Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 11.pdf/491

This page needs to be proofread.
456
The Green Bag.

overgrown lady with the four daughters and offices of the State." His uncle: "Pro the young dandy from the University, her fession, talents, offices of the State! Why, son, is Mrs. Kcwsy, the eminent barrister's do you think if you had been capable of lady, who would rather die than not be in rising at the bar, I would have taken so much the fashion. She has the peerage in her trouble about getting you the place? No, carpet bag, you may be sure; but she is sir, you are too fond of bed and tea-parties, altogether cut out by Mrs. Quod, the at and small talk and reading novels, and play torney's wife, whose carriage, with the ap ing the flute and writing sonnets. You would paratus of rumbles, dickeys, and imperials, no more rise at the bar, sir, than my mes scarcely yields in splendor to the Marquis of senger." So John gave up the bar, and Carabas's own chariot." On the other hand, settled down to work at the Tape and Seal Thackeray gives us in " The Book of Snobs" ing-wax office. Thackeray was fond of a very sympathetic portrait of a young bar hitting off the foibles of the Irish, and the rister in the person of Raymond Grey, Esq., speech of the Irish junior, Mr. Mulligan, in "an ingenuous youth without the least prac "Cox's Diary," is very humorous reading. tice," who lived in a very tiny mansion in a " Standing here upon the pidestal of secred very queer, small square in the airy neighbor Thamis — seeing around me the armymints hood of Gray's Inn, and who gave such an of a profession I rispect — having before me unconventional dinner to the great Goldmore. a vinnerable judge and an enlightened jury, As a result of this dinner. Grey began to get etc." His lordship tells him to keep to his on in the world, and shortly afterwards ap brief. Mr. Mulligan did; and for three peared before the Privy Council in the cele hours and a quarter, in a speech crammed brated case of Buckmuckjee-Bobbachee v. with Latin quotations and unsurpassed for eloquence, he explained the situation of me Ramchowder-Bahawder, when Lord Broug ham complimented him on his curious and and my family . . . the state of Ireland — the exact knowledge of the Sanscrit language. original and virtuous poverty of the Coxes — In the Bedford-row conspiracy we make from which he glanced passionately for a few the acquaintance of another young and brief minutes (until the judge stopped him) to the less barrister (Thackeray was fond of the poverty of his own country; my excellence type), John Perkins, Esq., of the Middle as a husband, father, landlord; my wife's as Temple. John was a connection of the house a wife, mother, landlady. This is excellent of Perkins, Scully, & Perkins, solicitors, Old- fooling, to be sure; but it is a little too ab borough, who managed to obtain all the surd, even for burlesque. business in that little town by cultivating No reference of any importance to law or both establishment and dissent, a manceuver lawyers is to be found in "Vanity Fair." that is repeated in almost every country When Rawdon Crawley became bankrupt town in England. John resided in the classic his wife settled his affairs herself. Mrs. vicinity of Bedford row, whence he would Crawley employed no lawyer in the trans wander forth o'nights to think of his little action . . . and Mr. Moss complimented the Lucy of Mecklenburg square, while the lady upon the brilliant way in which she did moonbeams slept softly upon the herbage of business, and declared that there was no Gray's Inn gardens, and bathed with silver professional man who could beat her. Then, splendor Theobald's row. John was opti of course, we have the well-known picture mistic. " I have talents, sir," he told his of Mr. Moss's sponging-house in Cursitor uncle, " which I hope to cultivate, and street, Chancery lane, where Rawdon Craw am a member of a profession by which a ley was confined for debt. In the " Newman may hope to rise to the very highest comes " our old friends Warrington and