rabbit-hutches, while further back gaped a dirty closet. At the sound of
their steps the man they sought emerged, and Mahony could not repress an
exclamation of surprise. When, a little over a twelvemonth ago, he had
first had dealings with him, this Bolliver had been an alert and
respectable man of business. Now he was evidently on the downgrade; and
the cause of the deterioration was advertised in his bloodshot eyeballs
and veinous cheeks. Early as was the hour, he had already been
indulging: his breath puffed sour. Mahony prepared to state the object
of his visit in no uncertain terms. But his preliminaries were cut short
by a volley of abuse. The man accused him point-blank of having been
privy to the rascally drayman's fraud and of having hoped, by lying low,
to evade his liability. Mahony lost his temper, and vowed that he would
have Bolliver up for defamation of character. To which the latter
retorted that the first innings in a court of law would be his: he had
already put the matter in the hands of his attorney. This was the last
straw. Purdy had to intervene and get Mahony away. They left the agent
shaking his fist after them and cursing the bloody day on which he'd
ever been fool enough to do a deal with a bloody gentleman.

At the corner of the street the friends paused for a hasty conference.
Mahony was for marching off to take the best legal advice the city had
to offer. But Purdy disapproved. Why put himself to so much trouble,
when he had old Ocock's recommendation to his lawyer-son in his coat
pocket? What, in the name of Leary-cum-Fitz, was the sense of making an
enemy for life of the old man, his next-door neighbour, and a good
customer to boot?

These counsels prevailed, and they turned their steps towards Chancery
Lane, where was to be found every variety of legal practitioner from
barrister to scrivener. Having matched the house-number and descried the