“And these, in twelve months’ time, will have been divided among the card-players of the metropolis,” said Quaverdale.

“We’ve got nothing to do with that.  If ever a man did have a lesson he has had it.  If he chose to take it, no man would ever have been saved in so miraculous a manner.  But there can be no doubt that John Scarborough and Ada Sneyd were married at Rummelsburg, and that it will be found to be impossible to unmarry them.”

“Old Mrs. Sneyd, the lady’s mother, was then present?” said Quaverdale.

“Not a doubt about it, and that Fritz Deutchmann was present at the marriage.  I almost think that we ought to have brought him away with us.  It would have cost a couple of hundred pounds, but the estate can bear that.  We can have him by sending for him, if we should want it.”  Then, after many more words on the same subject and to the same effect, Mr. Barry went on to give his own private opinions:  “In fact, the only blemish in old Scarborough’s plans was this,—­that the Rummelsburg marriage was sure to come out sooner or later.”

“Do you think so?  Fritz Deutchmann is the only one of the party alive, and it’s not probable that he would ever have heard of Tretton.”

“These things always do come out.  But it does not signify now.  And the world will know how godless and reprobate old Scarborough has been; but that will not interfere with Mountjoy’s legitimacy.  And the world has pretty well understood already that the old man has cared nothing for God or man.  It was bad enough, according to the other story, that he should have kept Augustus so long in the dark, and determined to give it all to a bastard by means of a plot and a fraud.  The world has got used to that.  The world will simply be amused by this other turn.  And as the world generally is not very fond of Augustus Scarborough, and entertains a sort of a good-natured pity for Mountjoy, the first marriage will be easily accepted.”

“There’ll be a lawsuit, I suppose?” said Quaverdale.

“I don’t see that they’ll have a leg to stand on.  When the old man dies the property will be exactly as it would have been.  This latter intended fraud in favor of Augustus will be understood as having been old Scarborough’s farce.  The Jews are the party who have really suffered.”

“And Augustus?”

“He will have lost nothing to which he was by law entitled.  His father might of course make what will he pleased.  If Augustus was uncivil to his father, his father could of course alter his will.  The world would see all that.  But the world will be inclined to say that these poor money-lenders have been awfully swindled.”

“The world won’t pity them.”

“I’m not so sure.  It’s a hard case to get hold of a lot of men and force them to lend you a hundred pounds without security and without interest.  That’s what has been done in this case.”

“They’ll have no means of recovering anything.”