They stood amid a rush of people; the panting tailor clung to his big companion’s sleeve.  Gruffly promising to do what he could, Mr. Lott led the way into the street again, where they planned the rest of their day.  By five o’clock they were at Clapham.  Charles Daffy occupied the kind of house which is known as eminently respectable; it suggested an income of at least a couple of thousand a year.  As they waited for the door to open, Mr. Lott smote gently on his leg with the new riding-whip.  He had been silent and meditative all the way hither.

A smart maidservant conducted them to the dining-room, and there, in a minute or two, they were joined by Mr. Charles.  No one could have surmised from this gentleman’s appearance that he was the son of the little tradesman who stood before him; nature had given the younger Mr. Daffy a tall and shapely person, and experience of life had refined his manners to an easy assurance he would never have learnt from paternal example.  His smooth-shaven visage, so long as it remained grave, might have been that of an acute and energetic lawyer; his smile, however, disturbed this impression, for it had a twinkling insolence, a raffish facetiousness, incompatible with any sober quality.  He wore the morning dress of a City man, with collar and necktie of the latest fashion; his watchguard was rather demonstrative, and he had two very solid rings on his left hand.

‘Ah, dad, how do you do!’ he exclaimed, on entering, in an affected head-voice.  ‘Why, what’s the matter?’

Mr. Daffy had drawn back, refusing the offered hand.  With an unpleasant smile Charles turned to his other visitor.

’Mr. Lott, isn’t it!  You’re looking well, Mr. Lott; but I suppose you didn’t come here just to give me the pleasure of seeing you.  I’m rather a busy man; perhaps one or the other of you will be good enough to break this solemn silence, and let me know what your game is.’

He spoke with careless impertinence, and let himself drop on to a chair.  The others remained standing, and Mr. Daffy broke into vehement speech.

’I have come here, Charles, to ask what you mean by disgracing yourself and dishonouring my name.  Only yesterday, for the first time, I heard of the life you are leading.  Is this how you repay me for all the trouble I took to have you well educated, and to make you an honest man?  Here I find you living in luxury and extravagance—­and how?  On stolen money—­money as much stolen as if you were a pickpocket or a burglar!  A pleasant thing for me to have all my friends talking about Charles Daffy, the bookmaker and the moneylender!  What right have you to dishonour your father in this way?  I ask, what right have you, Charles?’

Here the speaker, who had struggled to gasp his last sentence, was overcome with a violent fit of coughing.  He tottered back and sank on to a sofa.

‘Are you here to look after him?’ asked Charles of Mr. Lott, crossing his legs and nodding towards the sufferer.  ’If so, I advise you to take him away before he does himself harm.  You’re a lot bigger than he is and perhaps have more sense.’