Contini smiled suddenly and his bright eyes sparkled. He was profoundly attached to Orsino, and thought perhaps as much of the loss of his companionship as of the destruction of his material hopes in the event of a liquidation.
"If that could be, I should not care what became of the business," he said simply.
"How long do you think we shall last?" asked Orsino after a short pause.
"If business grows worse, as I think it will, we shall last until the first bill that falls due after the doors and windows are put in."
"That is precise, at least."
"It will probably take us into January, or perhaps February."
"But suppose that Del Ferice himself gets into trouble between now and then. If he cannot discount any more, what will happen?"
"We shall fail a little sooner. But you need not be afraid of that. Del Ferice knows what he is about better than we do, better than his confidential clerk, much better than most men of business in Rome. If he fails, he will fail intentionally and at the right moment."
"And do you not think that there is even a remote possibility of an improvement in business, so that nobody will fail at all?"
"No," answered Contini thoughtfully. "I do not think so. It is a paper system and it will go to pieces."