please help me
“Since retirement and divorce, I rarely leave the house. Sit. Please.” He gestured to his right, and
Elizabeth sat in a wooden-armed chair whose cushions were covered in faded, wine-colored velvet
that had, in places, been worn white. “I’ve been following your situation with great interest. An
unfortunate business: Channing Shore, the Monroe brothers. What’s your lawyer’s name, again?”
What does "I’ve been following your situation with great interest" mean?
________________________________________________________________________________
“Jennings.”
“Jennings. That’s it. A youngish man. Do you like him?”
“I haven’t spoken to him.”
“Young lady.” He lowered the drink onto the arm of his chair. “Water finds a level, as you know,
and the state will have its pound of flesh. Call your lawyer. Meet with him tonight if need be.
Can anyone paraphrase "Water finds a level, as you know, and the state will have its pound of flesh"?
__________________________________________________________
“I wish I could help you, but that information is a matter of attorney-client privilege, and you, my
dear girl, are still an officer of the law. I can’t discuss it.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I’ve dedicated my life to the law. How can I do less when the days that remain are so few?”
What does "How can I do less when the days that remain are so few" mean?

Question

please help me
“Since retirement and divorce, I rarely leave the house. Sit. Please.” He gestured to his right, and
Elizabeth sat in a wooden-armed chair whose cushions were covered in faded, wine-colored velvet
that had, in places, been worn white. “I’ve been following your situation with great interest. An
unfortunate business: Channing Shore, the Monroe brothers. What’s your lawyer’s name, again?”
What does "I’ve been following your situation with great interest" mean?
________________________________________________________________________________
“Jennings.”
“Jennings. That’s it. A youngish man. Do you like him?”
“I haven’t spoken to him.”
“Young lady.” He lowered the drink onto the arm of his chair. “Water finds a level, as you know,
and the state will have its pound of flesh. Call your lawyer. Meet with him tonight if need be.
Can anyone paraphrase "Water finds a level, as you know, and the state will have its pound of flesh"? 
__________________________________________________________
“I wish I could help you, but that information is a matter of attorney-client privilege, and you, my
dear girl, are still an officer of the law. I can’t discuss it.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I’ve dedicated my life to the law. How can I do less when the days that remain are so few?”
What does "How can I do less when the days that remain are so few" mean?

Answer

"I've been following your situation with great interest"
I've been very interested to watch (follow) what's been going on in your life/business, etc

"Water finds a level"
This usually means that people are drawn to those who are like themselves (in terms of character or social standing, for example)

"The state will have its pound of flesh"
A reference to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. It essentially means that the state will get what it's owed, no matter the cost (to others).

"How can I do less when the days that remain are so few"
How can I do less than dedicate myself fully to (following) the law, when I don't have much time left (perhaps as a lawyer, perhaps to live, but no doubt in some way a reference to his age)

Answers · 1

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