relief to unbosom himself.
In spite of his disgust, Spencer could not but feel interested in thisbit of life-history. He had often felt curious as to Tommy Esmond'spast, and now that curiosity was going to be satisfied. He understoodnow why the little man had never made any but the most distant allusionsto his home or his relatives.
"The life suited me down to the ground, but there was always theterrible problem of ways and means, good clothes, travelling, expensiveflowers, etc, etc. I had got to three pounds a week, but that doesn'tgo far in the circles to which I had been transplanted. It began todawn upon me that, delightful as the life was, I was playing the fool,and neglecting the substance for the shadow. People asked me to theirbig parties, often to their dinners and to week-ends, but there was nomoney in it. In fact, I was getting out of my depth. I had alreadybeen obliged to borrow small sums from money-lenders to cover myexpenses.
"Bitterly I made up my mind that sooner or later I must cut it, and takelife seriously, like the poor man I was. I belonged to a good clubwhere I had all my letters addressed. I lodged in a little street inBloomsbury, in cheap apartments. My friend alone knew this address.
"He would have helped me to a considerable extent, but, strange to say,considering what I did afterwards, I shrank from accepting actual cashfrom him."
Spencer interrupted him for a second. "You would not sponge upon yourfriend, instead you took to cheating your acquaintance. I take it thatis what you are going to tell me."
Esmond nodded. "Quite right. I had made up my mind to cut it, anddisappear from a world in which I had no right to intrude. I had evenmade up my mind as to the exact date at the close of the season when Iwould disappear, and return to the humdrum life from which my friendroused me.
"A few days before that date, something very strange happened; my lifehas always been full of surprises. A few weeks before the fixed date, Ihad made the acquaintance of a young nobleman, a member of one of thebest-known families in England. He was then about thirty, veryhandsome, very popular with both men and women. He is dead now, but, ofcourse, I shall not mention his name, which would startle you if youheard it.
"As I have said, his family was a very distinguished one, but poor forits position. My friend, whom for the sake of convenience I will callLord Frederick, lived in good style, never seemed short of cash, andpaid his debts promptly. Those who knew were sure that he got little orno help from his family, yet he betted at race-meetings, played cardsnearly every night, and lived generally the life of a man with a fairincome.
"His own explanation was, that he had some intimate friends on the StockExchange who put him on to any good thing going. In the course of theyear, according to his own account, he made a considerable sum out ofracing.
"Lord Frederick, like my first friend, took considerable notice of meafter we had become acquainted. Several times he invited me to hisclub. Afterwards he told me that he had a premonition I should beuseful to him.
"I shall never forget that night when the deadly temptation came to me,when I learned what manner of rascal he was. It was the close of theseason. In a very few days more I should have looked my last on thisgay and alluring existence, should have ceased to lead this double lifeof a poor clerk by day, a young man of fashion by night."
Spencer suddenly interrupted. "But was there not a great risk ofdetection? Were you never recognised in the City by some chance WestEnd acquaintance."
"Up to then, no. Of course, I must have been found out in time, if onlyfrom the suspicious circumstance that I could never accept any dayinvitations. This was one of the reasons that weighed most stronglywith me in the resolve to give it up. I could not bear the thought thatthe Tommy Esmond who bore himself so bravely in his new world, who hadmanaged to outlive all curiosity as to his antecedents, should bediscovered in his true colours, a poor City drudge in an insuranceoffice.
"To return to my story. I had dined with Lord Frederick at the --. No,I will not give the name of the club, one of the most exclusive inLondon: it might put you on his track. He had ordered a choice dinner,and he plied me liberally with wine. My heart was very full at theprospect of having to say good-bye to this luxurious life, in a very fewdays' time.
"After dinner we went into the smoking-room, which was nearly empty, asmost of the members had left London. There were only two otheroccupants, and they were at the far end of the apartment. Practically,we had the place to ourselves.
"He urged me strongly to take a trip over to Paris as his guest. Ishould have loved to go, but the wrench had to be made some time, itmight as well be made now. Besides, I was heavily in debt, for a poorman, and I had not the cash to purchase the necessary outfit for such atrip.
"He would not accept my first refusal, but tried to persuade me intoreconsidering. When I still persisted, he bluntly asked me my reasons.
"As I have said, I was very depressed that night at the prospect of allI was saying good-bye to. This mood was responsible for my blurting outa great portion of the absolute truth.
"I explained to him that I had already accepted too much of hishospitality, which my circumstances did not enable me to return, that Icould no longer take advantage of his generosity.
"After this avowal, he did not speak for some little time, all the whileregarding me with an intense gaze that embarrassed me very much.
"`Thanks for telling me the truth,' he said at length. `Your confidenceis quite safe with me.' He added after a pause, `So you are a poor man,in spite of the fact that your appearance does not suggest the fact.Well, I may tell you that from the first moment I made your acquaintanceI was pretty certain you were.'
"I told him a little more. `I am so poor,' I said frankly, `that Icannot afford to keep up appearances any longer. In a few days I shallleave a world I ought never to have entered. Anyway, it is the lasttime I shall dine with you, and I don't suppose we shall ever meetagain, unless we run across each other by chance in a very differentsphere.'
"`You have absolutely made up your mind to do this, for the reasons youhave given?' he asked presently.
"`Absolutely,' I replied. `I may say it is Hobson's choice. I amheavily in debt. If I cut my wants down to next to nothing, it willtake me a year to pay off what I owe.' I laughed bitterly--`Unless Iturned thief, I could not possibly go on.'
"`I don't want to force your confidence,' was Lord Frederick's nextremark. `But having had a taste of this rather glittering world, Ipresume you will leave it with considerable regret.'
"`I dare not say what I feel,' I said with conviction. `It seems to methat in the old life to which I am returning I shall suffer the torturesof lost souls.'
"Then he shot at me an extraordinary question. `I wonder whether youwould care to become a partner in my business?'
"My heart suddenly grew light. Was there a chance that I could stillkeep on, that through his assistance I could find a decently paidoccupation? After all, I only wanted a few hundreds a year more. Abachelor can live in the best society on comparatively little, but hemust have that little, and the insurance office did not furnish it.
"`If I were competent enough,' I faltered.
"He smiled; I thought there was a little touch of a sneer in that smile.`Oh, I think you would be competent enough. But I am not at all surethat you would like the business sufficiently.'
"`I can't say positively, of course, till I know the nature of it. ButI don't think I should be very difficult to please, nor do I want anyextravagant remuneration, just enough to keep up a decent appearance.'
"`The share would be half, neither more nor less,' he said curtly; thenhe relapsed into a long silence, as if he were thinking very hard.
"When he spoke it was in a low, strained voice. `Look here, Esmond, Idon't know very much of you. But I believe you to be a gentleman. Thebusiness I am engaged in is a very peculiar one, and it is more thanprobable it will not appeal to you. If you refuse, you are to give meyour word of honour that this conversation between us shal
l beforgotten.'
"I gave him more than my word, I added my solemn oath that I would neverdivulge a syllable.
"I had for some little time felt that there was a mystery about him. Ihazarded to myself that he was perhaps engaged in some spying workrepugnant to any man of fine susceptibilities but quite remunerative.
"I was startled, and to an extent horrified, by what he told me. He wasa professional card-sharper, made his living by robbing his richacquaintances. He had been at the game since he was twenty-five.
"`I do pretty well, as you can guess, by the way in which I live,' heremarked at the conclusion of his strange confession. `But with a smartconfederate, and I am sure you would prove one, I could quadruple mygains. One is hampered by working alone. It's a