Between these two a close
intimacy sprang up, one of those partnerships, beginning with mutual
deception, which are so common in the border-land of enterprise just
skirting the criminal courts. Polkenhorne resided at this time in
Kennington; he was married--or said that he was--to a young lady
in the theatrical profession, known to the public as Miss Grace
Danver. To Mrs. Polkenhorne, or Miss Danver, Joseph soon had the
honour of being presented, for she was just then playing at a London
theatre; he found her a pretty but consumptive-looking girl, not at
all likely to achieve great successes, earning enough, however, to
support Mr. Polkenhorne during this time of his misfortunes--a
most pleasant and natural arrangement.
Polkenhorne's acquaintances were numerous, but, as he informed
Joseph, most of them were 'played out,' that is to say, no further
use could be made of them from Polkenhorne's point of view. One,
however, as yet imperfectly known, promised to be useful, perchance
as a victim, more probably as an ally; his name was Scawthorne, and
Polkenhorne had come across him in consequence of a friendship
existing between Grace Danver and Mrs.
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