(_A STORY OF THE LAW._)
I always liked LAWRENCE LUCKAPENNY, and shall never forget the first
time I met him. He was leaving the County Court, where I had had
myself a small matter of business, and knowing the same Counsel, we
foregathered. He was in great spirits. He had just won his case.
"Yes," said he, "it was a hard fight, but we came off all right. His
Honour was distinctly in our favour, so now I and my co-trustees will
have the satisfaction of feeling that the estate has benefited, with
no greater loss than a few months' delay. Eh?" and he turned to our
Counsel, who smiled, and shook his head a little doubtfully.
"Can scarcely go so far as that," the man of law observed. "You see,
these matters take time, and the other side may appeal."
"Appeal! What is that?"
"I am afraid you will have the full opportunity for learning, my dear
fellow."
"Well, it's all right up to now," cried LUCKAPENNY, cheerfully, and we
separated.
Two or three years after this I again met the litigant, but this time
in the Royal Courts of Justice. There were streaks of white in his
hair, but he was still cheerful.
I asked him how he was getting on with the matter, and he replied,
"As well as might be expected." Our Counsel had been right, for the
liquidators had appealed.
"But we have beaten them again, my dear Sir! Think of that,--beaten
them again!"
"And now you will have no further difficulty, I suppose."
"I can't go quite so far as that," returned LUCKAPENNY, who I noticed
was adopting legal phraseology. "You know they may take us up to the
House of Lords, if they please!"
And again time went on. In the course of years I found that poor
LUCKAPENNY _had_ been taken to Westminster, and their Lordships had
decided to give themselves time to consider their judgment.
When I met LUCKAPENNY again, the House of Lords had decided against
him.
"It is very awkward," he observed, "they will not allow my costs, and
so I shall have to pay them out of my own pocket! And what makes it
the more annoying is that, even had we won our cause, it would
have led to nothing, as the estate we were fighting is practically
bankrupt."