He had not seen or heard from Messrs. Quirk or Gammon for nearly a fortnight; Snap he had not seen for nearly a week. At length he ventured to make his appearance at Saffron Hill, and was received with a startling coldness--a stern abruptness of manner--which frightened him out of his wits. All the three partners were alike--as for Snap, the contrast between his present and his former manner, was perfectly shocking: he seemed quite another person. The fact was, that the full statement of Titmouse's claims had been laid before Mr. Subtle, the leading counsel retained in his behalf, for his opinion on the case generally, before actually commencing proceedings; and the partners were indeed thunderstruck on receiving that opinion; for Mr. Subtle pointed out a radical deficiency of proof in a matter which, as soon as their attention was thus pointedly called to it, Messrs. Quirk and Gammon were amazed at their having overlooked, and still more at its having escaped the notice of Mr. Tresayle, Mr. Mortmain, and Mr. Frankpledge. Mr. Quirk hurried with the opinion to the first two of these gentlemen; and after a long interview with each, they owned their fears that Mr. Subtle was right, and that the defect seemed incurable; but they easily satisfied their agitated clients, that _they_--the aforesaid Messrs. Tresayle and Mortmain--had been guilty of neither oversight nor ignorance, inasmuch as the matter in question was one of _evidence_ only--one which a _nisi prius_ lawyer, with a full detail of "proofs" before him, could hardly fail to light upon--but which, it would be found, had been _assumed_, and _taken for granted_, in the cases laid before conveyancers. They promised, however, to turn it over in their minds, and to let Messrs. Quirk and Gammon know if anything occurred to vary their impression. A week elapsed, however, and Mr. Tresayle and Mr. Mortmain preserved an ominous silence. As for Frankpledge, he had a knack, somehow or another, of always coming to the conclusion wished and hoped for by his clients; and, after prodigious pains, he wrote a very long opinion, to show that there was nothing in the objection. Neither Mr. Quirk nor Mr. Gammon could understand the process by which Mr. Frankpledge arrived at such a result; but, in despair, they laid his opinion before Mr. Subtle, in the shape of a further "Case for his Opinion." It was in a few days' time returned to them, with only a line or two--thus:-- "I see no reason whatever to depart from the view I have already taken of this case.--J. S." Here was something like a dead lock, indeed! "We're _done_, Gammon!" said Quirk, with a dismayed air. Gammon seemed lost, and made no answer. "Does anything--eh?" quoth Quirk, with a troubled air. "_Any_thing occur to you? Gammon, I _will_ say this for you--you're a long-headed fellow!" Still Gammon spoke not. "Gammon! Gammon! I really believe--ah?--you--you--begin to see something--don't you?"