He was known to be the man for a lost cause; it was known he could extract testimony from a stone, and interest from a gold-mine; and his office was besieged in consequence by all that numerous class of persons who have still some reputation to lose, and find themselves upon the point of losing it; by those who have made undesirable acquaintances, who have mislaid a compromising correspondence, or who are blackmailed by their own butlers.

In private life Michael was a man of pleasure; but it was thought his dire experience at the office had gone far to sober him, and it was known that (in the matter of investments) he preferred the solid to the brilliant.

What was yet more to the purpose, he had been all his life a consistent scoffer at the Finsbury tontine.
It was therefore with little fear for the result that Morris presented himself before his cousin, and proceeded feverishly to set forth his scheme.

For near upon a quarter of an hour the lawyer suffered him to dwell upon its manifest advantages uninterrupted.

Then Michael rose from his seat, and, ringing for his clerk, uttered a single clause: 'It won't do, Morris.' It was in vain that the leather merchant pleaded and reasoned, and returned day after day to plead and reason.