"A tale is attached to Lockwood's first brief. It was on a petition to the Master of the Rolls for payment out of Court of a sum of money; and Lockwood appeared for an official liquidator of a company whose consent had to be obtained before the Court would part with the fund. Lockwood was instructed to consent, and his reward was to be three guineas on the brief and one guinea for consultation. The petition came on in due course before Lord Romilly, and was made plain to him by counsel for the petitioner, and still a little plainer by counsel for the principal respondent.
"Then up rose Lockwood, an imposing figure, and indicated his appearance in the case.
"'What brings you here?' said Lord Romilly, meaning, I presume, 'Why need I listen to you?'
"Lockwood looking puzzled, Lord Romilly added a little testily, 'What do you come here for?'
"The answer was immediate, unexpected, and, accompanied as it was by a dramatic glance at the outside of his brief, as if to refresh his memory, triumphant, 'Three and one, my lord!'"
"The following letter is to Mrs. Atkinson:
1 Hare Court, Temple, E.C., London. September 18, '72.
My Dear Loo,—I trust it is well with yourself, John, and the childer.... It is an off-day. We are resting on our legal oars after a prolonged and determined struggle yesterday. Know! that near our native hamlet is the level of Hatfield Chase, whereon are numerous drains. Our drain (speaking from the Corporation of Hatfield Chase point of view) we have stopped, for our own purposes. Consequently, the adjacent lands have been flooded, are flooded, and will continue to be flooded. The landed gentry wish us to remove our dam, saying that if we don't they won't be worth a d—n. We answer that we don't care a d—n.
This interesting case has been simmering in the law-courts since 1820. The landed gentry got a verdict in their favour at the last Lincoln Assizes, but find themselves little the better, as we have appealed, and our dam still reigns triumphant. Yesterday an application was made to the judge to order our dam to be removed. In the absence of Mellor, I donned my forensic armour and did battle for the Corporation. After two hours' hard fighting, we adjourned for a week; in the meantime the floods may rise, and the winds blow. The farmers yelled with rage when they heard that the dam had got a week's respite. I rather fancy that they will yell louder on Tuesday, as I hope to win another bloodless victory. It is a pretty wanton sport, the cream of the joke being that the dam is no good to us or to anybody else, and we have no real objection to urge against its removal, excepting that such a measure would be informal, and contrary to the law as laid down some hundred years ago by an old gentleman who never heard of a steam-engine, and who would have fainted at the sight of a telegraph post. As we have the most money on our side, I trust we shall win in the end. None of this useful substance, however, comes my way, as it is Mellor's work. But I hope to reap some advantage from it, both as to experience and introduction. I make no apology for troubling you with this long narration. I wish it to sink into your mind, and into that of your good husband. Let it be a warning to you and yours. And never by any chance become involved in any difficulties which will bring you into a court of law of higher jurisdiction than a police court. An occasional 'drunk and disorderly' will do you no harm, and only cost you 5s. Beyond a little indulgence of this kind—beware! In all probability I shall be in the North in a few weeks. Sessions commence next month. I will write to the Mum this week.—With best love to all, I am, Your affectionate brother,
Frank Lockwood."