He had set himself down before the gates of the city of fashion, and had taken them by storm; or, perhaps, to speak with more propriety, he had picked the locks and let himself in.

In his walks of life he was somebody in London.

A man at the West End who did not know who was Adolphus Crosbie knew nothing.

I do not say that he was the intimate friend of many great men; but even great men acknowledged the acquaintance of Adolphus Crosbie, and he was to be seen in the drawing-rooms, or at any rate on the staircases, of Cabinet Ministers.
Lilian Dale, dear Lily Dale--for my reader must know that she is to be very dear, and that my story will be nothing to him if he do not love Lily Dale--Lilian Dale had discovered that Mr Crosbie was a swell.

But I am bound to say that Mr Crosbie did not habitually proclaim the fact in any offensive manner; nor in becoming a swell had he become altogether a bad fellow.