“Yes.  I made over ten thousand in Glasgow, buying an option on an engineering business—­with your money—­from people who wanted to get rid of it, and then selling what I hadn’t paid for to people in London who wanted to get hold of an engineering business up there.  Seems simple enough, and the only reason everybody isn’t doing it is that it isn’t as simple as it seems.  At least, it’s simple, but there’s a knack in it.  I found out I’d got the knack through my little deals in motor-bikes and things.  As a matter of fact I didn’t find out,—­some one told me, and I began to think....  But don’t be alarmed if I go bust.  I’m on to a much bigger option now, in the City.  Oh!  Very much bigger.  If it comes off ... you’ll see.  Lady Massulam is keen on it, and she’s something of a judge....  Any remarks?”

Mr. Prohack looked cautiously at the young man, his own creation, to whom, only the other day as it seemed, he had been in the habit of giving one pound per school-term for pocket-money.  And he was affrighted—­not by what he had created, but by the astounding possibilities of fatherhood, which suddenly presented itself to him as a most dangerous pursuit.

“No remarks,” said he, briefly.  What remarks indeed could he offer?  Wildly guessing at the truth about his son, in that conversation with Eve on the previous evening, he had happened to guess right.  And his sermon to Eve prevented now the issue of remarks.

“Oh!  Of course!” Charlie burst out.  “You can’t tell me anything I don’t know already.  I’m a pirate.  I’m not producing.  All the money I make has to be earned by somebody else before I get hold of it.  I’m not doing any good to my beautiful country.  But I did try to find a useful job, didn’t I?  My beautiful country wouldn’t have me.  It only wanted me in the trenches.  Well, it’s got to have me.  I’ll jolly well make it pay now.  I’ll squeeze every penny out of it.  I’ll teach it a lesson.  And why not?  I shall only be shoving its own ideas down its throat.  Supposing I hadn’t got this knack and I hadn’t had you.  I might have been wearing all my ribbons and playing a barrel organ in Oxford Street to-day instead of living at the Grand Babylon.”

“You’re becoming quite eloquent in your old age,” said Mr. Prohack, tremulously jocular while looking with alarm into his paternal heart.  Was not he himself a pirate?  Had not the hundred and fifty thousand that was coming to him had to be earned by somebody else?  Money did not make itself.

“Well,” retorted Charlie, with a grim smile.  “There’s one thing to be said for me.  When I do talk, I talk.”

“And so at last you’ve begun to read?”

“I’m not going to be the ordinary millionaire.  No fear!  Make your mind easy on that point.  Besides, reading isn’t so bad after all.”

“And what about that house you were speaking of?  You aren’t going to plant any of your options on me.”

“We’ll discuss that to-morrow.  I must get back to my seat,” said Charlie firmly, moving away.  “So long.”