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."
"Not a shilling. The wonder is that they should have got three hundred
thousand pounds. They never would have had it unless the squire had
wished to pave the way back for Mountjoy.
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