WENTWORTH. Certainly, Sir James. With a jury there's always hope.

SIR JAMES. What do you think yourself?

WENTWORTH. I think he has been very foolish; whether the Law will
call it criminally foolish I should hardly like to say. I only wish
I had known about it before. He must have suspected something--
didn't he say anything to anybody?

SIR JAMES. He told Gerald, apparently. For some reason he preferred
to keep his father in the dark.

GERALD (eagerly). That was the day you came down to us, Wentworth;
five days before he was arrested. I asked him to tell you, but he
wouldn't.

WENTWORTH. Oh, it was too late then. Marcus had absconded by that
time.

GERALD (earnestly). Nobody could have helped him then, could they?

WENTWORTH. Oh no.

GERALD (to himself). Thank God.

SIR JAMES (to LADY FARRINGDON as he looks at his watch). Well,
dear, I really think you ought to try to eat something.

LADY FARRINGDON. I couldn't, James. (Getting up) But you must have