"I do, Mr. Nethercliffe; and if you are ready for the hole, tell me--were those six pieces of paper written by one hand at about the same time?" He examined them carefully, and after a considerable time answered: "No; they were written at different times and by different hands!" "By different persons, do you say?" "Yes, certainly!" "Now, Mr. Nethercliffe, you are in the hole! I wrote them myself this morning at this desk." He was a good deal disconcerted, not to say very angry, and I then began to ask him about his son. "You educated your son to your own profession, I believe, Mr. Nethercliffe?" "I did, sir; I hope there was no harm in that, Mr. Hawkins." "Not in the least; it is a lucrative profession. Was he a diligent student?" "He was." "And became as good an expert as his father, I hope?" "Even better, I should say, if possible." "I think you profess to be infallible, do you not?" "That is true, Mr. Hawkins, though I say it." "And your son, who, as you say, is even better than yourself, is he as infallible as you?" "Certainly, he ought to be. Why not?" Then I put this question; "Have you and your son been sometimes employed on opposite sides in a case?" "That is hardly a fair question, Mr. Hawkins." "Let me give you an instance: In Lady D----'s case, which has recently been tried, did not your son swear one way and you another?" He did not deny it, whereupon I added: "It seems strange that two infallibles should contradict one another?" The case was at an end. * * * * * One evening, after a good hard day's work, I was sitting in my easy-chair after dinner, comfortably enjoying myself, when a man, who was quite a respectable working man, came in. I had known him for a considerable time. "What's the matter, Jenkins?" I inquired, seeing he was somewhat troubled. "Well, Mr. Hawkins, it's a terrible job, this 'ere. I wants you to appear for me." "Where?" I inquired. "At Bow Street, Mr. Hawkins." "Bow Street! What have you been doing, Jenkins?" "Why, nothing, sir; but it's a put-up job. You knows my James, I dessay. Well, sir, that there boy, my son James, have been brought up, I might say, on the Church Catechism." "There's not much in that," I said, meaning nothing they could take him to Bow Street for. "Is that the charge against him?"