Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/401

325 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 825

he had not found leisure since he left the court to make any alteration in his dress ; while the slovenly style of the remainder of his costurae warranted the inference that his personal appearance would not have been very much improved if he had. Books of practice, heaps of papers, and opened letters, were scattered over the table without any attempt at order or arrangement ; the furniture of the room was old and rickety; the doors of the book-case were rotting in their hinges; the dust flew out from the carpet in little clouds at every step ; the blinds were yellow with age and dirt ; and the state of every thing in the room showed, with a clearness not to be mistaken, that Mr. Serjeant Snubbin was far too much occupied with his professional pursuits to talie any great heed or regard of his personal comforts.

The Serjeant was writing when his clients entered ; he bowed abstract- edly when Mr. Pickwick was introduced by his solicitor ; and then, motioning them to a seat, put his pen carefully in the inkstand, nursed his left leg, and waited to be spoken to.

" Mr. Pickwick is the defendant in Bardell and Pickwick, Serjeant Snubbin," said Perker.

" I am retained in that, am I ? " said the Serjeant.

" You are. Sir," replied Perker.

The Serjeant nodded his head, and waited for something else.

"Mr. Pickwick was anxious to call upon you, Serjeant Snubbip." said Perker, " to state to you, before you entered upon the case, that he denies there being any ground or pretence whatever for the action against him ; and that unless he came into court with clean hands, and without the most conscientious conviction that he was right in resisting the plaintiff's demand, he would not be there at all. I believe I state your views correctly ; do I not, my dear Sir ?" said the little man, turning to Mr. Pickwick.

" Quite so," replied that gentleman.

Mr. Serjeant Snubbin unfolded his glasses, raised them to his eyes; and, after looking at Mr. Pickwick for a few seconds with great curiosity, turned to Mr. Perker, and said, smiling slightly as he spoke —

" Has Mr. Pickwick a strong case ? "

The attorney shrugged his shoulders.

" Do you purpose calling witnesses ? "

« No."

The smile on the Serjeant's countenance became more defined ; he rocked his leg with increased violence ; and, throwing himself back in his easy-chair, coughed dubiously.

These tokens of the Serjeant's presentiments on the subject, slight as they were, were not lost on ]Mr. Pickwick. He settled the spectacles, through which he had attentively regarded such demonstrations of the barrister's feeling as he had permitted himself to exhibit, more firmly on his nose ; and said with great energy, and in utter disregard of all Mr. Perker's admonitory winkings and frownings —

" My wishing to wait upon you for such a purpose as this, Sir, appears, I have no doubt, to a gentleman who sees so much of these matters as you must necessarily do, a very extraordinary circum- stance." B B 2