He had confessed his own fault once, to his own wife, and he could not bring himself to do it again.

Charley was thunderstruck at the greatness of the ruin, but he offered what assistance he could give.

Anything that he could do, he would.

Alaric had sent for him for a purpose, and that purpose at any rate Charley could fulfil.

He went into the city to ascertain what was now the price of the Limehouse bridge shares, and returned with the news that they were falling, falling, falling.
No one else called at Alaric's door that day.