W. Pett Ridge

“ The younger men winked knowingly at each other, saying that James was a deep one and no mistake, adding that an ability to keep one's head shut was a gift to be envied. They had singing later. Songs were given which for James (who had no musical tastes) should at least have possessed the charm of novelty ”

“ Risks are too great.”
“But you don't mean to say that you're going to chuck it?” The men were so much amazed that their glasses remained in mid-air.
“If you guess again,” said James stolidly, “you'll be wrong.”
He looked about in Hoxton the rest of the evening for friends, and looked about in vain. The next day he called on his closest friend, the bookmaker; the bookmaker was just off to Kempton Park and in peril of losing a train at Waterloo. He had heard, it seemed, of James's decision, and James could trace no sign of the generous friendship previously expressed. ”

“ Just like that!”
“She's kept herself to herself, mind you, all the time he's been away. I will say that for her!”
“Wonder what he'll be up to now. He's turning something over in his mind, I lay!”
The hero could not help being pleased with all this attention, and after he had taken his dinner at a coffee-shop, where the waitress, informed of his distinguished reputation, stood back and watched him over an illustrated paper, he put on a collar and again lounged at the doorway. ”

“ Surroundings in the clubroom were, however, so congenial that before long he showed guarded signs of amiability, albeit he found grounds for annoyance in the fact that some of his old companions had prospered, and had given up what was referred to as the old game to engage on sport that, relatively speaking, was of an honest, law-abiding character. ”