His preliminary examination comes off to-morrow or next day, and I must be present as a matter of course." At an early hour of the morning succeeding this conversation, Mr.Stevens might have been seen in his dingy office, seated at a rickety desk which was covered with various little bundles, carefully tied with red tape.

The room was gloomy and cheerless, and had a mouldy disagreeable atmosphere.

A fire burned in the coal stove, which, however, seemed only to warm, but did not dry the apartment; and the windows were covered with a thin coating of vapour.
Mr.Stevens was busily engaged in writing, when hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and saw Mr.Egan, a friend of his client, entering the room.
"Good morning, Mr.Egan," said he, extending his hand; "how is our friend McCloskey this morning ?" "Oh, it's far down in the mouth he is, be jabers--the life a'most scared out of him!" "Tell him to keep up a good heart and not to be frightened at trifles," laughingly remarked Mr.Stevens.
"Can't your honour come and see him ?" asked Egan.
"I can't do that; but I'll give you a note to Constable Berry, and he will bring McCloskey in here as he takes him to court;" and Mr.Stevens immediately wrote the note, which Egan received and departed.
After the lapse of a few hours, McCloskey was brought by the accommodating constable to the office of Mr.Stevens.

"He'll be safe with you, I suppose, Stevens;" said the constable, "but then there is no harm in seeing for one's self that all's secure;" and thus speaking, he raised the window and looked into the yard below.

The height was too great for his prisoner to escape in that direction; then satisfying himself that the other door only opened into a closet, he retired, locking Mr.Stevens and his client in the room.
Mr.Stevens arose as soon as the door closed behind the constable, and stuffed a piece of damp sponge into the keyhole; he then returned and took a seat by his client.
"Now, McCloskey," said he, in a low tone, as he drew his chair closely in front of the prisoner, and fixed his keen grey eyes on him--"I've seen Whitticar.