professional blue bag against one leg of the table, 'cut the great
farce short for this actress, at all events, Doctor Jeddler.'

'No,' returned the Doctor. 'God forbid! May she live to laugh at
it, as long as she CAN laugh, and then say, with the French wit,
"The farce is ended; draw the curtain."'

'The French wit,' said Mr. Snitchey, peeping sharply into his blue
bag, 'was wrong, Doctor Jeddler, and your philosophy is altogether
wrong, depend upon it, as I have often told you. Nothing serious
in life! What do you call law?'

'A joke,' replied the Doctor.

'Did you ever go to law?' asked Mr. Snitchey, looking out of the
blue bag.

'Never,' returned the Doctor.

'If you ever do,' said Mr. Snitchey, 'perhaps you'll alter that
opinion.'

Craggs, who seemed to be represented by Snitchey, and to be
conscious of little or no separate existence or personal
individuality, offered a remark of his own in this place. It
involved the only idea of which he did not stand seized and
possessed in equal moieties with Snitchey; but, he had some
partners in it among the wise men of the world.

'It's made a great deal too easy,' said Mr. Craggs.