"Mr. Ruck, sir," says I, "is the Tory solicitor, and Messrs. Hodge and Smithers the Liberals." I knew them very well, for the fact is, before Mary Smith came to live in our parts, I was rather partial to Miss Hodge, and her great gold-coloured ringlets; but Mary came and soon put HER nose out of joint, as the saying is.
"And you are of what politics?"
"Why, sir, we are Liberals." I was rather ashamed of this, for Mr.
Brough was an out-and-out Tory; but Hodge and Smithers is a most respectable firm. I brought up a packet from them to Hickson, Dixon, Paxton, and Jackson, OUR solicitors, who are their London correspondents.
Mr. Brough only said, "Oh, indeed!" and did not talk any further on the subject, but began admiring my diamond-pin very much.
"Titmarsh, my dear boy," says he, "I have a young lady at Fulham who is worth seeing, I assure you, and who has heard so much about you from her father (for I like you, my boy, I don't care to own it), that she is rather anxious to see you too. Suppose you come down to us for a week? Abednego will do your work.""Law, sir! you are very kind," says I.
"Well, you shall come down; and I hope you will like my claret.
But hark ye! I don't think, my dear fellow, you are quite smart enough--quite well enough dressed. Do you understand me?""I've my blue coat and brass buttons at home, sir.""What! that thing with the waist between your shoulders that you wore at Mrs. Brough's party?" (It WAS rather high-waisted, being made in the country two years before.) "No--no, that will never do. Get some new clothes, sir,--two new suits of clothes.""Sir!" says I, "I'm already, if the truth must be told, very short of money for this quarter, and can't afford myself a new suit for a long time to come.""Pooh, pooh! don't let that annoy you. Here's a ten-pound note--but no, on second thoughts, you may as well go to my tailor's.
I'll drive you down there: and never mind the bill, my good lad!"And drive me down he actually did, in his grand coach-and-four, to Mr. Von Stiltz, in Clifford Street, who took my measure, and sent me home two of the finest coats ever seen, a dress-coat and a frock, a velvet waist-coat, a silk ditto, and three pairs of pantaloons, of the most beautiful make. Brough told me to get some boots and pumps, and silk stockings for evenings; so that when the time came for me to go down to Fulham, I appeared as handsome as any young nobleman, and Gus said that "I looked, by Jingo, like a regular tip-top swell."In the meantime the following letter had been sent down to Hodge and Smithers:-"RAM ALLEY, CORNHILL, LONDON: July 1822.
"DEAR SIRS,[This part being on private affairs relative to the cases of Dixon v. Haggerstony, Snodgrass v. Rubbidge and another, I am not permitted to extract.]
"Likewise we beg to hand you a few more prospectuses of the Independent West Diddlesex Fire and Life Insurance Company, of which we have the honour to be the solicitors in London. We wrote to you last year, requesting you to accept the Slopperton and Somerset agency for the same, and have been expecting for some time back that either shares or assurances should be effected by you.
"The capital of the Company, as you know, is five millions sterling (say 5,000,000L.), and we are in a situation to offer more than the usual commission to our agents of the legal profession. We shall be happy to give a premium of 6 per cent. for shares to the amount of 1,000L., 6.5 per cent. above a thousand, to be paid immediately upon the taking of the shares.
"I am, dear Sirs, for self and partners, "Yours most faithfully, "SAMUEL JACKSON."This letter, as I have said, came into my hands some time afterwards. I knew nothing of it in the year 1822, when, in my new suit of clothes, I went down to pass a week at the Rookery, Fulham, residence of John Brough, Esquire, M.P.
