A good education was given him; and at the age of sixteen he went to London and to fortune.

The one was looked upon as a natural sequence to the other.

Some friend of Jabez Gum's had interested himself to procure the lad's admission into one of the great banks as a junior clerk.

He might rise in time to be cashier, manager, even partner; who knew?
Who knew indeed?
And Clerk Gum congratulated himself, and was more respectable than ever.
Better that Willy Gum had remained at Calne! And yet, and again--who knew?
When the propensity for ill-doing exists it is sure to come out, no matter where.

There were some people in Calne who could have told Clerk Gum, even then, that Willy, for his age, was tolerably fast and forward.
Mrs.Gum had heard of one or two things that had caused her hair to rise on end with horror; ay, and with apprehension; but, foolish mother that she was, not a syllable did she breathe to the clerk; and no one else ventured to tell him.
She talked to Willy with many sighs and tears; implored him to be a good boy and enter on good courses, not on bad ones that would break her heart.