"For whose, then, may I ask? Not for mine, I hope; if so, you may save yourself from farther anxiety upon the point." "O no, not for yours; for your sister's." "For Lily's! You know her then; and that's the reason of your coming to my assistance." Mr. Sheldrake accepted this interpretation, and said, "If you tell her of what has occurred to-night----" "Of course I shall tell her," interrupted the young man. "I tell Lily everything." "You may mention, then, that the gentleman who had the pleasure of walking home with her to-night did you a little service. She spoke of her brother to-night as we walked home. Your name must be Alfred." "Yes; that is my name." "Mine is Sheldrake. I shall be glad to improve our acquaintanceship--that is, if you are willing." "O, I'm willing enough," replied Alfred half graciously; "but I'm not a swell, you know." "Meaning that I am. None the worse for that, eh?" "No," said Alfred, throwing sufficient expression in his hesitating manner of uttering that small word to express, "No, you're none the worse for it; but I consider myself as good as you, or any man." "And it isn't a bad thing to be a swell nowadays, let me tell you," remarked Mr. Sheldrake genially, clapping Alfred on the shoulder. "One gets behind the scenes, and sees all sorts of things, and learns all sorts of things. And after all it's only a question of money. Once a gentleman, always a gentleman." "That's true," assented Alfred complacently, being now on very good terms with himself. "Only a question of money," repeated Mr. Sheldrake, slowly and thoughtfully; "and there's plenty of ways of making that." "That's true again," exclaimed Alfred eagerly, accepting a cigar from Mr. Sheldrake's cigar-case. "Plenty of ways. I know a way. I'm going to make a heap." "With a little luck and a little pluck, a man with brains--which you've got, I'll be bound--can be as good as the best of them. He can go up like a rocket." Mr. Sheldrake did not carry the simile farther. The rocket being in the clouds, it suited his purpose to leave it there. "Plenty of ways of making money! I should think there were, indeed; and these are just the times." The speaker was evidently of the opinion that some of his words were pearls of price, which should not be lost sight of. His utterances just now seemed to be thickly studded with these pearls, for he repeated thoughtfully, "Just the times." "So they are--so they are. You know a thing or two, I see." "Know a thing or two!" exclaimed Mr. Sheldrake, with modest boastfulness. "Well, yes, I fancy I do." "I can put you up to something good," said Alfred, with a furtive glance at his companion, "if you like, and if you'll keep it quiet." "Ay," returned Mr. Sheldrake, with an appearance of gratitude; "I'll keep it quiet enough." "Do you do anything in racing?" "A little now and then. Between you and me, I made a good thing on the Derby."