reminded him of a loan he had contracted, and showed him his name written under obligatory initials.  He paid it, ostentatiously drawing out one of his fifties.  Up came another, with a similar strip of paper.  “You don’t want me to change this, do you?” said Algernon; and heard a tale of domestic needs—­and a grappling landlady.  He groaned inwardly:  “Odd that I must pay for his landlady being a vixen!” The note was changed; the debt liquidated.  On the door-step, as he was going to lunch, old Anthony waylaid him, and was almost noisily persistent in demanding his one pound three and his five pound ten.  Algernon paid the sums, ready to believe that there was a suspicion abroad of his intention to become a colonist.

He employed the luncheon hour in a visit to a colonial shipping office, and nearly ran straight upon Sedgett at the office-door.  The woman who had hailed him from the cab, was in Sedgett’s company, but Sedgett saw no one.  His head hung and his sullen brows were drawn moodily.  Algernon escaped from observation.  His first inquiry at the office was as to the business of the preceding couple, and he was satisfied by hearing that Sedgett wanted berths for himself and wife.

“Who’s the woman, I wonder!” Algernon thought, and forgot her.

He obtained some particular information, and returning to the Bank, was called before his uncle, who curtly reckoned up his merits in a contemptuous rebuke, and confirmed him in his resolution to incur this sort of thing no longer.  In consequence, he promised Sir William that he would amend his ways, and these were the first hopeful words that Sir William had ever heard from him.

Algernon’s design was to dress, that evening, in the uniform of society, so that, in the event of his meeting Harry Latters, he might assure him he was coming to his Club, and had been compelled to dine elsewhere with his uncle, or anybody.  When he reached the door of his chambers, a man was standing there, who said,—­

“Mr. Algernon Blancove?”

“Yes,” Algernon prolonged an affirmative, to diminish the confidence it might inspire, if possible.

“May I speak with you, sir?”

Algernon told him to follow in.  The man was tall and large-featured, with an immense blank expression of face.

“I’ve come from Mr. Samuels, sir,” he said, deferentially.

Mr. Samuels was Algernon’s chief jeweller.

“Oh,” Algernon remarked.  “Well, I don’t want anything; and let me say, I don’t approve of this touting for custom.  I thought Mr. Samuels was above it.”

The man bowed.  “My business is not that, sir.  Ahem!  I dare say you remember an opal you had from our house.  It was set in a necklace.”

“All right; I remember it, perfectly,” said Algernon; cool, but not of the collected colour.

“The cost of it was fifty-five pounds, sir.”

“Was it?  Well, I’ve forgotten.”