The Experiences of a Barrister, and Confessions of an Attorney

A busy London shop conceals a damaging breach of trust in the opening case of Samuel Warren's legal tales. James Harvey, a glover and haberdasher, discovers that his employee Cartwright has been stealing from him. After a flaw in the indictment leads to an acquittal, Cartwright turns his resentment against his former employer. Debt, anonymous letters and a planned departure for Boston draw Harvey and his family into further trouble.

The collection brings together English legal stories concerned with evidence, reputation, money and family disputes. Its contents range from contested marriages and settlements to insurance and forgery. In another passage, Arthur Rushton's determination to marry Mademoiselle de Tourville clashes with his mother's opposition, while a missing jewel-case raises fresh questions. Readers interested in early crime fiction can follow the ways private grievances become legal problems, with professional narrators tracing the circumstances behind an accusation.