him, and got up their briefs with care: but, alas! although these eminent men exerted all their great powers, they succeeded not in either bothering the judge, bamboozling the jury, or browbeating the witnesses, (the principal one of whom was MrParkinson;) Steggars was found guilty, and sentenced to be transported for life. Enraged at this issue, he sent a message the next day to Mr Quirk, requesting a visit from him. When he arrived, Steggars, in a very violent tone, demanded that his papers should be returned to him. 'Twas in vain that Mr Quirk explained to him again and again his interesting position with reference to his goods, chattels, and effects-i. e. that, as a convicted felon, he had no further concern with them, and might dismiss all anxiety on that score from his mind. Steggars hereat got more furious than before, and intimated plainly the course he should feel it his duty to pursue-that, if the papers in question were not given up to him as he desired, he should at once write off to his late employer, Mr Parkinson, and acknowledge how much farther he (Steggars) had wronged him and his clients than he supposed of. Old Quirk very feelingly represented to him that he was at liberty to do any thing that he thought calculated to relieve his excited feelings: and then Mr Quirk took a final farewell of his client, wishing him health and happi

ness.

"I say, Grasp!" said he, in a whisper, to that grim functionary, as soon as he had secured poor Steggars in his cell, "that bird is a little ruffled just now?"

" Lud, sir, the nat'ralist thing in the world, considering"

"Well if he should want a letter taken to any one, whatever he may say to the contrary, you'll send it on to Saffron Hill-eh? Understand? He may be injuring himself, you know; and old Quirk with one hand clasped the huge arm of Grasp in a familiar way, and with the forefinger of the other touched his own nose, and then winked his eye.

"All right!" quoth Grasp, and they parted. Within a very few hours' time Mr Quirk received, by the hand of a trusty messenger. from Grasp, a letter written by Steggars to Mr Parkinson; a long and eloquent letter, to the purport and effect which Steg.

gars had intimated. Mr Quirk read it with much satisfaction, for it disclosed a truly penitent feeling, and a desire to undo as much mischief as the writer had done. He (Mr Quirk) was not in the least exasperated by certain very plain terms in which his own name was mentioned; but, making all due allowances, quietly put the letter in the fire as soon as he had read it. In due time Mr Steggars, whose health had suffered from close confinement, caught frequent whiffs of the fresh sea-breeze, having set out, under most favourable auspices, for Botany Bay; to which distant but happy place, he had been thus fortunate in securing, so early, an appointment for life.

Such, then, were the cruel means by which Mr Quirk became acquainted with the exact state of Mr Aubrey's title: on first becoming apprised of which Mr Gammon either felt, or affected, great repugnance to taking any part in the affair. He was at length, however, over-persuaded by Quirk into acquiescence; and, that point gained, worked his materials with a caution, skill, energy, and perseverance, which soon led to important results. Guided by the suggestions of acute and experienced counsel, after much pains and considerable expense, they succeeded in discovering that delectable specimen of humanity, Tittlebat Titmouse, who hath already figured so prominently in this history. When they came to set down on paper the result of all their researches and enquiries, in order to submit it in the shape of a case for the opinion of Mr Mortmain and Mr Frankpledge, in the manner which has been already described, it looked perfect on paper, as many a faulty pedigree and abstract of title had looked before, and will yet look. It was quite possible for even Mr Tresayle himself to overlook the defect which had been pointed out by Mr Subtle. That which is stated to a conveyancer as a fact-any particular event, for instance, as of a death, a birth, or a marriage, at a particular time, which the very nature of the case renders highly probable-he may easily assume to be so. But when the same statement comes under the acute and experienced eye of a nisi prius lawyer, who knows that he will have to prove his case, step by step, the aspect of things is soon changed. The first practitioner at the common law

before whom the case came, in its roughest and earliest form, in order that he might "lick it into shape," and " advise generally" preparatory to its "being laid before counsel," was Mr Traverse, a young pleader, whom Messrs Quirk and Gammon were disposed to take by the hand. He wrote a very showy, but superficial and delusive opinion; and put the intended protegé of his clients, as it were by a kind of hop, step, and jump, into possession of the Yatton estates. Quirk was quite delighted on reading it; but Gammon shook his head with a somewhat sarcastic smile, and said he would at once prepare a case for the opinion of Mr Lynx, whom he had pitched upon as the junior counsel in any proceedings which might be instituted in a court of law. Lynx (of whom I shall speak hereafter) was an experienced, hard-headed, vigilant, and accurate lawyer; the very man for such a case, requiring, as it did, most pa

(Dreddlington.)

tient and minute examination, With an eye fitted

"To inspect a mite, not comprehend the heaven,"

he crawled, as it were, over a case; and thus, like as one can imagine that a beetle creeping over the floor of St Paul's would detect minute flaws and fissures that would be invisible to the eye of Sir Christopher Wren himself, spied out defects that much nobler optics would have overlooked. Το come to plain matter-of-fact, however, I have beside me the original opinion written by Mr Lynx ; and shall treat the reader to a taste of it-giving him sufficient to enable him to appreciate the ticklish position of affairs with Mr Titmouse. To make it not altogether unintelligible, let us suppose the state of the pedigree to be something like this (as far as concerns our present purpose) :

them defective "because," saith a very learned sergeant, who hath writ a text-book upon the Action of Ejectment, "the plaintiff in an action of ejectment must recover upon the strength of his own title, not the weakness of his adversary's."

Now, things standing thus, behold the astute Lynx ynx advising ady (inter alia) in manner following; that is to

" It appears clear that the lessor of the plaintiff (i. e. Tittlebat Titmouse) will be able to prove that Dreddlington (the common ancestor was seised of the estate at Yatton in the year 1740; that he had two sons, Harry

willing I was to take advantage of the villany-hem"

"Gammon, Gammon, you're always harking back to that I'm tired of hearing on't."

"Well, now we're in it, I don't see why we should allow ourselves to be baffled by trifles. The plain question is, undoubtedly, whether we are to stand still, or go on." Mr Quirk gazed at Mr Gammon with an anxious and puzzled look.

"How d'ye make out in a legal way, you know, Gammon-when a man died-I mean, of a natural death?" enquired Quirk, who was familiar enough with the means of proving the exact hour of certain violent deaths at Debtor's Door.

"Oh! there are various methods of doing so, my dear sir," replied Gammon, carelessly. "Entries in family bibles and prayer-books, registers, tombstones - ay, by the way, an old tombstone," continued Gammon, musingly, "that would settle the business!"

"An old tombstone!" echoed Quirk, briskly. "Lord, Gammon, so it would! That's an idea-I call that a decided idea, Gammon. 'Twould be the very thing!"

"The very thing!" repeated Gammon, pointedly. They remained silent for some moments.

"Snap could not have looked about him sharply enough, when he was down at Yatton!" at length observed Quirk, in a low tone, flushing all over as he uttered the last words, and felt Gammon's cold grey eye settled on him like that of a snake.

"He could not, indeed, my dear sir," replied Gammon, while Quirk continued gazing earnestly at him, now and then wriggling about in his chair, rubbing his chin, and drumming with his fingers on the table. "And now that you've suggested the thing, it's not to be wondered atyou know, it would have been an old tombstone-a sort of fragment of a tombstone, perhaps so deeply sunk in the ground, probably, as easily to have escaped observation, eh? Does not it strike you so, Mr Quirk?" All this was said by Gammon in a musing manner, and in a very low tone of voice; and he was delighted to find his words sinking into the eager mind of his companion.

"Ah, Gammon!" exclaimed Quirk,

with a sound of partly a sigh, and partly a whistle, (the former being the exponent of the true state of his feelings, i. e. anxiety-the latter of what he wished to appear the state of his feel ings, i. e. indifference.) "Yes, Mr Quirk?"

"You're a deep devil, Gammon-I will say that for you!" replied Quirk, glancing towards each door, and, as it were, unconsciously drawing his chair a little closer to that of Gammon.

"Nay, my dear sir!" said Gammon, with a deferential and deprecating smile, " you give me credit for an acuteness I feel I do not deserve! If, indeed, I had not had your sagacity to rely upon, ever since I have had the honour of being connected with you - ah, Mr Quirk, you know you lead-I follow "

"Gammon, Gammon! Comeyour name's Oily "

"In moments like these, Mr Quirk, I say nothing that I do not feel," interrupted Gammon, gravely, putting to his nose the least modicum of snuff which he could take with the tip of his finger out of the huge box of Mr Quirk, who, just then, was thrusting immense pinches every half minute up his nostrils.

"It will cost a great deal of money to find that same tombstone, Gammon!" said Quirk, in almost a whis. per, and paused, looking intently at Gammon.

"I think this is a different kind of snuff from that which you usually take, Mr Quirk, isn't it?" enquired Gammon, as he inserted the tips of his fingers into the box.

"The same-the same," replied Quirk, mechanically.

"You are a man better equal to serious emergencies than any man I ever came near," said Gammon; "I perceive that you have hit the nail on the head, as indeed you always do."

"Tut! Stuff, Gammon; you're every bit as good a hand as I am." Gammon smiled, shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders.

"'Tis that practical sagacity of yours," said Gammon-"you know it as well as I can tell you-that has raised you to your present professional eminence." He paused, and looked very sincerely at his senior partner. "Well, I must own I think I do know a trick or two."

"Ay, and further, there are some

clever men that can never keep their own counsel; but like a hen that has just laid an egg, and then goes foolishly cackling about every where, and then her egg is taken away."

"Ha, ha!" laughed Quirk; "that's devilish good, Gammon! - Capital! Gad, I think I see the hen! Ha, ha!" "Ha, ha!" echoed Gammon, gently. "But to be serious, Mr. Quirk; what I was going to say was, that I thoroughly appreciate your admirable caution in not confiding to any oneeven to me-the exact means by which you intend to extricate us from our present dilemma." Here Quirk got very fidgety.

"Hem! But-hem! Ay-a-a," he grunted, looking with an uneasy air at his calm astute companion; "I didn't mean so much as all that, either, Gammon; for two heads, in my opinion, are better than one. You must own that, Gammon!" said he, not at all relishing the heavy burden of responsibility which he felt that Gammon was about to devolve upon his (Quirk's) shoulders, exclusively.

"'Tis undoubtedly rather a serious business on which we are now entering," said Gammon; "and I have always admired a saying which you years ago told me of that great man Machiavel"

[Oh, Gammon! Gammon! You well knew that poor old Mr Quirk never heard of the name of that same Machiavel till this moment!)—

"That when great affairs are stirring, a master-move should be confined to the master-mind that projects it.' I understand! I see! I will not, therefore, enquire into the precise means by which you will make it appear, in due time, (while I am engaged getting up the subordinate, but very harassing details of the general case,) that Henry Dreddlington died before the 7th of August 1742." Here, taking out his watch,-" Bless me-two o'clock! I ought to have been at Messrs Gregson's a quarter of an hour ago."

"Stop-a moment or two can't signify! It-it," said Quirk hesitatingly, "it was you, wasn't it, that thought of the tombstone."

"I! My dear Mr Quirk"-interrupted Gammon, with a look of astonishment.

"Come, come - honour among thieves, you know, Gammon!" said Quirk, trying to laugh.

"No-it shall never be said that I attempted to take the credit of ". said Gammon; when a clerk, entering, put an end to the colloquy between the partners, each of whom, presently, was sitting alone in his own room-for Gammon found that he was too late to think of keeping his engagement with Messrs Gregson; if indeed he had ever made any, which he had not. Mr Quirk sate in a musing posture for nearly half an hour after he and Gammon had separated. "Gammon is a deep one! I'll be shot if ever there was his equal," said Quirk to himself, at length; and starting off his chair, with his hands crossed behind him, he walked softly to and fro. "I know what he's driving at though he thought I didn't! He'd let me scratch my hands in getting the blackberries, and then he'd come smiling in to eat 'em! Butshare and share alike-share profit, share danger, master Gammon ;you may find that Caleb Quirk is a match for Oily Gammon-I'll have you in for it, one way or another!" Here occurred a long pause in his thoughts. "Really I doubt the thing's growing unmanageable - the prize can't be worth the risk!-Risk, indeed-'fore Gad,-its neither more nor less than " Here a certain picture hanging, covered with black crape, in the drawing-room at Alibi House, seemed to have glided down from its station, and to stand before his eyes with the crape drawn asidea ghastly object-eugh! He shuddered, and involuntarily closed his eyes. "Devilish odd that I should just now have happened to think of it!" he inwardly exclaimed, sinking into his chair in a sort of cold sweat.

"D-n the picture!" at length he exclaimed, almost aloud, getting more and more flustered-" I'll burn it! It sha'n't disgrace my drawing-room any longer!" Here Quirk almost fancied that some busy little fiend sate squatting before the grisly picture, writing the words " CALEB QUIRK" at the bottom of it; and a sort of sickness came over him for a moment. Presently he started up, and took down one of several well-worn dingy-looking books that stood on the shelvesa volume of Burns' Justice. Resuming his seat, he put on his glasses, and with a little trepidation turned to the head "Forgery," and glanced over it.