“Good-day, Mr. Sellars. I should be obliged if you would come round to me as soon as convenient.” The reply was that the owner of the name would at once put himself in a taxi and be there in a few minutes. CHAPTER VI LANE ENGAGES AN ASSISTANT Mr. Sellars, Reggie Sellars as he was known to his intimates, was a tall, good-looking young man of about thirty, of the aristocratic type, with aquiline features and an elegant figure. Following no settled occupation or profession, he formed one of that numerous brigade of men-about-town who belong to good clubs, frequent respectable society and always seem to have plenty of money for their personal wants, although nobody knows the exact source of their incomes, or how they contrive to present such a good appearance. These men are usually very scrupulous in money matters, pay their bets promptly when they lose and expect to be paid as promptly when they win, are never behindhand in a club subscription, liberal but not ostentatious in their tips to waiters. Many of them, in fact most, have a small annuity which forms the nucleus of their income; how the rest of that income is earned is often a puzzle to even their most intimate friends. Mr. Sellars was one of a large family, some twelve in all, sons and daughters. His father had left capital bringing in about fifteen hundred a year to be divided amongst this numerous offspring. This brought Reggie in the modest competence of about a hundred odd pounds a year. He dressed very well, and his tailor must have taken more than that. It was obvious, therefore, that he had a knack of picking up money somehow and somewhere, as he belonged to several clubs, frequented fashionable society, and was by no means an anchorite in his tastes. As a matter of fact, he lived on his wits, using the expression in a perfectly respectable sense. He furnished gossip to a well-known Society newspaper for which he received a liberal remuneration; he was a scientific backer of horses, he played a first-rate hand at bridge, sometimes he got a handsome fee for initiating some _nouveau riche_ into the mysteries of fashionable life. Since his acquaintance with Mr. Gideon Lane, he had often been useful to that gentleman, and had been paid well for his services. They had met at a Bohemian club to which both men belonged, for Reggie Sellars, although of very good family and an aristocrat by instinct and connection, was by no means exclusive, and was equally at home in Bohemia and Mayfair. At first Lane had not been attracted to the young man, whom he regarded as the usual type of lounger who led a life of aimless pleasure, a mere idler with whom he was not likely to have anything in common. And, truth to tell, although in a certain way he was one of the shrewdest fellows alive, Sellars’ good-looking countenance did not furnish any striking evidence of mentality or strenuous impulse.