antecedents are romantic, and she has many friends
whose position in life is curiously different from my own, and whose
ideas and methods of life are not such as I should like a son of my
own to adopt. The Count Sabatini, for instance," Mr. Weatherley went
on, "is a nobleman who has had, I believe, a brilliant career, in
some respects, but who a great many people would tell you is a man
without principles or morals, as we understand them down here. He is
just the sort of man to attract youth because he is brave, and I
believe him to be incapable of a really despicable action. But
notwithstanding this, and although he is my wife's brother, if I
were you I would not choose him for a companion."

"I am very much obliged to you, sir," Arnold answered, a little
awkwardly. "I shall bear in mind all that you have said. You do not
object, I presume, to my dining with him to-night?"

"I have no objection to anything you may do outside this building,"
Mr. Weatherley replied, "but as you are only a youngster, and you
met the Count Sabatini at my house, I feel it only right to give you
a word of warning. I may be wrong. One gets fancies sometimes, and
there are some strange doings--not that they concern you, however,"
he added, hurriedly; "only you are a young man with your way to make
in the world, and every chance of making it, I should think; but it
won't do for you to get too many of Count Sabatini's ideas into your
head if you are going to do any good at a wholesome, honest business
like this."

"I quite understand, sir," Arnold assented. "I don't suppose that
Count Sabatini will ask me to dine with him again. I think it was
just kindness that made him think of it. In any case, I am not in a
position to associate with these people regularly, at present, and
that alone would preclude me from accepting invitations."

"You're young and strong," Mr. Weatherley said thoughtfully. "You
must fight your own battle. You start, somehow, differently than I
did. You see," he went on, with the air of one indulging in
reminiscences, "my father was in this business and I was brought up
to it. We lived only a stone's throw away then, in Bermondsey, and I
went to the City of London School. At fourteen I was in the office
here, and a partner at twenty-one. I never went out of England till
I was over forty. I had plenty of friends, but they were all of one
class. They wouldn't suit Mrs. Weatherley or the Count Sabatini. I
have lost a good m