had insisted—quite unjustly—that he must have known from the first that my nobility was merely a brevet rank; and Miss Wee-Wee bade me farewell with a soft and perfectly ladylike cordiality, being too grieved by my departure to make any allusion to the head and front of my offending.
Now I am once more in London, paying daily visits of several hours to the office of my solicitor, in order to assist him in the preparation of my brief.
The other day. Baboo Jalpanybhoy and Baboo Chuckerbutty Ram attended for the purpose of arranging their evidence, when I regret to say the former made a rather paltry exhibition of himself, being declared by Mr Smartle himself to be totally incompetent to prove anything whatever material to the case, and I am therefore resolved to refuse him admission to the witness-box.
I am more hopeful of Mr Chuckerbutty Ram, who, I think, after diligent coaching from myself, may be induced to restrain his natural garrulity, and speak no more than is set down for him, which is simply that I have already, in his presence, contracted matrimony with a juvenile native, and that the laws of my country entitle me to marry several more.
This is in support of one of my most subtle pleadings of defence, to wit, that I have already offered to marry the plaintiff according to my
