242 OCCASIONAL HAPPY THOUGHTS. 



his attitude of attention, as much as to intimate that he'll 

 just give him one more chance, and see what he's driving 

 at—" of trespass, which is of great immediate interest to 

 the persons concerned, and to the public in general" — 

 movement of impatience on the part of Mr. Sharply — " and 

 I should say that in this case" — Mr. Sharply refers to his 

 watch — " I am the complainaint and the solicitor." ]\Ir. 

 Sharply all attention again. Man with Bag continues, evi- 

 dently aware that the thread of his discourse may be snipped 

 at any moment — " The ground landlord of Number Two, 

 Fuller's Gardens, received the sum of ten shillings and six- 

 pence previous to his bankruptcy, and" — here he warms 

 with his subject, and addresses the Magistrate with that air 

 of forcible conviction which should characterise a man who 

 has thoroughly mastered the dates and facts of his case " on 

 the second of June^ in the year eighteen hundred and sixty- 

 seven " 



" O, I can't listen to this," exclaims Mr. Sharply, shaking 

 his head, as energetically as if he had just come up again 

 after a dive, " Call the next case." 



" But, Sir," says the Man with the Bag, appealingly. Mr. 

 Sharply is down on him, furiously. " Don't bawl at me, 

 Sir. Good gracious ! it is to be a question whether you 

 are to be heard, or I ? No, Sir," seeing the man beginning 

 again, " I won't have it. Go away. Sir. Here ! " (to 

 Wavering Policeman.) "Remove that person. Now, call 

 the next case." 



The " person " doesn't wait to be removed, but removes 

 himself, bag and all, and retires, explaining his case to the 



