said Dockwrath, "but I must
decline to acknowledge that I am amenable to the jurisdiction."

"There has clearly been a mistake," said Johnson from Sheffield, "and
we had better settle it among us; anything is better than a row."
Johnson from Sheffield was a man somewhat inclined to dispute the
supremacy of Moulder from Houndsditch.

"No, Johnson," said the president. "Anything is not better than a
row. A premeditated infraction of our rules is not better than a
row."

"Did you say premeditated?" said Kantwise. "I think not
premeditated."

"I did say premeditated, and I say it again."

"It looks uncommon like it," said Snengkeld.

"When a gentleman," said Gape, "who does not belong to a society--"

"It's no good having more talk," said Moulder, "and we'll soon
bring this to an end. Mr.--; I haven't the honour of knowing the
gentleman's name."

"My name is Dockwrath, and I am a solicitor."

"Oh, a solicitor; are you? and you said last night you was
commercial! Will you be good enough to tell us, Mr. Solicitor--for I
didn't just catch your name, except that it begins with a dock--and
that's where most of your clients are to be found, I suppose--"

"Order, order, order!" said Kantwise, holding up both his hands.

"It's the chair as is speaking," said Mr. Gape, who had a true
Englishman's notion that the chair itself could not be called to
order.

"You shouldn't insult the gentleman because he has his own ideas,"
said Johnson.

"I don't want to insult no one," continued Moulder; "and those who
know me best, among whom I can't as yet count Mr. Johnson, though
hopes I shall some day, won't say it of me." "Hear--hear--hear!"
from both Snengkeld and Gape; to which Kantwise added a little
"hear--hear!" of his own, of which Mr. Moulder did not quite approve.
"Mr. Snengkeld and Mr. Gape, they're my old friends, and they knows
me. And they knows the way of a commercial room--which some gentlemen
don't seem as though they do. I don't want to insult no one; but
as chairman here at this conwivial meeting, I asks that gentleman
who says he is a solicitor whether he means to pay his dinner bill
according to the rules of the room, or whether he don't?"

"I've paid for what I've had already," said Dockwrath, "and I don't
mean to pay for what I've not had."

"James," exclaimed Moulder,--and all the chairman was in his voice
as he spoke,--"my compliments to Mr. Crump, and I will request his
attendance for five minutes;"