 in England might have two solicitors, or more. I
told him he might have a dozen if he wished, but that it would not be wise to
have more than one solicitor engaged in one transaction, as only one could act
at a time, and that to change would be certain to militate against his interest.
He seemed thoroughly to understand, and went on to ask if there would be any
practical difficulty in having one man to attend, say, to banking, and another
to look after shipping, in case local help were needed in a place far from the
home of the banking solicitor. I asked him to explain more fully, so that I
might not by any chance mislead him, so he said: -
    »I shall illustrate. Your friend and mine, Mr. Peter Hawkins, from under the
shadow of your beautiful cathedral at Exeter, which is far from London, buys for
me through your good self my place at London. Good! Now here let me say frankly,
lest you should think it strange that I have sought the services of one so far
off from London instead of someone resident there, that my motive was that no
local interest might be served save my wish only; and as one of London resident
might, perhaps, have some purpose of himself or friend to serve I went thus
afield to seek my agent, whose labours should be only to my interest. Now,
suppose I, who have much of affairs, wish to ship goods, say, to Newcastle, or
Durham, or Harwich, or Dover, might it not be that it could with more ease be
done by consigning to one in these ports?« I answered that certainly it would be
most easy, but that we solicitors had a system of agency one for the other, so
that local work could be done locally on instruction from any solicitor, so that
the client, simply placing himself in the hands of one man, could have his
wishes carried out by him without further trouble.
    »But,« said he, »I could be at liberty to direct myself. Is it not so?«
    »Of course,« I replied; »and such is often done by men of business, who do
not like the whole of their affairs to be known by any one person.«
    »Good!« he said, and then went on to ask about the means of making
consignments and the forms to be gone through, and of all sorts of difficulties
which might arise, but by forethought could be guarded against. I explained all
these things to him
