"
"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.
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