Seite 548 von 657

"It was naturally my intention that he should succeed me in my

business, but he was not of a business turn. He was wild,

wayward, and, to speak the truth, I could not trust him in the

handling of large sums of money. When he was young he became a

member of an aristocratic club, and there, having charming

manners, he was soon the intimate of a number of men with long

purses and expensive habits. He learned to play heavily at cards

and to squander money on the turf, until he had again and again

to come to me and implore me to give him an advance upon his

allowance, that he might settle his debts of honour. He tried

more than once to break away from the dangerous company which he

was keeping, but each time the influence of his friend, Sir

George Burnwell, was enough to draw him back again.