,« said Stryver: »I won't go up there now, I am not so hot
upon it as that comes to; I say yes, and I shall expect you to look in to-night.
Good morning.«
    Then Mr. Stryver turned and burst out of the Bank, causing such a concussion
of air on his passage through, that to stand up against it bowing behind the two
counters, required the utmost remaining strength of the two ancient clerks.
Those venerable and feeble persons were always seen by the public in the act of
bowing, and were popularly believed, when they had bowed a customer out, still
to keep on bowing in the empty office until they bowed another customer in.
    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.
    »Well!« said that good-natured emissary, after a full half-hour of bootless
attempts to bring him round to the question. »I have been to Soho.«
    »To Soho?« repeated Mr. Stryver, coldly. »Oh, to be sure! What am I thinking
of!«
    »And I have no doubt,« said Mr. Lorry, »that I was right in the conversation
we had. My opinion is confirmed, and I reiterate my advice.«
    »I assure you,« returned Mr. Stryver, in the friendliest way, »that I am
sorry for it on your account, and sorry for it on the poor father's account. I
know this must always be a sore subject with the family; let
