“My dear, good sir! I wish I had heard from him to any purpose⁠—I wish, with all my heart, the responsibility was off my shoulders; but he is obstinate⁠—or let me rather say, resolute⁠—and he won’t take it off. ‘Merriman, I leave details to you. Do what you think right for my interests, and consider me as having personally withdrawn from the business until it is all over.’ Those were Sir Percival’s words a fortnight ago, and all I can get him to do now is to repeat them. I am not a hard man, Mr. Gilmore, as you know. Personally and privately, I do assure you, I should like to sponge out that note of mine at this very moment. But if Sir Percival won’t go into the matter, if Sir Percival will blindly leave all his interests in my sole care, what course can I possibly take except the course of asserting them? My hands are bound⁠—don’t you see, my dear sir?⁠—my hands are bound.”

“You maintain your note on the clause, then, to the letter?” I said.