; "and when I say systematic
villainy, let me tell the defendant Pickwick, if he be in Court--as I
am informed he is--that it would have been more decent in him, more
becoming, in better judgment, and in better taste, if he had stopped
away. Let me tell him, gentlemen, that any gestures of dissent or
disapprobation in which he may indulge in this Court will not go down
with you; that you will know how to value and how to appreciate them;
and let me tell him further, as my lord will tell you, gentlemen, that
a counsel, in the discharge of his duty to his client, is neither to
be intimidated, nor bullied, nor put down; and that any attempt to do
either the one or the other, or the first, or the last, will recoil on
the head of the attempter, be he plaintiff or be he defendant, be his
name Pickwick, or Noakes, or Stoakes, or Stiles, or Brown, or
Thompson."

This little divergence from the subject in hand had, of course, the
intended effect of turning all eyes to Mr. Pickwick. Serjeant Buzfuz,
having partially recovered from the state of moral elevation into
which he had lashed himself, resumed,--

"I shall show you, gentlemen, that for two years Pickwick continued to
reside constantly, and without interruption or intermission, at Mrs.
Bardell's house. I shall show you that Mrs. Bardell, during the whole
of that time, waited on him, attended to his comforts, cooked his
meals, looked out his linen for the washerwoman when it went abroad,
darned, aired, and prepared it for wear, and, in short, enjoyed his
fullest trust and confidence. I shall show you that, on many
occasions, he gave halfpence, and on some occasions even sixpences, to
her little boy; and I shall prove to you, by a witness whose testimony
it will be impossible for my learned friend to weaken or controvert,
that on one occasion he patted the boy on the head, and, after
inquiring whether he had won any _alley tors_ or _commoneys_ lately
(both of which I understand to be a particular species of marbles much
prized by the youth of this town), made use of this remarkable
expression: 'How should you like to have another father?' I shall
prove to you, gentlemen, that about a year ago Pickwick suddenly began
to absent himself from home during long intervals, as with the
intention of gradually breaking off from my client; but I shall show
you also that his