He Lost Everything, Then Gambled on Himself

Chapter III introduces Alfred Westwood, a vain but calculating London clerk who once crashed into bankruptcy after reckless ambition. Refusing to fall permanently, he cleverly pressures an insurance office to secure employment and begins rebuilding his status. Now rising in Mr. Merapie’s firm, Westwood studies the arrival of Mrs. Frazer and her children, quietly deciding how they might serve his future plans.