nickel, He gave it out that he was in search of
a partner to join him in putting this method into practice. Gentlemen
thus situated naturally avail themselves of the advertisement columns
of the newspaper, and Joseph by this means had the happiness to form an
acquaintance with one Mr. Polkenhorne, who, like himself, had sundry
schemes for obtaining money without toiling for it in the usual vulgar
way. Polkenhorne was a man of thirty-five, much of a blackguard, but
keen-witted, handsome, and tolerably educated; the son of a Clerkenwell
clockmaker, he had run through an inheritance of a few thousand pounds,
and made no secret of his history--spoke of his experiences, indeed,
with a certain pride. Between these two a close intimacy sprang up, one
of those partnerships, beginning with mutual deception, which are so
common in the border-land of enterprise just skirting the criminal
courts. Polkenhorne resided at this time in Kennington; he was
married--or said that he was--to a young lady in the theatrical
profession, known to the public as Miss Grace Danver. To Mrs.
Polkenhorne, or Miss Danver, Joseph soon had the honour of being
presented, for she was just then playing at a London theatre; he found
her a pretty but consumptive-looking girl, not at all likely to achieve
great successes, earning enough, however, to support Mr. Polkenhorne
during this time of his misfortunes--a most pleasant and natural
arrangement.

Polkenhorne's acquaintances were numerous, but, as he informed Joseph,
most of them were 'played out,' that is to say, no further use could be
made of them from Polkenhorne's point of view. One, however, as yet
imperfectly known, promised to be useful, perchance as a victim, more
probably as an ally; his name was Scawthorne, and Polkenhorne had come
across him in consequence of a friendship existing between Grace Danver
and Mrs. Scawthorne--at all events, a young lady thus known--who was
preparing herself for the stage. This gentleman was 'something in the
City;' he had rather a close look, but proved genial enough, and was
very ready to discuss things in general with Mr. Polkenhorne and his
capitalist friend Mr. Camden, just from the United States.

A word or two about Charles Henry Scawthorne, of the circumstances
which made him what you know, or what you conjecture. His father had a
small business as a dyer in Islington, and the boy, leaving school at
fourteen, was sent to become a copying-clerk in a solicito