Sir Felix had come into the city intending to suggest to the Chairman that having paid his thousand pounds he should like to have a few shares to go on with. He was, indeed, at the present moment very nearly penniless, and had negotiated, or lost at cards, all the I.O.U.'s which were in any degree serviceable. He still had a pocket-book full of those issued by Miles Grendall; but it was now an understood thing at the Beargarden that no one was to be called upon to take them except Miles Grendall himself;--an arrangement which robbed the card-table of much of its delight. Beyond this, also, he had lately been forced to issue a little paper himself,--in doing which he had talked largely of his shares in the railway. His case certainly was hard. He had actually paid a thousand pounds down in hard cash, a commercial transaction which, as performed by himself, he regarded as stupendous. It was almost incredible to himself that he should have paid any one a thousand pounds, but he had done it with much difficulty,--having carried Dolly junior with him all the way into the city,--in the belief that he would thus put himself in the way of making a continual and unfailing income. He understood that as a director he would be always entitled to buy shares at par, and, as a matter of course, always able to sell them at the market price. This he understood to range from ten to fifteen and twenty per cent. 
Sir Felix had come intending to suggest to the Chairman that having paid his thousand pounds he should like to have a few shares to go on with. He was very nearly penniless, and had negotiated, or lost at cards, all the I.O.U.'s which were of any value. He still had a pocket-book full of those issued by Miles Grendall; but it was now understood at the Beargarden that no one was to be called upon to take them except Miles himself.
Beyond this, Felix had lately been forced to issue an I.O.U. or two himself. His case certainly was hard. He had paid a thousand pounds down in hard cash, in the belief that he would thus put himself in the way of making a continual income. He understood that as a director he would be always entitled to buy shares at par, and be able to sell them at the market price - giving him from ten to twenty per cent