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552 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
The papers were superscribed, "In Parliament, Polwheedle and
Tredyddlum Railway. To support bill, Mr. Firmin ; retainer, five
guineas ; brief, fifty guineas ; consultation, five guineas. With you,
Mr. Armstrong, Sir J. Whitworth, Mr. Pinkerton." Here was a
wonder of wonders ! A shower of gold was poured out on my friend.
A light dawned upon me. The proposed bill was for a Cornish
line. Our friend Tregarvan was concerned in it, the line passing
through his property, and my wife had canvassed him privately,
and by her wheedling and blandishments had persuaded Tregarvan
to use his interest with the agents and get Philip this welcome aid.
Philip eyed the paper with a queer expression. He handled it
as some men handle a baby. He looked as if he did not know
what to do with it, and as if he should like to drop it. I believe I
made some satirical remark to this effect as I looked at our friend
with his paper.
" He holds a child beautifully," said my wife with much enthusiasm
; "much better than some people who laugh at him."
" And he will hold this no doubt much to his credit. May this
be the father of many briefs. May you have bags full of them !"
Philip had all our good wishes. They did not cost much, or avail
much, but they were sincere. I know men who can't for the lives
of them give even that cheap coin of goodwill, but hate their
neighbours' prosperity, and are angry with them when they cease
to be dependent and poor.
We have said how Cassidy's astonished clerk had brought the
brief from chambers to Firmin at his lodgings, at Mrs. Brandon's in
Thornhaugh Street. Had a bailiff served him with a writ, Philip
could not have been more surprised, or in a greater tremor. A
brief? Grands Dieux! What was he to do with a brief? He
thought of going to bed, and being ill, or flying from home, country,
family. Brief? Charlotte, of course, seeing her husband alarmed,
began to quake too. Indeed, if his worship's finger aches, does not
her whole body suffer? But Charlotte's and Philip's constant
friend, the Little Sister, felt no such fear. " Now there's this opening,
you must take it, my dear," she said. "Suppose you don't
know much about law _________ " " Much ! nothing," interposed Philip.
" You might ask me to play the piano ; but as I never happened to
have learned ________ "
" La—don't tell me ! You mustn't show a faint heart. Take
the business, and do it as best you can. You'll do it better next
time, and next. The Bar's a gentleman's business. Don't I attend
a judge's lady, which I remember her with her first in a little bit
of a house in Bernard Street, Russell Square ; and now haven't I
been to her in Eaton Square, with a butler and two footmen, and