I was a puzzle to him, and my lack of words made me still more of a problem.
"You know, of course," he finally volunteered, "that the estate when it was finally wound up had mostly been eaten up by court expenses and lawyers' fees--the robbers!" I could see he was in earnest in this last remark: but of course lawyers' fees and court expenses were all a mystery to me.

I did not even know that lawyers and courts had anything to do with estates.

I did not know what an estate was--so I continued to keep still.
"There was hardly anything left," said he.
I was astonished at this; and I did not believe it.

After thinking it over for a few minutes, earnestly, and without any thought of saying anything to catch him up, I said: "You traveled in good style coming west on the canal.

You took a steamer up the Lakes.