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The barrister was keen enough to divine that the banker would not

have gone so far in his expression of opinion on any less solid

ground than moral certainty. Unprepared as he was for the large

pill he had to swallow, he got it down. "And now," said Mr.

Stryver, shaking his forensic forefinger at the Temple in

general, when it was down, "my way out of this, is, to put you

all in the wrong."

It was a bit of the art of an Old Bailey tactician, in which he

found great relief. "You shall not put me in the wrong, young

lady," said Mr. Stryver; "I'll do that for you."

Accordingly, when Mr. Lorry called that night as late as ten

o'clock, Mr. Stryver, among a quantity of books and papers

littered out for the purpose, seemed to have nothing less on his

mind than the subject of the morning. He even showed surprise

when he saw Mr. Lorry, and was altogether in an absent and

preoccupied state.