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274 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
know," says Phil, " law is law; study is study. I must devote my
whole energies to my work—get up very early."
" Don't tire your eyes, my dear," interposes Mr. Philip's soft
judicious friend.
" There must be no trifling with work," says Philip, with awful
gravity. " There's Benton the Judge: Benton and Burbage, you
know."
" Oh, Benton and Burbage!" whispers the Little Sister, not a
little bewildered.
" How do you suppose he became a judge before forty ?"
" Before forty who ? Law bless me !"
"Before he was forty, Mrs. Carry. When he came to work,
he had his own way to make: just like me. He had a small
allowance from his father : that's not like me. He took chambers
in the Temple. He went to a pleader's office. He read fourteen,
fifteen hours every day. He dined on a cup of tea and a mutton
chop."
" La, bless me, child ! I wouldn't have you to do that, not
to be Lord Chamberlain—Chancellor what's his name? Destroy
your youth with reading, and your eyes, and go without your
dinner ? You're not used to that sort of thing, dear ; and it would
kill you !"
Philip smoothed his fair hair off his ample forehead, and nodded
his head, smiling sweetly. I think his inward monitor hinted to
him that there was not much danger of his killing himself by
overwork. " To succeed at the law, as in all other professions," he
continued, with much gravity, " requires the greatest perseverance,
and industry, and talent; and then, perhaps, you don't succeed.
Many have failed who have had all these qualities."
" But they haven't talents like my Philip, I know they haven't.
And I had to stand up in a court once, and was cross-examined by
a vulgar man before a horrid deaf old judge ; and I'm sure if your
lawyers are like them I don't wish you to succeed at all. And
now, look ! there's a nice loin of pork coming up. Pa loves roast
pork ; and you must come and have some with us ; and every day
and all days, my dear, I should like to see you seated there." And
the Little Sister frisked about here, and bustled there, and brought
a cunning bottle of wine from some corner, and made the boy
welcome. So that, you see, far from starving, he actually had two
dinners on that first day of his ruin.
Caroline consented to a compromise regarding the money, on
Philip's solemn vow and promise that she should be his banker
whenever necessity called. She rather desired his poverty for the
sake of its precious reward. She hid away a little bag of gold for