th.

Within an hour I had been introduced to perhaps a score of visitors,
and Ah Lun was just as busy as he could be, serving tea, whisky, wine,
soda-water, cigars, cigarettes, sandwiches, and so forth. It was all
tremendously exciting to me. The mere sound of so many voices, apart
from anything else, I found wonderfully stimulating, if a trifle
bewildering.

'This,' I told myself, in a highly impressive, though necessarily
inarticulate stage-whisper of thought, 'This is Society; this is
what's called the Social Vortex; and I am right in the bubbling centre
of it.' And then I thought how wonderful it would have been if Mr.
Jokram, of Dursley's School of Arts Committee, and one or two
others--say, Sister Agatha, for example--could have been permitted to
take a peep between the magnificent curtains, and have a glimpse of me,
engaged in brilliant conversation with a celebrity of some kind, whose
neck-tie would have made an ample sash for little Nelly Fane--of me,
the St. Peter's orphan, in Society!

Truly, I was an innocent and unlicked cub. But I believe I managed to
pull through the afternoon without notably disgracing my distinguished
host and patron; and, too, without referring even to 'secretarial
work.' I might have been heir to a dukedom, a distinguished remittance
man, or even a congenital idiot, for all the company was allowed to
gather from me as to my means of livelihood.

XVII

Towards six o'clock the company began to thin out somewhat, and within
the hour I found myself once more alone with Mr. Rawlence.

'Well, and what do you think of these few representatives of Sydney's
Bohemia?' asked my host. 'They are not, perhaps, leading pillars of
our official society, as one may say--the Government House set, you
know--but my Sunday afternoon visitors are apt to be pretty fairly
representative of our best literary and artistic circles, I think.
Interesting fellows, are they not? I was glad to notice you had a few
words with Foster, the editor of the _Chronicle_. If you still have
literary or journalistic ambitions, and have not been entirely
captivated by the pundits of commerce and money-making, Foster might
be of material assistance to you.'

Just then Ah Lun passed before us (still smiling), carrying a tray
full of used glasses.

'We'll have a bit of dinner here, Ah Lun. I won't go out to-night. I
dare say you have something we can pick over. Let us know when it's
ready.'

Really, as I look back