But a change was to come suddenly over the spirit of his beautiful
dream, and which he foresaw not. Eventually Mr. Dickerson intrusted Mr.
McWatters with sundry collections. He found this branch of the business
unpleasant in its performance. His soft heart ached for the poor
debtors. He could not nerve himself to act the part of an extortioner.
When a poor widow, or orphans, or some discouraged man just arisen from
a sick bed, and in arrears for rent, etc., shed tears in reciting his
sufferings, Mr. McWatters forgot the lawyer in the humanitarian.
Finally, one day he was sent to collect a debt of a poor shoemaker, who
was barely able to get bread enough for himself and his family to
subsist upon. The laws of Pennsylvania exempt from civil process
certain portions of a housekeeper's furniture; but when contracting for
rent, the housekeeper may waive his right to such exemption, if he
likes. The poor shoemaker in question had done so; but in order to
distrain his goods for the debt,--in other words, to take away his very
bed, and other necessary furniture,--it was incumbent upon the officer
to get peaceable admittance into the house; and that he might do so in
this case, Mr. McWatters was sent forward to effect entrance as a
person seeking the shoemaker's service, while the constable had his
post at a corner near by, and was to rush in when the door should be
opened.
The whole thing was sickening to Mr. McWatters. He went, however, as
ordered, and rapped at the door, the officer watching at his post. For
a reason most creditable to Mr. McWatters' heart, but which may be left
here only to the reader's surmise, that door, which was unlocked when
he rapped, became duly locked, without the officer's being any the
wiser as to _how_ it was done, and entrance was not then effected.
This was the crowning grief to Mr. McWatters' disgust with the practice
of the law, and he quitted the further study of the "science" thereof,
feeling that he could never harden his heart to the practice of a
profession which often requires much of unscrupulousness of conscience
and such mercilessness. But his year's study became of great service to
him later in life, when called upon as a detective officer, or member
of the Metropolitan Police force, in sudden emergencies, when a
knowledge of the law in this or that particular was necessary for
judicious action.