All agreed that the firm must indeed suffer loss, but that they were the men to retrieve it sooner than ever was done before.
Various views were then propounded, till at length Mr.Jordan pronounced that it was impossible to know beforehand what turn things would take, which profound opinion was generally adopted, and the conference broke up.

Through the thin wall of his room Anton heard his neighbor Baumann put up a fervent prayer for the principal and the business, and he himself worked off his excitement by walking up and down till his lamp burned low.
It was already late when a servant noiselessly entered, and announced that Mr.Schroeter wished to speak to him.

Anton followed in all haste, and found the merchant standing before a newly-packed trunk, with his portfolio on the table, together with that unmistakable symptom of a long journey, his great English cigar-case of buffalo hide.

It contained a hundred cigars, and had long excited the admiration of Mr.Specht.
Indeed, the whole counting-house viewed it as a sort of banner never displayed but on remarkable occasions.

Sabine stood at the open drawers of the writing-table, busily and silently collecting whatever the traveler might want.