Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/695

587 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 587

a ackerate judgment of anythin'," replied liis father; so dogmatically, that Sam did not attempt to controvert the position.

In pursuance of this notable resolution, the services of the mottled- faced gentleman and of two other very fat coachmen — selected by Mr. Weller, probably, with a view to their width and consequent wisdom — were put into requisition ; and this assistance having been secured, the party proceeded to the public-house in Portugal-street, whence a messenger was dispatched to the Insolvent Court over the way, requiring Mr. Solomon Pell's immediate attendance.

The messenger fortunately found Mr. Solomon Pell in court, regaling himself, business being rather slack, with a cold collation of an Abernethy biscuit and a saveloy. The message was no sooner whispered in his ear than he thrust them in his pocket among various professional documents, and hurried over the way with such alacrity that he reached the parlour before the messenger had even emancipated himself from the court.

" Gentlemen," said IIr. Pell, touching his hat, *^my service to you all. I don't say it to flatter you, gentlemen, but there are not five other men in the world that I'd have come out of that court for, to-day."

" So busy, eh ? " said Sam.

''Busy !" replied Pell j " I'm completely sewn up, as my friend the late Lord Chancellor many a time used to say to me, gentlemen, when he came out from hearing appeals in the House of Lords. Poor fellow ! he was very susceptible of fatigue ; he used to feel those appeals uncommonly. I actually thought more than once that he'd have sunk under them, I did indeed."

Here JMr. Pell shook his head, and paused ; upon which the elder Mr. Weller, nudging his neighbour, as begging him to mark the attorney's high connections, asked whether the duties in question produced any permanent ill effects on the constitution of his noble friend.

''I don't think he ever quite recovered them," replied Pell; "in fact I'm sure he never did. * Pell,' he used to say to me many a time, ' how the blazes you can stand the head-work you do, is a mystery to me.' — * Well,' I used to answer, '/hardly know how I do it, upon my life.' — ' Pell,' he'd add, sighing, and looking at me with a little envy — friendly envy, you know, gentlemen, mere friendly envy ; I never minded it — ' Pell, you're a wonder ; a wonder.' Ah ! you'd have liked him very much if you had known him, gentlemen. Bring me three penn'orth of rum, my dear."

Addressing this latter remark to the waitress in a tone of subdued grief, Mr. Pell sighed, looked at his shoes, and the ceiling ; and, the rum having by that time arrived, drank it up.

fessional man has no right to think of his private friendships when his legal assistance is wanted. By the bye, gentlemen, since I saw you here before, we have had to weep over a very melancholy occurrence."
 * ' However," said Pell, drawing a chair up to the table, " a pro-

Mr. Pell drew out a pocket-handkerchief when he came to the word