost, politely; 'it never struck me till now; I'll try a change of
air directly.' In fact, he began to vanish as he spoke--his legs,
indeed, had quite disappeared. 'And if, sir,' said the tenant,
calling after him, 'if you _would_ have the goodness to suggest to the
other ladies and gentlemen who are now engaged in haunting old empty
houses, that they might be much more comfortable elsewhere, you will
confer a very great benefit on society.' 'I will,' replied the ghost;
'we must be dull fellows, very dull fellows indeed; I can't imagine
how we can have been so stupid.' With these words the spirit
disappeared; and what is rather remarkable," added the old man, with a
shrewd look round the table, "he never came back again."

But I must not delay longer over where the lawyers live. The lawyers of
Dickens furnish me with three types of the practising solicitor or
attorney, each admirable in its way. First, Mr. Perker, whose aid Mr.
Wardle seeks to release Miss Rachel Wardle from that scoundrel Jingle. He
is described as a little high-dried man, with a dark squeezed-up face,
and small restless black eyes, that kept winking and twinkling on each
side of his little inquisitive nose, as if they were playing a perpetual
game of peep-bo with that feature. He was dressed all in black, with
boots as shiny as his eyes, a low white neckcloth, and a clean shirt with
a frill to it. A gold watch-chain and seals depended from his fob. He
carried his black kid gloves _in_ his hands, and not _on_ them; and as he
spoke, thrust his wrists beneath his coat-tails, with the air of a man
who was in the habit of propounding some regular posers.

He lived at Montague Place, Russell Square, and had offices in Gray's
Inn, and appears to have had a large and very respectable business, into
the details of which we have not time to travel; but perhaps the
cleverest piece of business he ever did was when, as Agent to the
Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall, he brought about the return
of that honourable gentleman as Member of Parliament. I suppose we have
all read the account of that memorable election, which is a pretty
accurate record of what went on at Eatanswill, and I am credibly informed
at many other places.

Mr. Pickwick and his companions, in their quest for experience, set out
for the excitem