Children -- Death -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Farm life -- Juvenile fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
"Winthrop is good to hear," said Mr. Herder, "when you can
understand him. He knows how to speak. I can understand _him_ --
but I cannot understand Mr. Brick -- I cannot make nozing of
him when he speaks."
"What are they doing to-day, Mr. Herder?" said Elizabeth.
"It is the cause of my brother-in-law, Jean Lansing, against
Mr. Ryle, -- he thinks that Mr. Ryle has got some of his money,
and I think so too, and so Winthrop thinks; but nobody _knows_,
except Mr. Ryle -- he knows all of it. Winthrop has been asking
some questions about it, to Mr. Ryle and Mr. Brick" --
"When?"
"O a little while ago -- a few weeks; -- and they say no, -- they
do not choose to make answer to his questions. Now Winthrop is
going to see if the Chancellor will not make that they must
tell what he wants to know; and Mr. Brick will fight so hard
as he can not to tell. But Winthrop will get what he wants."
"How do you know, Mr. Herder?"
"He does, always."
"What does he want, Mr. Herder?" said Rose.
"It is my brother-in-law's business," said the naturalist. "He
wants to know if Mr. Ryle have not got a good deal of his
money someveres; and Mr. Ryle, he does not want to say nozing
about it; and Winthrop and Mr. Brick, they fight; and the
Chancellor he says, 'Mr. Landholm, you have the right; Mr
Brick, you do what he tell you.'"
"Then why isn't the cause ended?" said Elizabeth.
"Because we have not found out all yet; we are pushing them,
Mr. Ryle and Mr. Brick, leetle by leetle, into the corner; and
when we get 'em into the corner, then they will have to pay us
to get out."
"You seem very sure about it, Mr. Herder," said Rose.
"I do not know," said the naturalist. "I am not much afraid.
My friend Winthrop -- he knows what he is doing."
And to that gentleman the party presently gave their
attention; as also did the sturdy strong face of Mr. Justice
the Chancellor, and the extremely different physiognomy of Mr.
Dustus Brick.
Winthrop and Mr. Brick spoke alternately; and as this was the
case on each point, or question, -- as Mr. Herder called them,
-- and as one at least of the speakers was particularly clear
and happy in setting forth his meaning, the listeners were
kept from weariness and rewarded, those of them that had minds
for it, with some intellectual pleasure. It was pretty much on
this occasion as Mr. Herder had given the general course of
the suit to be; after every opening of a matter on Winthrop's
part, the Chancellor would say, very curtly,
"I allow that exception! Mr. Brick, what have you got to say?"
--
Mr. Brick generally had a good deal to say. He seemed to
multiply his defences in proportion to the little he had to
defend; in strong contrast to his antagonist's short, nervous,
home-thrust arguments. The Court generally seemed tired with
Mr. Brick.
"Oh that man! -- I wish he would stop!" said Rose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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