e been to be so cozened by a sharper!" Sowerby had by no
means expected this. He had always known that Robarts possessed what
he, Sowerby, would have called the spirit of a gentleman. He had
regarded him as a bold, open, generous fellow, able to take his own
part when called on to do so, and by no means disinclined to speak
his own mind; but he had not expected from him such a torrent of
indignation, or thought that he was capable of such a depth of anger.
"If you use such language as that, Robarts, I can only leave you."

"You are welcome. Go. You tell me that you are the messenger of these
men who intend to work nine hundred pounds out of me. You have done
your part in the plot, and have now brought their message. It seems
to me that you had better go back to them. As for me, I want my time
to prepare my wife for the destiny before her."

"Robarts, you will be sorry some day for the cruelty of your words."

"I wonder whether you will ever be sorry for the cruelty of your
doings, or whether these things are really a joke to you."

"I am at this moment a ruined man," said Sowerby. "Everything is
going from me,--my place in the world, the estate of my family, my
father's house, my seat in Parliament, the power of living among my
countrymen, or, indeed, of living anywhere;--but all this does not
oppress me now so much as the misery which I have brought upon you."
And then Sowerby also turned away his face, and wiped from his eyes
tears which were not artificial. Robarts was still walking up and
down the room, but it was not possible for him to continue his
reproaches after this. This is always the case. Let a man endure to
heap contumely on his own head, and he will silence the contumely of
others--for the moment. Sowerby, without meditating on the matter,
had had some inkling of this, and immediately saw that there was at
last an opening for conversation. "You are unjust to me," said he,
"in supposing that I have now no wish to save you. It is solely in
the hope of doing so that I have come here."

"And what is your hope? That I should accept another brace of bills,
I suppose."

"Not a brace; but one renewed bill for--"

"Look here, Mr. Sowerby. On no earthly consideration that can be put
before me will I again sign my name to any bill in the guise of an
acceptance. I have been very weak, and am ashamed of my weakness; but
so much strength as that, I hope, is left to me. I have been very
wicked, and am ashamed of