u know him? That's Joe Smith."

Mr. Joseph Brown, Q.C., had to rely upon his innuendo--"meaning
thereby Joe Smith was a rogue"--and was very eloquent as to slander
unspoken but expressed by signs and tone. After an exhausting speech
he sat down and buried his head in his bandana, as his habit was.

Hawkins got up, and turned Mr. Joseph Brown's speech to ridicule in
two or three sentences.

"Gentlemen," he almost whispered, after a very small whistle which
nobody could hear but those close around, at the same time pointing
his thumb over his shoulder at his opponent, "do you know him--do you
know Joe Brown?" There was a roar of laughter. Joe looked up, saw
nothing, and retired again into his bandana.

Again the performance was gone through. "Do you know Joe Brown, the
best fellow in the world?"

Brown looked up again, and was just in time to hear the jury say
they had heard quite enough of the case. No slander--verdict for the
defendant.

It was one of the best pieces of acting I ever saw him do.]

CHAPTER XXXI.

APPOINTED A JUDGE--MY FIRST TRIAL FOR MURDER,

No sooner was the Tichborne case finished than I was once more in the
full run of work.

One brief was delivered with a fee marked twenty thousand guineas,
which I declined. It would not in any way have answered my purpose
to accept it. I was asked, however, to name my own fee, with the
assurance that whatever I named it would be forthcoming. I promised to
consider a fee of fifty thousand guineas, and did so, but resolved not
to accept the brief on any terms, as it involved my going to Indie,
and I felt it would be unwise to do so.

In 1874 I was offered by Lord Cairns the honour of a judgeship, which
I respectfully declined. It was no hope of mine to step into a puisne
judgeship, or, for the matter of that, any other judicial position.
I was contented with my work and with my career. I did not wish to
abandon my position at the Bar, and my friends at the Bar, and take up
one on the Bench with no friends at all; for a Judge's position is one
of almost isolation. This refusal gave great dissatisfaction to many,
and a letter I have before me says, "I got into a great row with
my editor by your refusal." Another said he lost a lot of money in
consequence: "I thought it was any odds upon your taking it."

Sir Alexander Cockburn gave me a complimentary side-cut in a speech he
made to some of his old constituents.

"The time comes," said he, "when