No wonder he was in despair.
"If I had not drunk too much, I should have stopped playing when I saw I was losing," went on Cedric in a contrite tone; "but they plied me with liquor, and I got reckless, and then I knew no more till I found myself in bed with my clothes on." Cedric was not shirking the truth certainly.

The young prodigal already realised the nature of the husks given to him; he was so low and abject in his abasement that a word of rebuke would have seemed cruel.

One thing was certain, that matters were serious--gambling and drunkenness were no light offences.
Malcolm had already been put into possession of the youth's domestic history.

His name was Cedric Templeton; his parents were dead, and he was dependent on his half-sisters; his father had had heavy losses, and Cedric's inheritance had been small.

The first Mrs.Templeton had brought her husband great wealth, but the money had been settled on the daughters.