eight o'clock in the evening
Mortmain belonged to the old school -- Frankpledge steered by the new lights . The former could point to some forty cases in the Law Reports , which had been ruled in conformity with his previously given opinion , and some twenty which had been overruled thereby ; the latter gentleman , although he had been only five years in practice , had written an _ opinion _ which had led to a suit -- which had ended in a difference of opinion between the Court of King 's Bench and the Common Pleas ; the credit of having done which was , however , some time afterward , a little bit tarnished by the decision of a Court of Error , without hearing the other side , _ against _ the opinion of Mr. Frankpledge . But -- Mr. Frankpledge quoted _ so _ many cases , and went to the bottom of everything , and gave so much for his money -- and was _ so _ civil ! -- Well , the consultation came off , at length , at Mr. Mortmain 's chambers , at eight o'clock in the evening . A few minutes before that hour , Messrs. Quirk and Gammon were to be seen in the clerk 's room , in civil conversation with that prim functionary , who explained to them that _ he _ did all Mr. Mortmain 's drafting -- pupils were _ so _ idle ; that Mr. Mortmain did not score out much of what he -LRB- the aforesaid clerk -RRB- had drawn ; that he noted up Mr. Mortmain 's new cases for him in the reports , Mr. M. having so little time ; and that the other day the Vice-Chancellor called on Mr. Mortmain -- with several other matters of that sort , calculated to enhance the importance of Mr. Mortmain ; who , as the clerk was asking Mr. Gammon , in a good-natured way , how long Mr. Frankpledge had been in practice , and where his chambers were -- made his appearance , with a cheerful look and a bustling gait , having just walked down from his house in Queen 's Square , with a comfortable bottle of old port on board . Shortly afterwards Mr. Frankpledge arrived , followed by his little clerk , bending beneath two bags of books , -LRB- unconscious bearer of as much law as had well-nigh split thousands of learned heads , and broken tens of thousands of hearts , in the making of , being destined to have a similar but far greater effect in the applying of , -RRB- and the consultation began . As Frankpledge entered , he could not help casting a sheep 's eye towards a table that glistened with _ such _ an array of `` papers , '' -LRB- a tasteful arrangement of Mr. Mortmain 's clerk before every consultation ;-RRB- and down sat the two conveyancers and the two attorneys .