In short, after thirty years' practice as a lawyer, I don't know what is _not_ a marriage in Scotland." "In plain English," said Geoffrey, "you mean she's his wife ?" In spite of his cunning; in spite of his self-command, his eyes brightened as he said those words.

And the tone in which he spoke--though too carefully guarded to be a tone of triumph--was, to a fine ear, unmistakably a tone of relief.
Neither the look nor the tone was lost on Sir Patrick.
His first suspicion, when he sat down to the conference, had been the obvious suspicion that, in speaking of "his friend," Geoffrey was speaking of himself.

But, like all lawyers, he habitually distrusted first impressions, his own included.

His object, thus far, had been to solve the problem of Geoffrey's true position and Geoffrey's real motive.

He had set the snare accordingly, and had caught his bird.
It was now plain to his mind--first, that this man who was consulting him, was, in all probability, really speaking of the case of another person: secondly, that he had an interest (of what nature it was impossible yet to say) in satisfying his own mind that "his friend" was, by the law of Scotland, indisputably a married man.