My First Brief.

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 48, 1 June 1901, Page 19

My First Brief.

one of the Ben ships — excellent craft, sir, all clawed Al at Lloyd's. What was the consequence? "Sailors grew afraid of the line, and English ones flatly refused to join, so Mr. Ellis has had to employ Dutchmen, Swedes, and even Portuguese, thus adding greatly to the perils of navigation. But worse ' Shippers decline to ship by the line, except at greatly reduced rates, and the fair fame of the line seems irletnevably rumed." "But is the defendant worth " "Worth fighting? Of course he is. We show that he has been in partnership with Over ton, the man at Lloyd's, who has written every line he had offered by way of reinsurance by the Ben ships. The rates have been enormous, and Overton and young Leaver have made fortunes. We have experts to prove that the contents of the bottles were in his handwriting, the steward who saw him write some of them, the purser who saw him throw the bottles out of the portholes, and the clerk who overheard him make his terms with Overton." I agreed with him absolutely, and yet I hesitated. If I threw away this chance I might never have another, and this probably would make my fortune. Surely, Eugenia, whose common-sense is as remarkable as her uncommon income, would be the first to bid me accept this pregnant brief. Besides, I could plead in writing that it was for her sake that I accepted it. "Of course," he went on, unconsciously putting new temptations in my way, if you do your part to my satisfaction, I shan't forget you. And as to your letainer, suppose we &ay £20, and £5 a day, eh?" 'Can't you make it £40, and £10?" I asked. "No." He drew me a cheque for the money, and passed it to me with the brief. I wrote an admirable letter to Eugenia, stating that, regarding my mtere&ts now as hers, I dare not jeopardise them. This done, I sought the bank, entered it with dignity, saw the manager, paid in the cheque, and drew £10 on account. I rose betimes on Friday morning, took the tram to Richmond, and, after an hour's row on the river, I came back to town, and straight to court. I Avas hardly m my seat before "Ellis versus Leaver" was called. I rose, with my heart in my mouth, and cried, in a shrill falsetto "I appear for the plaintiff, my lord!" The burly form of Heavitree, Q.C, interposed itself between me and the judge. He turned round to me and muttered "Sit down, you young fool." Then pulling his gown over his shoulder with the practised ease of the much-em-ployed counsel, he said "I appear for the plaintiff, my lord." "My learned friend is mistaken, my lord. lam duly instructed by Mr. Ellershe, and " Heavitree pulled my brief out of my hand, and glanced at it. Then, seeing my consternation, he leaned back and whispered "You're been hoaxed. Whiteford and Saltoun are the solicitors, and it is a case of non-delivery of goods according to contract." How I found my way out of court I never knew , but when I was back in my chambers my senses had sufficiently returned to me to enable me to understand my letters. The first missive I opened was from the manager of the bank, enclosing the cheque, dishonoured, and marked, "Drawer not known." The next was, from Eugenia, and written in the third person. It expressed her regret that I had not offered some other excuse than the transparently false one that I, an unknown junior, had been chosen as chief counsel in an important commeicial case. It concluded with the heartsickening announcement of her engagement to Putson. Then I saw it all . It was that mean little bounder who had played this shameful prank on me, coming to my chambers in the disguise of a man he must have known I had never seen. I took a solemn vow to remove him from the face of the earth within the space of a year, and he has now but three weeks of life left to him. But the method of his removal has yet to be decided on. — "London Answers."