that to this circumstance may be attributed the vulgar but very

general notion of your being, as a body, suspicious, distrustful, and

over-cautious. Conscious as I am, sir, of the disadvantage of making

such a declaration to you, under such circumstances, I have come

here, because I wish you distinctly to understand, as my friend Mr

Perker has said, that I am innocent of the falsehood laid to my charge;

and although I am very well aware of the inestimable value of your

assistance, Sir, I must beg to add, that unless you sincerely believe

this, I would rather be deprived of the aid of your talents than have

the advantage of them.'

Long before the close of this address, which we are bound to say was

of a very prosy character for Mr Pickwick, the Serjeant had relapsed

into a state of abstraction. After some minutes, however, during which

he had reassumed his pen, he appeared to be again aware of the

presence of his clients; raising his head from the paper, he said,

rather snappishly -

Who is with me in this case?'

Mr Phunky, Serjeant Snubbin,' replied the attorney.

Phunky - Phunky,' said the Serjeant, 'I never heard the name before.

He must be a very young man.'

Yes, he is a very young man,' replied the attorney. 'He was only called

the other day. Let me see - he has not been at the Bar eight years yet.'

Ah, I thought not,' said the Serjeant, in that sort of pitying tone in

which ordinary folks would speak of a very helpless little child. 'Mr

Mallard, send round to Mr - Mr - ' 'Phunky's - Holborn Court, Gray's

Inn,' interposed Perker. (Holborn Court, by the bye, is South Square

now.) 'Mr Phunky, and say I should be glad if he'd step here, a

moment.'

Mr Mallard departed to execute his commission; and Serjeant

Snubbin relapsed into abstraction until Mr Phunky himself was

introduced.

Although an infant barrister, he was a full-grown man. He had a very

nervous manner, and a painful hesitation in his speech; it did not

appear to be a natural defect, but seemed rather the result of timidity,

arising from the consciousness of being 'kept down' by want of means,

or interest, or connection, or impudence, as the case might be. He was

overawed by the Serjeant, and profoundly courteous to the attorney.

'I have not had the pleasure of seeing you before, Mr Phunky,' said

Serjeant Snubbin, with haughty condescension.

The Pickwick Papers