‘Now, look here. Your notion of the Fashion Club is a deuced good one, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t be pretty easily started. Out of every five hundred women, you can reckon on four hundred and ninety-nine being fools; and there isn’t a female fool who wouldn’t read and think about a circular which promised her fashionable dresses for an unfashionable price. That’s a great and sound basis to start on. What I advise is, that you should first of all advertise for a dress-making concern that would admit a partner with a small capital. You’ll have between ten and twelve hundred replies, but don’t be staggered; go through them carefully, and select a shop that’s well situated, and doing a respectable trade. Get hold of these people, and induce them to make changes in their business to suit your idea. Then blaze away with circulars, headed “South London Fashion Club;” send them round the whole district, addressed to women. Every idiot of them will, at all events, come and look at the shop; that can be depended upon; in itself no bad advertisement. Arrange to have a special department--special entrance, if possible--with “The Club” painted up. Yes, by jingo! Have a big room, with comfortable chairs, and the women’s weekly papers lying about, and smart dresses displayed on what-d’ye-call-’ems, like they have in windows. Make the subscription very low at first, and give rattling good value; never mind if you lose by it. Then, when you’ve got hold of a lot of likely people, try them with the share project. By-the-bye, if you lose no time, you can bring in the Jubilee somehow. Yes, start with the “Jubilee Fashion Club.” I wonder nobody’s done it already.’ Beatrice was growing elated. ‘The public has to wait for its benefactors,’ she replied. ‘I’ll tell you what, would you like me to sketch you out a prospectus of the Club?’ ‘Yes, you might do that if you like. You won’t expect to be paid?’ ‘Hang it! what do you take me for?’ ‘Business is business,’ Miss. French remarked coldly. ‘So it is. And friendship is friendship. Got a match?’ He laughed. ‘No, I suppose you haven’t.’ ‘I’ll go and get you one if you like.’ ‘There’s a good fellow. I’ll think in the meantime.’ Beatrice rose lazily, and was absent for several minutes. When she returned, Crewe re-lit his cigar. ‘Why shouldn’t I start the shop on my own account?’ Beatrice asked. ‘You haven’t capital enough. A little place wouldn’t do.’ ‘I think I can get Fanny to join me.’ ‘Can you? What will young Lord have to say to that?’ ‘Psh! That’s all fooling. It’ll never come to anything. Unless, of course, the old man turned up his toes, and left the boy a tidy sum. But he won’t just yet. I’ve told Fanny that if she’ll raise something on her houses, I’ll guarantee her the same income she has now.’