“Still, considering your beginning, and late appearance at the bar, Timms, you are doing pretty well. Do you lead in many trials at the circuit?” “That depends pretty much on age, you know, ’Squire. Gen’rally older lawyers are put into all my causes; but I have carried one or two through, on my own shoulders, and that by main strength too.” “It must have been by your facts, rather than by your law. The verdicts turned altogether on testimony, did they not?” “Pretty much—and _that_’s the sort of case _I_ like. A man can prepare his evidence beforehand, and make some calculations where it will land him; but, as for the law, I do not see that studying it as hard as I will, makes me much the wiser. A case is no sooner settled one way, by a judge in New York, than it is settled in another, in Pennsylvany or Virginny.” “And that, too, when courts were identical, and had a character! Now, we have eight Supreme Courts, and they are beginning to settle the law in eight different ways. Have you studied the Code pretty closely, Timms?” “Not I, sir. They tell me things will come round under it in time, and I try to be patient. There’s one thing about it that I _do_ like. It has taken all the Latin out of the law, which is a great help to us poor scholars.” “It has that advantage, I confess; and before it is done, it will take all the law out of the Latin. They tell me it was proposed to call the old process of ‘_ne exeat_’ a writ of ‘no go.’” “Well, to my mind, the last would be the best term of the two.” “Ay, to _your_ mind, it might, Timms. How do you like the fee-bills, and the new mode of obtaining your compensation?” “Capital! The more they change them matters, the deeper we’ll dig into ’em, ’Squire! I never knew reform help the great body of the community—all it favours is individdles.” “There is more truth in that, Timms, than you are probably aware of yourself. Reform, fully half the time, does no more than shift the pack-saddle from one set of shoulders to another. Nor do I believe much is gained by endeavouring to make law cheap. It were better for the community that it should be dear; though cases do occur in which its charges might amount to a denial of justice. It is to be regretted that the world oftener decides under the influence of exceptions, rather than under that of the rule. Besides, it is no easy matter to check the gains of a thousand or two of hungry attorneys.” “There you’re right, ’Squire, if you never hit the nail on the head before! But the new scheme is working well for _us_, and, in one sense, it may work well for the people. The compensation is the first thing thought of now; and when that is the case, the client stops to think. It isn’t every person that holds as large and as open a purse as our lady at Biberry!” “Ay, she continues to fee you, does she, Timms? Pray, how much has she given you altogether?”