Then he began, quietly at first: he sitting on one side the fire, I and Bill on the other. Touching gently on this, alluding to that, our eyes opened in more senses than one; for we found that he knew all about Sophie Chalk’s sojourn in the town, the attention she received from the undergraduates, and Tod’s infatuation.
“What’s Todhetley’s object in going there?” he asked.
“Amusement, I think, sir,” hazarded Bill.
“Does he gamble there for amusement too?”
Where on earth had old Brandon got hold of all this?
“How much has Todhetley lost already?” he continued. “He is in debt, I know. Not for the first time from the same cause.”
Bill stared. He knew nothing of that old episode in London with the Clement-Pells. I felt my face flush.
“Tod does not care for playing really, sir. But the cards are there, and he sees others play and gets drawn in to join.”
“Well, what amount has he lost this time, Johnny?”
“I don’t know, sir.”