latt was present; but there was one trait in his character as an
advocate that judges always profess to disapprove of--he loved
popular applause, and his singularly bold and curious mode of
cross-examination sometimes brought him both rebuke and hearty
laughter from the most austere of judges.

He dealt with a witness as though the witness was putty, moulding him
into any grotesque form that suited his humour. No evidence could
preserve its original shape after Platt had done with it. He had a
coaxing manner, so much so that a witness would often be led to say
what he never intended, and what afterwards he could not believe he
had uttered.

Thesiger, who was his constant opponent, was sometimes irritated with
Platt's manner, and on the occasion I am about to mention fairly lost
his temper.

It was in an action for nuisance before Tindal, Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas, at Croydon Assizes.

Thesiger was for the plaintiff, who complained of a nuisance caused by
the bad smells that emanated from a certain tank on the defendant's
premises, and called a very respectable but ignorant labouring man to
prove his case.

The witness gave a description of the tank, not picturesque, but
doubtless true, and into this tank all kinds of refuse seem to have
been thrown, so that the vilest of foul stenches were emitted.

Platt began his cross-examination of poor Hodge by asking him in
his most coaxing manner to describe the character and nature of the
various stenches. Had Hodge been scientific, or if he had had a little
common sense, he would have simply answered "_bad_ character and
_ill_-nature;" but he improved on this simplicity, and said,--

"Some on 'em smells summat _like paint_."

This was quite sufficient for Platt.

"Come now," said he, "that's a very sensible answer. You are aware,
as a man of undoubted intelligence, that there are various colours of
paint. Had this smell any _particular colour_, think you?"

"Wall, I dunnow, sir."

"Don't answer hurriedly; take your time. We only want to get at the
truth. Now, what colour do you say this smell belonged to?"

"Wall, I don't raightly know, sir."

"I see. But what do you say to _yellow_? Had it a yellow smell, think
you?"

"Wall, sir, I doan't think ur wus yaller, nuther. No, sir, not quite
yaller; I think it was moore of a blue like."

"A blue smell. We all know a blue smell when we see it."

Of course, I need not say the laughter was going on in peals