Don’t let me interrupt you, gentlemen. I wouldn’t for the world——! Thanks, Aslaksen. [_Bows to_ STENSGÅRD.] A strange face—a recent arrival! Have I the pleasure of addressing our new legal luminary, Mr. Stensgård? MONSEN. Quite right. [_Introducing them._] Mr. Stensgård, Mr. Daniel Heire—— BASTIAN. Capitalist. HEIRE. Ex-capitalist, you should rather say. It’s all gone now; slipped through my fingers, so to speak. Not that I’m bankrupt—for goodness' sake don’t think that. MONSEN. Drink, drink, while the froth is on it. HEIRE. But rascality, you understand—sharp practice and so forth——I say no more. Well, well, I am confident it is only temporary. When I get my outstanding law-suits and some other little matters off my hands, I shall soon be on the track of our aristocratic old Reynard the Fox. Let us drink to that! You won’t, eh? STENSGÅRD. I should like to know first who your aristocratic old Reynard the Fox may be. HEIRE. Hee-hee; you needn’t look so uncomfortable, man. You don’t suppose I’m alluding to Mr. Monsen. No one can accuse Mr. Monsen of being aristocratic. No; it’s Chamberlain Bratsberg, my dear young friend. STENSGÅRD. What! In money matters the Chamberlain is surely above reproach. HEIRE. You think so, young man? H’m; I say no more. [_Draws nearer._] Twenty years ago I was worth no end of money. My father left me a great fortune. You’ve heard of my father, I daresay? No? Old Hans Heire? They called him Gold Hans. He was a shipowner: made heaps of money in the blockade time; had his window-frames and door-posts gilded; he could afford it——I say no more; so they called him Gold Hans. ASLAKSEN. Didn’t he gild his chimney-pots too? HEIRE. No; that was only a penny-a-liner’s lie; invented long before your time, however. But he made the money fly; and so did I in my time. My visit to London, for instance—haven’t you heard of my visit to London? I took a prince’s retinue with me. Have you really not heard of it, eh? And the sums I have lavished on art and science! And on bringing rising talent to the front! ASLAKSEN. [_Rises._] Well, good-bye, gentlemen. MONSEN. What? Are you leaving us? ASLAKSEN. Yes; I want to stretch my legs a bit. [_Goes._ HEIRE. [_Speaking low._] He was one of them—just as grateful as the rest, hee-hee! Do you know, I kept him a whole year at college? STENSGÅRD. Indeed? Has Aslaksen been to college? HEIRE.