He had overlooked the excellent natural mind which false education and foolish associations had tricked out in the motley, bells and bauble of "culture"; and so, he had taken no pains to cozen artistically.

Also, as he thought greediness the strongest and hardiest passion in all human beings, because it was so in himself, he had not the slightest fear that anyone or anything could deflect his client from pursuing the fortune which dangled, or seemed to dangle, tantalizingly near.
Arthur, recalling the whole interview, was accurate where he had been visionary, intelligent where he had been dazed.

He saw it all, before he was half done; he did not need Torrey's ejaculated summary: "The swindling scoundrel!" to confirm him.
"You signed the note ?" said the judge.
"Yes," replied Arthur.

He laughed with the frankness of self-derision that augurs so well for a man's teachableness.
"He must have guessed," continued the judge, "that a contest is useless." At that last word Arthur changed expression, changed color--or, rather, lost all color.

"Useless ?" he repeated, so overwhelmed that he clean forgot pride of appearances and let his feelings have full play in his face.