Orley Farm

ld he have persuaded Mr. Mason to throw over Messrs. Round and Crook, and put himself altogether into the hands of his new adviser; but this had been too much to expect. He had not expected it

rrounded the names of the great London firm. He would now go to that firm and make his terms with them. Th

aiter had asked, doubtingly. Mr. Dockwrath had answered boldly in the affirmative, whereat Mr. Moulder had growled; but Mr. Kantwise had expressed satisfaction. "We shall be extremely happy to enjoy your company," Mr. Kantwise had said, with a graceful bow, making up by his excessive courtesy for the want of any courtesy on the part of his

et of the metallic furniture; and when he again met him in the commercial room he asked after his success. "A wonderful

e least, Mr

et, even in Yorkshire;" and Mr. Kantwise looked at his new friend over his shoulder, and s

e you much to e

asure in starving a Christian; I do indeed. I'll tell you what she has done; she has made me put her up a

you part with

ring me, till I didn't know where I was. She wanted them as a present for

ockwrath, thinking that it might be as well to remember th

kwrath; I must admit they was s

f that table was such that he could stand on it for ever without injury to it; but nevertheless, in some other way it had become strained, and t

goods, for Brown Brothers, of Snow Hill," and so on through the whole fraternity. Each member bowed as his name was mentioned; but they did not do so very graciously, as Mr. Kantwise was not a great man among them. Had the stranger been introduced to them by Moulder,-Moulder the patriarch,-his reception among them would have been much warmer. And then they sat down to dinner, Mr. Moulder taking the chair as president, and Mr. Kantwise sitting opposite to him, as being the longest sojourner at the inn. Mr. Dockwrath sat at the right hand of Kantwise, discreetly avoiding the neighbourhood of Moulder, and the others ranged themselves according to fancy at the table. "Come u

Mr. Kantwise was almost subservient in his attention. Mr. Dockwrath thought that he had certainly done right in coming to the commercial table, and resolved on doing so on all occasions of future journeys. So far all was good. The commercial di

portant order into that functionary's ears. The functionary bowed, retired from the room, and reappeared again in two minutes, bearing a

ith you, sir," and the president, to give more importance to the occasion, put down his knife and fork, leaned bac

hat evening by the seven commercial gentlemen at the table, and he knew well that commercial gentlemen do sometimes call for bottle after bottle with a reckless disregard of expense. But to him, with his sixteen children, wine at an

e to my dinner." Whereupon Mr. Moulder bowed his head very solemn

r. Dockwrath's ear; but Mr. Dockwrath pretended not to hea

ked before that I don't drink wine to my dinner," he said; and then the three at the president's end of the table all looked at each other very solemnly, and

the conviviality; and then the cloth was drawn, and the decanters were put before the president. "James, bring me a litt

orian voice, "James, the dinner bill." "Yes, sir," said the waiter, and disappeared

ifted his glass of port up to the light, shut one eye as he looked at it, and immediately swallowed the contents as though he were taking a dose of physic. "I'm afraid they'll charge you for th

he paper in his hand. "The old ticket I suppose; five bob a head." And then he read out the bill, the total of which, wine and beer included, came to forty shillings. "Five shillings a head, gentlemen, as I said.

the bar," said Kantwise, appealing to Dockwrath,

his troubles will be over. If there's to be any fuss about it, let's have it out. I like to see th

hange," said Kantwise, stil

s. But the money was forthcoming out of Mr. Kantwise's own proper repositori

ommercial rooms, sir, as no doubt you must be well aware, seeing that you have done us the honour of joining us here, the dinner bill is divided equally among all the gentlemen as sit down. It's the rule of the room, sir. You

all commercial rooms as I

concerned he would have done so; but his legal mind could not bear to be beaten. The spirit of litigation within him told him that the point was to be carried. Moulder, Gape, and Snengkeld together could not make him pay for wine he had neither ordered nor

efuse to abide by the rules of the room?" And Mr. Moulder spoke and looked as though he thought that such treachery must certainly lead to most disas

Mr. Dockwrath, compressing his lips, leaning back in hi

Kantwise, "I must acknowledge that; and as for orderi

yes steadfastly upon his Vice. "Kantwise, that

le. I say that the gentleman did not drink the wine, and I appeal to the gentleman who sits at the gentleman's right, whether what

hus brought into the controversy. He was a young man just c

ned the honour when proposed, which I don't know that I ever saw a gentleman do at a commercial table till this day, barring that he

growled Snengkeld, almo

ered by the president or chairman, and is paid for in equal proportions by the company or guests," and in his oratory Mr. Gape laid gr

oulder interrupted him. "You had better pay your five shillings

ckwrath, "but I must decline to acknowledg

ter settle it among us; anything is better than a row." Johnson from Sheffield w

is not better than a row. A premeditated infr

ed?" said Kantwise. "I

editated, and I

mmon like it,"

id Gape, "who does not

and we'll soon bring this to an end. Mr.-; I hav

kwrath, and I a

od enough to tell us, Mr. Solicitor-for I didn't just catch your name, except that it

" said Kantwise, hold

pe, who had a true Englishman's notion that

gentleman because he has h

ise added a little "hear-hear!" of his own, of which Mr. Moulder did not quite approve. "Mr. Snengkeld and Mr. Gape, they're my old friends, and they knows me. And they knows the way of a commercial room-which some gentlemen don't seem as t

dy," said Dockwrath, "and I don't

to Mr. Crump, and I will request his attendance for five minutes;" and then James left the ro

pint of wine which Mr. Dockwrath

l Mr. Crump made his appearance; but the chairman whispered a private word or two to his friend Snengke

nt moment wore on it an innkeeper's smile. But it could also assume an innkeeper's frown, and on occasions did so-when bills were disputed, or unreasonable strangers thought that they knew the distance in posting miles round the nei

, "here has occurred a ver

nted me, and I can assure you, gentlemen, that I am extremely sorry that

Mr. Moulder, who was about to demand that Dock

ll tell you what is my suggestion. The gentleman here, who I understand is

to pay for drink that I didn't ord

ntlemen, to get out of the difficulty, we'll

him, will have to leave

p over to the coffee-room on the o

y seat here under such circ

lder. "Then you must

n that will make m

men; there is a difficulty, indeed," he said. "The fact is, the gentleman should not have

s. "So he did. Now he says as how he

ial lawyer," s

m, or I shall leave th

e. If Mr. Moulder would allow me to suggest that the commercial gentlemen should take their wine in the large drawing-room up st

er, for many years, and was aware that it would be a dangerous, and probably an expensive proceeding to thrust out the attorney by violence. "If the o

m as you don't choose to abide by the rules,"

opinion," s

id Johnson. "Tha

ferent," said Dockwrath;

lf a crown from his pocket and throwing it

Mr. Crump; and he very

ount for charity at

high, do it?" asked

own in it that I paid half a crown for a lawyer who couldn't afford to settle

drawing-room up stairs quite

r leader across the open passage of the gateway, in by the bar, and so up the chief staircase. Mr. Moulder walked slowly, bearing the bottle of port and his own glass,

hed out of the room, e

to E

tle accident," said Mr. Crump, as they wer

yer, eh, Crump?

y pound to me to lay a hand

er, as he calculated them, were against any profitable business being done with the attorney,

kwrath; and then the attorney spe