1 82 Too Clever 



same, I don't see that a fellow's a fool for thinking that 

 a pal— or a man he believes to be a pal — wouldn't put 

 him in a hole if he could help it. I do think you might 

 have told him, as he'd done you a real good turn. How- 

 ever, it's not my business. Have a cigarette ? ' 



Cartwright produced his case, and the emollient 

 influence of tobacco was called into requisition to soothe 

 their nerves, nor did it spoil the flavour of the brand of 

 champagne with which Moss rashly thought proper to 

 celebrate the victory of his mare. Cartwright was not a 

 very scrupulous person ; contact with Moss, an old 

 school friend with whom he seemed to have been more 

 or less mixed up all his life, had not tended to render 

 his feelings more sensitive or refined, and he was of 

 weaker will than his constant associate ; but all senti- 

 ments of honour and goodfellowship were not extinct in 

 Cartwright's nature as they appeared to be in Moss — 

 assuming that he ever had any, which is, perhaps, a some- 

 what daring assumption. Cartwright, moreover, was a 

 poor man, and was under an obligation to Moss which he 

 could not repay, though, in truth, as Cartwright knew 

 decent people, was a member of two or three good clubs, 

 had generally the entree into places where Moss could not 

 appear, and was often very useful, the obligation, if it 

 could have been properly assessed, would have been not 

 a little on the other side. 



Dane, for his part, wandered off slowly, and the gloom 

 again fell upon his countenance. He had dissipated the 

 greater half of his inheritance in something less than 

 three years. Succeeding at the death of his father to a 

 fair estate of some 8,000/. a year, which cost about 

 10,000Z. to keep up, he also found a nice round sum of 

 close upon 100,000/. waiting for him, and this had 



