280 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



despite allltvy refusals, went upstairs one night to the 

 foreirian printer (one Faunch, whom Legge will remember 

 in Whitehall Review days) with a letter from himself to the 

 paper, which he said was to go in among the paragraphs. 

 It was set up, and appeared next day between two para- 

 graphs, which I had numbered consecutively in the proof 

 slips, and, as the context showed, were intended to follow 

 one another : but there, between them, was this ridiculous 

 letter, attacking Legge. There was nothing in it really 

 except silly abuse, such as " Whitehall Jenkins of Egg 

 Shop and Servants' Hall Renown," but some lawyer 

 friends of Legge's seized on it and started an action for 

 libel against us. It goes without the saying that I got 

 rid of the sub-editor forthwith, and proposed to hold his 

 500 to abide the result of the action that had been brought 

 against us, but I suppose I never was enough of a lawyer 

 myself to understand that the common-sense course is 

 always incorrect. 



Mr Grantham, Q.C., declared that it would prejudice us 

 greatly in the trial if we had not repaid the sub-editor 

 his 500 when dismissing him. In vain I protested that 

 by paying him we should admit ourselves parties to his 

 offence. Mr Grantham, Q.C., was a great legal authority, 

 and I was not. So the 500 was disgorged. I use the 

 word advisedly and Mr Grantham had the brief for us 

 to defend the action. 



On the day of trial I was down at the Law Courts in 

 plenty of time, but there found that Mr Grantham had 

 settled it out of court on terms that we should pay 300 

 damages and costs ! 



No doubt the learned counsel acted for the best according 

 to his lights ; but Edmund Yates, against whom an action 

 for a vastly more offensive libel had been brought by the 

 same plaintiff, defended it shortly afterwards and got a 

 verdict. 



This was the most stupid legal case in which I was 

 ever engaged, though my sympathy, as regards the 

 merits of a really ridiculous offence; was wholly with the 



