There is no town of any mark in Europe but it has its little colony of English raffs--men whose names Mr. Hemp the officer reads out periodically at the Sheriffs' Court--young gentlemen of very good family often, only that the latter disowns them; frequenters of billiard-rooms and estaminets, patrons of foreign races and gaming-tables. They people the debtors' prisons--they drink and swagger--they fight and brawl--they run away without paying--they have duels with French and German officers--they cheat Mr. Spooney at ecarte--they get the money and drive off to Baden in magnificent britzkas--they try their infallible martingale and lurk about the tables with empty pockets, shabby bullies, penniless bucks, until they can swindle a Jew banker with a sham bill of exchange, or find another Mr. Spooney to rob. The alternations of splendour and misery which these people undergo are very queer to view. Their life must be one of great excitement. Becky--must it be owned?--took to this life, and took to it not unkindly. She went about from town to town among these Bohemians. The lucky Mrs. Rawdon was known at every play-table in Germany. She and Madame de Cruchecassee kept house at Florence together. It is said she was ordered out of Munich, and my friend Mr. Frederick Pigeon avers that it was at her house at Lausanne that he was hocussed at supper and lost eight hundred pounds to Major Loder and the Honourable Mr. Deuceace. We are bound, you see, to give some account of Becky's biography, but of this part, the less, perhaps, that is said the better.

Every town of note in Europe has its little colony of raffish young Englishmen - often of very good family, only disowned by them; frequenters of billiard-rooms and gaming-tables. They drink and swagger - they fight and brawl - they run away without paying - they get the money and drive off to Baden - they lurk about the tables with empty pockets, until they can swindle a Jew banker with a sham bill of exchange. Their life must be one of great excitement, alternating between splendour and misery.
Becky took to this life, and went about from town to town among these Bohemians. She was known at every play-table in Germany. It is said she was ordered out of Munich, but of this part of her story, the less, perhaps, that is said the better.
