“No, I am the greatest loser.”

“And what do you suppose tempted young Burlein?”

“I do not know. I believed him the soul of honor, and he was a very cautious young man. It was the surprise of my life. He was to have married my daughter.”

“Have you made an investigation of the affairs?”

“No, I have pocketed my loss, as the saying goes.”

“And you have accepted the statement of Fellman?”

“Yes, sir, as Alfred has run away or destroyed himself, I am compelled to accept his statement.”

“Did it ever strike you, sir, that Fellman might be a villain?”

“I know but little about him.”

“And yet you did know young Burlein?”