"I could not see Banks," he said, "but I left a few words on a
scrap of paper, saying that it was I who had taken the money.
Otherwise he would have been in a terrible taking, when he
discovered that it was gone."
"That is right good news, indeed, lad. For twelve years I have set
aside half my rents, so that in those bags in your holsters there
are six years' income, and the interest of that money, laid out in
good mortgages, will suffice amply for my wants in a country like
Sweden, where life is simple and living cheap. The money itself
shall remain untouched, for your use, should our hopes fail and the
estates be lost for all time. That is indeed a weight off my mind.
"And you are, I hope, in equally good case, Jervoise, for if not,
you know that I would gladly share with you?"
"I am in very good case, Sir Marmaduke, though I none the less
thank you for your offer. I too have, as you know, put aside half
my income. My estates are not so large as those of Lynnwood. Their
acreage may be as large, but a good deal of it is mountain land,
worth but little. My fund, therefore, is not as large as yours, but
it amounts to a good round sum; and as I hope, either in the army
or in some other way, to earn an income for myself, it is ample.
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