For a time, it had appeared that King's Bench would uphold the verdict and Lewrie would be doing a "Newgate Hornpipe," but for the intercession of Rev. William Wilberforce and his Abolition Society, who had taken the case as a "Holy Cause," gotten him a wily young barrister to defend him, and paid for his legal fees; shouted Abolition to the rafters of the House of Commons daily, and had flooded all London, all the British Isles, with tracts to keep the pot boiling, and the Cause advanced… embarrassing as all that notoriety was to Lewrie.

Now, here he was, about to enter a court of law to hear what Lord Justice Oglethorpe of King's Bench thought of that trial in absentia, and the conflicting evidence that Lewrie's barrister had presented in reply. Free of well-wishers and glad-handers at last, at the doors to the Old Bailey at last, Lewrie turned to the crowd and waved his hat, plastering a broad grin on his phyz that he most definitely did not feel, and went inside. No matter what transpired in the next few hours-and most trials in England barely lasted more than four)-at least he might be warm again.

CHAPTER TWO

The outer halls of the building were just as thronged as those icy steps, though the "ton" of the crowd inside was considerably higher, and better known to Lewrie. There was his brother-in-law, Major Burgess Chiswick, the beautiful young lady to whom he was but lately affianced, Mistress Theodora Trencher, and her wealthy Abolitionist parents. His fond supporter and patron since ' 96 in the Adriatic, Sir Malcolm Shockley, of the Midlands coal and iron fortune, was there with the earnest young Sir Samuel Whitbread, he of the beer fortune, and one of the new "Progressives" in Commons with Sir Malcolm. There was his old schooldays chum, Lord Peter Rushton, and by his side stood "too clever by half" Clotworthy Chute, a trimmer and "Captain Sharp" who specialised in separating newcome heirs down to London from some of the wealth by playing guide to all things Fashionable. Despite that stern majesty of the Law, the both of them, and the lovely ladies by their side, hooted, huzzahed, and stuck their fingers in their mouths to make shrill whistling noises, cackling away like loons, and waving at him… which only encouraged even the haughtiest to follow suit.



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