Waterbuck, Q.C., had barely screwed round on his elbow to chat with
his Junior before Mr. Justice Bentham himself appeared--a thin, rather
hen-like man, with a little stoop, clean-shaven under his snowy wig.
Like all the rest of the court, Waterbuck rose, and remained on his
feet until the judge was seated. James rose but slightly; he was already
comfortable, and had no opinion of Bentham, having sat next but one to
him at dinner twice at the Bumley Tomms'. Bumley Tomm was rather a poor
thing, though he had been so successful. James himself had given him
his first brief. He was excited, too, for he had just found out that
Bosinney was not in court.
'Now, what's he mean by that?' he kept on thinking.
The case having been called on, Waterbuck, Q.C., pushing back his
papers, hitched his gown on his shoulder, and, with a semi-circular
look around him, like a man who is going to bat, arose and addressed the
Court.
The facts, he said, were not in dispute, and all that his Lordship
would be asked was to interpret the correspondence which had taken place
between his client and the defendant, an architect, with reference
to the decoration of a house. He would, however, submit that this
correspondence could only mean one very plain thing.
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