r. Chaffanbrass as the most
conspicuous, who have confined their talents to the browbeating
of witnesses,--greatly to their own profit, and no doubt to the
advantage of society. But I would have it understood that Mr.
Furnival was by no means one of these. He had been no Old Bailey
lawyer, devoting himself to the manumission of murderers, or the
security of the swindling world in general. He had been employed on
abstruse points of law, had been great in will cases, very learned as
to the rights of railways, peculiarly apt in enforcing the dowries of
married women, and successful above all things in separating husbands
and wives whose lives had not been passed in accordance with the
recognised rules of Hymen. Indeed there is no branch of the Common
Law in which he was not regarded as great and powerful, though
perhaps his proficiency in damaging the general characters of his
opponents has been recognised as his especial forte. Under these
circumstances I should grieve to have him confounded with such men
as Mr. Chaffanbrass, who is hardly known by the profession beyond
the precincts of his own peculiar court in the City. Mr. Furnival's
reputation has spread itself wherever stuff gowns and horsehair wigs
are held in estimation.

Mr. Furnival when clothed in his forensic habiliments certainly
possessed a solemn and severe dignity which had its weight even with
the judges. Those who scrutinised his appearance critically might
have said that it was in some respects pretentious; but the ordinary
jurymen of this country are not critical scrutinisers of appearance,
and by them he was never held in light estimation. When in his
addresses to them, appealing to their intelligence, education, and
enlightened justice, he would declare that the property of his
clients was perfectly safe in their hands, he looked to be such an
advocate as a litigant would fain possess when dreading the soundness
of his own cause. Any cause was sound to him when once he had been
feed for its support, and he carried in his countenance his assurance
of this soundness,--and the assurance of unsoundness in the cause of
his opponent. Even he did not always win; but on the occasion of his
losing, those of the uninitiated who had heard the pleadings would
express their astonishment that he should not have been successful.

When he was divested of his wig his appearance was not so perfect.
There was then a hard, long straightness about his head and face,
gi