He was not only an auctioneer, but a land surveyor;
he also valued furniture, and when there were any houses to be let,
drew up agreements, made inventories, and had even been known to
prepare leases. There was always, therefore, a legal flavour about
him, and he prided himself on his distant professional relationship
to full-blown attorneyhood. It was tacitly understood in Cowfold
that his opinion in certain cases was at least equal to that of
Mortimer, Wake, Collins & Mortimer who acted as solicitors for half
the county. Mr. Scotton, too, represented Cowfold urban intelligence
as against agricultural rusticity; and another point in his favour
was, that he had an office--no shop--with a wire blind in the window
with the words, "Scotton, Land Agent, Auctioneer, and Appraiser,"
painted on it. On Mr. Broad's present appeal for his verdict put
himself in a meditative attitude, stretched out his legs to their
full length, threw his head back, took his lower lip in his left
hand, pulled up his legs again, bent forward, put his hands on his
knees, and looked sideways at Mr. Broad.
"I suppose that Mr. Allen and his son will have the charges
communicated to them, Mr.
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