240 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



Eonald, a bit rusty for want of practice — he had not held a 

 brief for three or four years past — spent the day or two pre- 

 ceding that on which the trial was to take place, in brushing 

 up his law at the Middle Temple Library and in picking up all 

 he could in the Courts themselves. Travers amused himself 

 by sauntering about the streets, looking in at the shop 

 windows, and buying several articles for wliich he had no 

 earthly use, with an occasional run in to Tattersall's and 

 Aldridge's on the sale days. Each night he went to some 

 Music Hall, ' seeing life,' as he called it. 



That curious expression ' seeing life ' — what absurd vagaries 

 it is held to excuse, and what weird ideas of its interpretation 

 some men have ! To the Travers type, the average ' Variety 

 Stage ' performer's doings represent ' life,' whilst quite a 

 large number are in the regular habit of what they call 

 ' seeing life ' through the bottom of a whisky-tumbler ! 



At length the eventful day, which was to witness the forensic 

 combat between the forces of the Turnovers and the Binkies, 

 arrived. Trousers lost himself five times between the entrance 

 to the Great Hall and Court 7, where Mr. -Justice Smotherum 

 would sit at half-past ten of the clock, in order to try the 

 important issue raised by Miss Tottie Turnover's case. 

 Finally, he gave himself into the custody of one of the 

 attendants, and was, by him, conducted to the door of the 

 Court and dexterously shot inside. He took a seat in the row 

 reserved for Q.C.'s ; and thence, being promptly fired out by 

 the usher, he drifted into the ' well,' and was charitably taken 

 charge of by Mr. Clutchcosts, who dumped him down in a 

 place at his side. 



A moment later, and the fair plaintiff, arrayed in a tartan 



