CHAPTER IX 



Lord Brampton (Sir Henry Hawkins) — Our Friendship — His 

 letter — A shooting incident at Beddington — The long-eared 

 parson — Shillelagh — His successes — Accident and death — I 

 sue the Railway Company — Mr. Hawkins against me — I win 

 once and lose twice — Hawkins on "The Claimant" — His 

 belief in him — His later opinion — A fortunate " get out " — 

 The Claimant sharpens a knife. 



In their professional capacity lawyers perhaps are 

 best avoided. At least, proverbial wisdom dating 

 back to antiquated times, and enforced by modern 

 precept, conveys the warning some by their neces- 

 sities cannot and others by their disposition will not 

 heed. For my part, I have a strenuous dislike of 

 law, and, on their social side, a great regard for 

 lawyers, or, at least, for those it has been my privilege 

 to know familiarly. One whose society was always 

 enjoyable in his unbending moments was Mr., after- 

 wards Sir, Henry Hawkins, now Lord Brampton. We 

 have met on the racecourse, in the shooting field, at 

 rooms where play ran high, though I never saw him 

 gamble ; and, unfortunately for myself, once as an 

 opposing counsel in the courts. The sternness that 



105 H 



