"well!" said his friend stryver, "you take it more easily than i fancied you would, and are less mercenary on my behalf than i thought you would be; though, to be sure, you know well enough by this time that your ancient chum is a man of a pretty strong will. yes, sydney, i have had enough of this style of life, with no other as a change from it; i feel that it is a pleasant thing for a man to have a home when he feels inclined to go to it (when he doesn't, he can stay away), and i feel that miss manette will tell well in any station, and will always do me credit. so i have made up my mind. and now, sydney, old boy, i want to say a word to you about your prospects. you are in a bad way, you know; you really are in a bad way. you don't know the value of money, you live hard, you'll knock up one of these days, and be ill and poor; you really ought to think about a nurse."