"Yes, certainly. Say, with pleasure." Left alone again, Arthur ejaculated "Splendid!" Sir Christopher had seen the report in the paper! He read the law reports, of course. A thought crossed Arthur's mind—would they read the law reports at Hilsey? They might not have kept their eye on his case. He folded up the paper and put it carefully in the little bag which he was now in the habit of carrying to and fro between his lodgings and his chambers.
Sir Christopher was jubilant over the report. "A feather in your cap to get that out of Leonard—a crusty old dog, but a deuced fine lawyer!" he said. But the news of the case from the Great Southern Railway Company meant yet more to him. "If they take you up, they can see you through, Arthur."
"If I don't make a fool of myself," Arthur put in.
"Oh, they'll expect you to do that once or twice. Don't be frightened. The dog of yours is a lucky dog, eh? All you've got to do now is to take things quietly, and not fret. Remember that only one side can win, and it's not to be expected that you'll be on the right side always. I think you'll be done over the dog even, in the end, you know."
"Not I!" cried Arthur indignantly. "That Harrogate cur's not our dog, sir."
"Human justice is fallible," laughed the old man. "Anyhow it's a good sporting case. And what are you going to do with yourself now?"
"I'm off to Hilsey for a fortnight's holiday. Going at four o'clock."
"Losing no time," Sir Christopher remarked with a smile.
"Well, it's jolly in the country in the spring, isn't it?" Arthur asked, rather defensively.
"Yes, it's jolly in the spring—jolly anywhere in the spring, Arthur."