Year: 1869

L regret to say that my story is OF the shop,
shOppy [ use the word regret advisedly,
weighed down by the melancholy reflection that
somehow or other, whenever | am called upon
to make myself agreeable and entertaining, |
always fly to professional sOurcesf for inspiration.
The only excuse | can offer upon the present
occasion is that this particular railway, con-
veying me as it does round curcuit twice year,
awakenS many "reminiscences, one of which,
connected with the Spring asszes at Reading
some years ago, comes back fUrclbly to my
mind.


1t was in the earlier days of my bar career,
and briefs were far from being as plentiful as
blackberries in autumn-in fact, | had begun
seriously to contemplate pawning my wig and
gown and emigrating with the proceeds to
British Columbia, or to some equally distant
and desolate locality. Fortunately for me and
society generally, which sooner or later must
recognize my distinguished merits by placing
me on the woolSack, | abandoned the idea of
British Columbia, and went to Reading a
benfcent fate rewarded me for my courage in
the shape of big brief with small fee, to de-
fend two men for coDspiring to cheat young
gentleman, with more money than brains, by
gambling with him, and using loaded dice. 1t
was a case that had excited good deal of in
terest in the neighbOrhOod, partly from the
very remarkable way in which the cheat had





be in the room where the play was going on,
and who, suspecting that all was not right, had
with large carving fork pinned the hand of
one of the cOnspiratOrs to the table. Under
it, sure enough, were found the loaded dice,
which he had manipulated up and down his
sleeve so skillfully that the verdant youth
found himself some five hundred pounds to the
bad AS counsel for the defendants the aspect
of the case was far from inviting, and as the
| uuh hn p1 M oh
ed, at looked uncommon fishy."


In that remark | entirely concurred, and
folded up the papers with hopeless sigh,
cursing the ill-luck that always brought me the
dead cases. In the present instance there
was little for me to do but to sit by and hold
my tOngue-a process, by the way, anything
but satisfactory to one fond of hearing the
sound of his own voice. Apart from profess
siOna regrets, | could not help feeling that this
precious pair of rascals thoroughly deserved all


they were likely to get, and the longer they


were shut up the better for the community al


large.


The trial came on in due course, and the two


prisoners were placed at the bar As | looked


at them Twas much struck by their gentle
manly appearance and dress, but then | re


membered that all that was part of the stock II


trade of persons of their class, and turning tt


my brief, prepared to do battle. AS this is bu
/; a subsidiary portion of my story, it is needles
for me to lnger over the details of the trial
They say that lucky fate often follows on tht
footsteps of rOgues, and in this instance, b.
: some objectionable carelessness on the part o
the constable, the loaded dice which had beel
i found under the hand of one of the prisoner
T were not forthcoming, and after great deal
: Wranging with the counsel on the other side
r the learned Judge said that the prosecution i
d not producing it had, in his opinion, failed t
e make out a sufficient case to go to the jury
e and that he must therefore direct verdict 10
y the acquital of the prisoners. They were a


much astonished and overpowered as myself b
9 the unexpected turn things had taken, an
ii with admirable celebrity disappeared from th
Ilc dock.


n Some four years afterwards / received a ver
,y pressing invitation from my old Elton frienC
(. Charlie Forester asking me to run down
ID his place in Devonshire and spend few day
T. there. Matter Charlie, whose lines had falle
i, in exceedingly pleasant places, and who ;


twenty-one had come into a very nice esta
Of and some five thousand pounds annually, att
d, tantalizing all the manageable girls in II
%o country by refusing to go to the balls and or
Pc PPe auet parties with invitations for which he VI
lie pertinaciously pestered from morning till nigh
y; had finally taken himself abroad, no one kne
ali whittier, and there remained between four al
or five years. When he returned home again
nd nd brought a wife with him, proceeding on h
ty part which excited general discomfort and dl
ss. 'Ss appreciation. But Charlie cared very lit
St, what the country folks thought about him. /
AN AN was passionately fond of his wife, and cons
BE- quently devoted to home, while ne occupied
glI II W"F t~' n 80 o.. on.