Charles Dickens

"I wonder what the foreman of the jury, whoever he'll be, has got for
breakfast," said Mr. Snodgrass, by way of keeping up a conversation on
the eventful morning of the fourteenth of February.

"Ah!" said Perker, "I hope he's got a good one."

"Why so?" inquired Mr. Pickwick.

"Highly important; very important, my dear sir," replied Perker. "A
good, contented, well-breakfasted juryman is a capital thing to get hold
of. Discontented or hungry jurymen, my dear sir, always find for the
plaintiff."

"Bless my heart," said Mr. Pickwick, looking very blank; "what do
they do that for?"

"Why, I don't know," replied the little man, coolly; "saves time, I
suppose. If it's near dinner-time, the foreman takes out his watch when
the jury has retired, and says, 'Dear me, gentlemen, ten minutes to
five, I declare! I dine at five, gentlemen.' 'So do I,' says everybody
else, except two men who ought to have dined at three, and seem more
than half disposed to stand out in consequence. The foreman smiles,
and puts up his watch--'Well, gentlemen, what do we say, plaintiff or
defendant, gentlemen? I rather think, so far as I am concerned, gentle-
men--I say, I rather think--but don't let that influence you--I rather
think the plaintiff's the man.' Upon this, two or three other men are
sure to say that they think so too--as of course they do; and then they
get on very unanimously and comfortably. Ten minutes past nine!" said

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