into your own hands after
intrusting them to your solicitor, you must also take the
consequences.' Here Mr. Perker drew himself up with conscious
dignity, and brushed some stray grains of snuff from his shirt frill.

'And what do they want him to prove?' asked Mr. Pickwick, after two
or three minutes' silence.

'That you sent him up to the plaintiff's to make some offer of a
compromise, I suppose,' replied Perker. 'It don't matter much,
though; I don't think many counsel could get a great deal out of
_him_.'

'I don't think they could,' said Mr. Pickwick.

The minutiae of legal process are prosaic and uninteresting, and it might
seem impossible to invest them with any dramatic interest; but how
admirably has Boz lightened up and coloured the simple incident of an
attorney's clerk--a common, vulgar fellow of the lowest type, arriving to
serve his subpoenas on the witnesses--all assumed to be hostile. The
scene is full of touches of light comedy.

'How de do, sir?' said Mr. Jackson, nodding to Mr. Pickwick.

That gentlemen bowed, and looked somewhat surprised for the
physiognomy of Mr. Jackson dwelt not in his recollection.

'I have called from Dodson and Fogg's,' said Mr. Jackson, in an
explanatory tone.

Mr. Pickwick roused at the name. 'I refer you to my attorney, sir:
Mr. Perker, of Gray's Inn,' said he. 'Waiter, show this gentleman
out.'

'Beg your pardon, Mr. Pickwick,' said Jackson, deliberately
depositing his hat on the floor, and drawing from his pocket the
strip of parchment. 'But personal service, by clerk or agent, in
these cases, you know, Mr. Pickwick--nothing like caution, sir, in
all legal forms?'

Here Mr. Jackson cast his eye on the parchment; and, resting his
hands on the table, and looking round with a winning and persuasive,
smile, said: 'Now, come; don't let's have no words about such a
little matter as this. Which of you gentlemen's name's Snodgrass?'

At this inquiry Mr. Snodgrass gave such a very undisguised and
palpable start, that no further reply was needed.

'Ah! I thought so,' said Mr. Jackson, more affably than before.
'I've got a little something to trouble you with, sir.'

'Me!' exclaimed Mr. Snodgrass.

'It's only a _subpoena_ in Bardell and Pickwick on behalf of the
plaintiff,' replied Jackson, singling out one of the slips of pap