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The Green Bag
were slow to settle his bill of costs, "Mr. Jorkins was resolved to have it paid." And however painful these things might be (and always were) to the feel ings of Mr. Spenlow, Mr. Jorkins would have his bond. The heart and hand of the good angel Spenlow would have been always open, but for the restrain ing demon Jorkins. "As I have grown older," David comments, "I think I have had experience of some other houses doing business on the principle of Spenlow & Jorkins." David asks Mr. Spenlow one day what he considered the best sort of professional business. He replied, that a good case of a disputed will, where there was a neat little estate of thirty or forty thousand pounds, was perhaps the best of all. In such a case, he said, not only were there very pretty pick ings in the way of arguments at every stage of the proceedings, and mountains upon mountains of evidence on inter rogatory and counter-interrogatory (to say nothing of an appeal lying first to the delegates and then to the Lords); but the costs being pretty sure to come out of the estate at last, both sides went at it in a lively and spirited manner, and expense was no considera tion. You made a quiet little round game of it, among a family group, and you played it out at leisure. After David's aunt has lost her for tune, David goes to Spenlow to see if his articles can be cancelled and the unearned portion of the thousand pounds refunded to him. He explains the situation to Spenlow, how he really does not know where his means of subsistence are to come from, and how his aunt is penniless and must now depend upon him. All he can get from Spenlow is, "If it had been my lot to have my hands unfettered — if I had not a partner, Mr. Jorkins —"
Mr. Spenlow shook his head discouragingly. "Heaven forbid, Copperfield,that I should do any man an injustice; still less, Mr. Jorkins. But I know my partner, Copperfield. Mr. Jorkins is not a man to respond to a proposition of this peculiar nature. Mr. Jorkins is very difficult to move from the beaten track. You know what he is." David then goes upstairs to the "dingy little back-hole" and waits until Mr. Jorkins comes. He evidently astonishes that gentleman very much by making his appearance there. He states his case to Mr. Jorkins pretty much as he had stated it to Mr. Spenlow. "He said I should Object?" asked Mr. Jorkins. David was obliged to admit that Mr. Spenlow had considered it probable. "I am sorry to say, Mr. Copperfield, I can't advance your object," said Mr. Jorkins nervously. "The fact is —-but I have an appointment at the bank, if you will have the goodness to excuse me." With that he rose in a great hurry and was going out of the room, when David made bold to say that he feared, then, there was no way of arranging the matter. "No," said Mr. Jorkins, stopping at the door to shake his head. "Oh, no! I object, you know," which he said very rapidly, and went out. "You must be aware, Mr. Copperfield," he added, looking restlessly in at the door again, "if Mr. Spenlow objects —" "Personally, he does not object, sir," said David. "Oh, per sonally!" repeated Mr. Jorkins in an impatient manner. "I assure you, there's an objection, Mr. Copperfield. Hope less. What you wish to be done, can't be done. I — I really have got an appointment at the bank." With that he fairly ran away, and to the best of David's knowledge it was three days before he showed himself in the Commons again.
