To tell the truth of him,--though he was not absolutely penniless, he was altogether propertyless.

He had been speculating in money without capital, and though he had now and again been successful, he had also now and again failed.

He had contrived that his name should be mentioned here and there with the names of well-known wealthy commercial men, and had for the last twelve months made up a somewhat intimate alliance with that very sound commercial man, Mr.Mills Happerton.

But his dealings with Mr.Sextus Parker were in truth much more confidential than those with Mr.
Mills Happerton, and at the present moment poor Sexty Parker was alternately between triumph and despair as things went this way or that.
It was not, therefore, surprising that Ferdinand Lopez should volunteer no statements to the old lawyer about money, and that he should make no inquiries.

He was quite confident that Mr.Wharton had the wealth which was supposed to belong to him, and was willing to trust to his power of obtaining a fair portion of it as soon as he should in truth be Mr.Wharton's son-in-law.