'Here are them two lawyers a-coming, Mister!' said Clemency, in a
tone of no very great good-will.
'Ah!' cried the Doctor, advancing to the gate to meet them. 'Good
morning, good morning! Grace, my dear! Marion! Here are Messrs.
Snitchey and Craggs. Where's Alfred!'
'He'll be back directly, father, no doubt,' said Grace. 'He had so
much to do this morning in his preparations for departure, that he
was up and out by daybreak. Good morning, gentlemen.'
'Ladies!' said Mr. Snitchey, 'for Self and Craggs,' who bowed,
'good morning! Miss,' to Marion, 'I kiss your hand.' Which he
did. 'And I wish you' - which he might or might not, for he didn't
look, at first sight, like a gentleman troubled with many warm
outpourings of soul, in behalf of other people, 'a hundred happy
returns of this auspicious day.'
'Ha ha ha!' laughed the Doctor thoughtfully, with his hands in his
pockets. 'The great farce in a hundred acts!'
'You wouldn't, I am sure,' said Mr. Snitchey, standing a small
professional blue bag against one leg of the table, 'cut the great
farce short for this actress, at all events, Doctor Jeddler.'
'No,' returned the Doctor. 'God forbid! May she live to laugh at
it, as long as she CAN laugh, and then say, with the French wit,
"The farce is ended; draw the curtain."'
'The French wit,' said Mr.
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