“A chop or steak at eight o’clock with a potato (boiled in its jacket) and a tumbler of toast-and-water; that’s my regular dinner; leaves me clear-headed and free for a couple of hours’ work at my briefs before I go to bed.  Except when kept down at House, rarely out of bed after eleven.  Up at five; cold bath; dry toast; hot milk; another grind at my briefs; ride down to Court; at it all day, with intervals for Abernethy biscuit when Court adjourns; and so the mill goes round.”

“Don’t you think,” said BOB REID, “it’s a little unprofessional of LOCKWOOD going into this Pickwick business?  The cases were never, that I know of, reported in the Law Journal.  Good fellow LOCKWOOD, but a little apt to stray outside the ropes.  Now he’s started lecturing, there’s no knowing how far he’ll go.  We may see him on the stage bowling BEERBOHM TREE out as Hamlet, or even with his face corked, dancing a breakdown at St. James’s Hall.  What does he want to go a-lecturing for?  Do you think he’ll draw?”

“Draw!” I cried.  “Why, he’s always drawing; he’s drawn for Punch.”  That shut up Master BOB.  When you want to hear disparaging remarks about a man, nothing like going to his bosom friend. Business done.—­Irish.

[Illustration:  “Monumental Suavity.”]

Thursday.—­Mr. G. in fine form to-night; delivered two speeches, each in highest form of Parliamentary Debate.  Infinite variety in manner.  Before dinner, Prince ARTHUR moved to take Morning Sittings on Tuesdays and Fridays for rest of Session.  That means virtual appropriation on very threshold of Session of time belonging to private Members.  They furious; Mr. G. in benignest mood; shocked, he must confess, at Prince ARTHUR’s unparalleled greed; but not disposed to turn a deaf ear to his importunity.  “If you’d make it Easter, now,” he said, with winning voice and manner, “limit the scope of resolution to that date, I’m not sure that I should feel disposed to say you nay.”

Prince ARTHUR jumped at proposal.  Sufficient unto Easter are the Morning Sittings thereof.  If he wanted more he could ask again.  Meanwhile he was in possession of what he wanted.

House looked on in amazement at this little scene.  Opposition expected Mr. G. would have thundered forth denunciations of Prince ARTHUR’s audacity.  Here he was making terms with the enemy; doing it all, too, with imposingly judicial manner that was irresistible.  Before House quite knew where it was, everything was settled.

“’Now I’m furnished, Now I’m furnished, for my flight’—­of oratory.”