"I flatter myself it's rather a clever notion," said Luke, complacently. "You don't mind your brother being arrested for theft, then?"
"No, curse him! He sets up for a young saint, lectures me, who am almost old enough to be his father."
"Still, he is your brother," said Luke, dryly.
"A pretty sort of brother he is! Why, he wouldn't give me a penny to save me from starvation. The other day, when I was dead broke, and wanted to borrow a trifle, he made such a row that I had to give it up. There isn't any love lost between Paul and me."
"What will become of your mother and sister if Paul goes to prison?"
"I don't know, and I don't care," said Stephen, spitting viciously. "They may starve, for all I care."
"Upon my word, you're a relation worth having," said Luke, lazily puffing at a meerschaum pipe, for he was somewhat fastidious in his tastes, and disdained the common clay pipe which Stephen was not above using.
In truth, he despised the man with whom he nevertheless spent a considerable part of his time. There was a community of vice between them, but Luke was by nature refined and Stephen coarse.
"You wouldn't expect me to take the young puppy's place and work for them, would you?" demanded Stephen.
"If I had a mother and sister, I would do just that," said Denton; and he spoke with sincerity, for, with all his want of principle, he was not without domestic affection.