“You seem to like the idea,” observed Contini rather irritably.

“I would rather be ruined by Del Ferice than helped by him.”

“Ruin means so little to you, Don Orsino.  It means the inheritance of an enormous fortune, a princess for a wife and the choice of two or three palaces to live in.”

“That is one way of putting it,” answered Orsino, almost laughing.  “As for yourself, my friend, I do not see that your prospects are so very bad.  Do you suppose that I shall abandon you after having led you into this scrape, and after having learned to like you and understand your talent?  You are very much mistaken.  We have tried this together and failed, but as you rightly say I shall not be in the least ruined by the failure.  Do you know what will happen?  My father will tell me that since I have gained some experience I should go and manage one of the estates and improve the buildings.  Then you and I will go together.”

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.”

“Why have you not said the same thing before?  You must have had this opinion a long time.”

“I did not believe that Ronco could fail.  An accident opens the eyes.”

Orsino had almost decided to let matters go on but he found some difficulty in actually making up his mind.  In spite of Contini’s assurances he could not get rid of the idea that he was under an obligation to Del Ferice.  Once, at least, he thought of going directly to Ugo and asking for a clear explanation of the whole affair.  But Ugo was not in town, as he knew, and the impossibility of going at once made it improbable that Orsino would go at all.  It would not have been a very wise move, for Del Ferice could easily deny the story, seeing that the paper was all in the bank’s name, and he would probably have visited the indiscretion upon the unfortunate clerk.