Heire.
A forgery, young man; a forgery, as sure as my name’s Daniel. You have only to look at it with the keen eye of suspicion——
Stensgård.
But how can that be? Monsen can’t have known——
Heire.
Monsen? No, he knows nothing about either his own paper or other people’s. But I’m glad it has come to an end, Mr. Stensgård!—It’s a satisfaction to one’s moral sense. Ah, I have often glowed with a noble indignation, if I may say so, at having to stand by and see——I say no more! But the best of it all is that now Monsen is down he’ll drag young Bratsberg after him; and the son will bring the father down——
Stensgård.
Yes, so Lundestad said.
Heire.
But of course there’s method even in bankruptcy. You’ll see; I am an old hand at prophecy.[prophecy.] Monsen will go to prison; young Bratsberg will compound with his creditors; and the Chamberlain will be placed under trustees; that’s to say, his creditors will present him with an annuity of a couple of thousand dollars. That’s how things go, Mr. Stensgård; I know it, I know it! What says the classic? Fiat justitia, pereat mundus; which means: Fie on what’s called justice in this wicked world, sir!