He realized only a certain dull terror of the future; the present eluded him utterly.
He had never been over-scrupulous perhaps, he had always taken what he pleased to call long chances, and it was in almost imperceptible gradations that he had descended in the scale of honesty to the point that had at last made possible these forgeries.

Until now he had always felt certain of himself and of his future; time was to bring him into the presence of his dear desires, when he should have money to lift the burden of debt, money to waste, money to scatter, money to spend for the good things of life.
But he had made the fatal mistake of anticipating the success in which he so firmly believed.

Those notes--he dashed his hand before his face; suddenly the air of the room seemed to stifle him, courage and cunning had left him; there was only North to whom he could turn for a few hundreds with which to quiet Gilmore.

Let him but escape the consequences of his folly this time and he promised himself he would retrench; he would live within his income, he would apply himself to his profession as he had never yet applied himself.

He scowled heavily at Gilmore, who met his scowl with a cynical smile.
"Well, what are you going to do ?" he queried.
But Langham did not answer at once.