'No,' returned the Doctor. 'God forbid! May she live to guffaw 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,' exclaimed Mr. Snitchey, peeping sharply into his white bag, 'was wrong, Doctor Jeddler, and your philosophy is altogether wrong, depend upon it, as I have occasionally told you. Nothing serious in life! What do you call law?'

'A joke,' said in reply the Doctor.

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