**  He's  goin'  to  pay  you  back  in  a  lump  the
twenty -five  quid  you  lent  him."

"Jest  what  struck  me."  Casswade  slapped
his  thigh,  and  laughed  out.  "  I  never  lent  it  him
really  ;  I  arranged  with  the  Loan  Society  to  let  it
stand  over  to  me  at  three -and -a -half  per  cent. —
that's  the  funny  part  of  it.  Still,  I  can  do  with
a  bit  o'  cash — never  more  so.  That's  what  it  is,
then  :  this  pal  of  his  has  done  him  a  turn,  and
very  likely  *11  take  a  house  to  be  near  him  and  the
money.  I'm  on  him.  Rummy  thing,  you  know,"
he  went  on,  lowering  his  husky  voice  confiden-
tially. "  We  had  our  own  thoughts  all  along  about
this  'ere  Hungerford  feller,  didn't  we  ?  He  ain't
exactly  what  he  makes  out,  I  mean,  and  never
was.  Walks  like  a  real  Duke,  and  talks  a  sight
better  than  any  I've  seen.  And  I  shouldn't  be  a
bit  surprised  if  there's  money  behind  somewhere,
only  it's  tied  up  somehow.  That's  what's  struck
me,  at  any  rate,  all  along.  Why,  you  never  know
if  a  man  like  that,  who'd  give  a  bloomin'  step-

P  2


2  12  LOW    SOCIETY

cleaner  a  quid  to  go  and  get  change,  mightn't  be
tryin*  one  o'  the  houses  before  he  bought  up  a
dozen  as  an  investment  on  his  own.  That  ring
he  wore  was  worth  a  hundred  half-crowns.  And
he  listened  hard  enough,  when  I  bunged  it  into
him  about  bricks  and  mortar  for  money."

"  You  never  know,"  mused  Josh,  who  had  in-
vested in  children  himself,  and  could  not  look  for
any  dividends  for  years  to  come.
