When Morley Jones found himself suddenly deserted² by his ally Billy Towler, he retired³ to the privacy of a box in a low public-house in Thames Street, and there, under the stimulus⁴ of a stiff glass of grog, consulted with himself as to the best mode of procedure under the trying circumstances in which he found himself placed. He thought it probable, after half an hour of severe meditation⁶, that Billy would return to the Grotto⁷, but that, for his own sake, he would give a false account of his absence, and say nothing about the loss of the Skylark. Feeling somewhat relieved in mind by his conclusions on this head, he drank off his grog, called for another glass, and then set himself to the consideration of how far the disappearance⁸ of the boy would interfere⁹ with his obtaining payment of the various sums due by the Insurance Offices. This point was either more knotty¹⁰ and difficult to unravel¹¹ than the previous one, or the grog began to render his intellect less capable of grappling with it. At all events it cost him an hour to determine his course of action, and required another glass of grog to enable him to put the whole matter fairly before his mental vision in one comprehensive view. This, however, accomplished¹², he called for a fourth glass of grog “for luck,” and reeled out of the house to carry out his deep-laid plans.

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