What had he been doing to her?
robbing her?
or bullying her?
or what?
Reginald worked himself into a state of wrath over the prodigal, and very nearly persuaded himself to leave out the promise of forgiveness altogether.
"If the young gentleman who dropped an envelope in the Putney omnibus on the evening of the 6th instant will apply to B, at 16, Grip Street, he may hear of something to his advantage." How some people were born to luck! Think of making your fortune by dropping an envelope in a Putney omnibus.

How gladly he would pave the floor of every omnibus he rode in with envelopes if only he could thereby hear anything to his advantage! He had a great mind to stroll round by Number 16, Grip Street that evening to see who this mysterious "B" could be.
"To intelligent young men in business .-- Add L50 a year to your income without any risk or hindrance whatever to ordinary work .-- Apply confidentially to Omega, 13, Shy Street, Liverpool, with stamp for reply.

None but respectable intelligent young men need apply." Hullo! Reginald laid down his composing-stick and read the advertisement over again: and after that he read it again, word by word, most carefully.

L50 a year! Why, that was as much again as his present income, and without risk or interfering with his present work too! Well, his present work might be his past work to-morrow; but even so, with L50 a year he would be no worse off, and of course he could get something else to do as well by way of ordinary work.

If only he could bring in L100 a year to the meagre family store! What little luxuries might it not procure for his mother! What a difference it might make in that dreary, poky Dull Street parlour, where she sat all day! Or if they decided not to spend it, but save it up, think of a pound a week ready against a rainy day! Reginald used to have loose enough ideas of the value of money; but the last few weeks had taught him lessons, and one of them was that a pound a week could work wonders.
"Apply confidentially." Yes, of course, or else any duffer might snatch at the prize.