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THE LIBRARY
OF THE
REGENTS
UNIVERSITY
1.
OF
&B
ARTIOU
Wilson Library
MINNESOTA
THE TWO
TWO BROTHERS
AND
THE TWO PATHS.
BY THE
REV. PHILIP BENNETT POWER, M. A.,
-}
AUTHOR OF "THE LAST SHILLING,' ""THE THREE CRIPPLES,
I WILLS OF THE PSALMS," "THE I WILLS OF CHRIST.”
THR
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but the companion
of fools shall be destroyed."- Prov. xiil. 20.
NEW YORK:
ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS,
No. 580 BROADWAY.
1869.
Storeclyped by SMITH & McDougal, 84 Beekman Street, N. 1.
Printed by E. O. JENKINS, 20 N. William Street, N. Y.
812P871
OT
WILS, CLS
AFN9966-1
Contents.
CHAPTER
PAGH
I. THE POACHER'S GRAVE....
7
II.-PARTING WORDS....
18
III. THE SEPARATION..
27
IV.—THE NEW APPRENTICE..
38
V.-PROMOTION..
47
VI.-THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL……………
57

VII. SIN AND SORROW.......
72
VIII.-THE TEMPTER AND THE TEMPTED..
82
IX. THE BRIARY PATH....
91
X.-SIN SADDENS MANY HEARTS..
107
XI.—A FRIEND IN NEED....
114
XII.-SEEKING THE LOST....
127
XIII.-THE COINER'S GANG....
134
XIV. THE DISCOVERY..
142
ล
884891
vi
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
PAGE
XV. THE MEETING..
151
XVI.-THE TRIAL...
160
XVII.-RETRIBUTION.
169
XVIII-THE DEATII OF THE RIGHTEOUS...
175
XIX.-THE RETURNED CONVICT....
183
XX. THE JOURNEY'S END
196
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
PART I....
PART II...
PART III...
201
205
209
L
The Loacker's Grave.
T was a bright and glorious evening in the
early autumn, when a white-haired, sor-
rowful looking old clergyman stood in the pul-
pit of the little village church of Sharnford.
The red light of the descending sun streamed in
through the western window upon his face, and
as he stood there, clothed as it were in the ra-
diance of the departing day, he seemed just such
a messenger as would speak the glad tidings of
eternal peace. For forty years this had been
his continual task, in this one spot, where he
had been curate, and then vicar; so that the
greatest part of his life had been spent in Sharn-
ford, where he hoped to end his days at last.
During so long a ministry we can well imag-
8
THE TWO BROTHERS.
ine how many had been born and died; and
there were
now in the church fathers and
mothers of families, who when Mr. Gabriel first
came to the village, were infants in their cradles,
or just beginning to run about. He had lived
so long amongst them all, that he was looked up
to as a father by almost every one in the church,
and indeed in the village itself; and there was
scarcely any one to whom he had not endeared
himself by some act of kindness and of love.
Although Mr. Gabriel's congregation were
generally attentive, still this evening they
seemed more so than usual; and there was a
peculiar stillness throughout the church as he
gave out his text from the Book of Proverbs :
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise :
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
(Chap. xiii. 20.)
To account for this peculiar stillness in the
church, and attention on the part of the congre-
gation, we must inform the reader, that there
THE POACHER'S GRAVE. 9
had been a funeral in Sharnford church-yard
that very afternoon. Dick Giles, who had for
a long time been the pest of the village, had
died an awful death, and had been just buried
in the presence of the largest crowd that had
been known to attend any funeral in that
church-yard for many a year.
This Dick Giles, commonly called “Rattling
Dick" by his drunken companions, had resisted
all Mr. Gabriel's entreaties to turn from his
evil ways, and had been shot a few nights be-
fore, in an affray with some game-keepers in a
neighboring wood. He had been the leader of
a party of poachers, and while endeavoring to
wrench a gun from one of the keepers whom he
had knocked down, a pistol-ball entered his
side, from the effects of which he died in a few
hours. And what a death-bed was his !-
wounded, and bleeding, he lay insensible on a
heap of straw in the corner of a barn which was
near the spot where the affray had taken place ;
10
THE TWO BROTHERS.
and not one of his companions came near him to
see what could be done for him, nor did they
attend the funeral, as they knew that they had
been marked by the keepers, and that warrants.
were out for their apprehension. Mr. Gabriel
indeed had visited him as soon as he heard of
the unfortunate affair, but he could do nothing
for him as the wretched man continued insensi-
ble from the time he had received the wound
until he died.
It was very natural to suppose that something
would be said in the sermon about what had
happened, nor was the congregation disap-
pointed, for Mr. Gabriel gave out his text with
special reference to this melancholy event.
After having shown that as a man sows so
also must he expect to reap, he explained how
all life was a sowing time, and that glory with
God in heaven, or wretchedness with Satan in
hell, must be the result of living to God in ho-
liness, or living to Satan in sin; and then came
THE POACHER'S GRAVE. 11
an account of Dick Giles's melancholy end.
"Look at the new-inade grave," said the vener-
able man, "as you pass it on your way through
the churchyard, and let it be a sermon as pow-
erful to you as my words, yea, and far more
so;—what words will it speak to you? Surely
it will repeat the warning of the text: 'He
that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but
a companion of fools shall be destroyed.'
Few passed Dick Giles's grave that evening,
as they went home, without pausing for a mo-
ment to look upon it, as it lay near the church-
yard gate, wrapped up in the dark shadows of
the neighboring trees, which, now that the sun
had so nearly set, fell thickly and gloomily
upon it.
Some dropped a tear, as they remembered
the early days of the unhappy young man, when
with his long flaxen curls and his handsome
face he was quite remarkable in the village.
Some shuddered and passed on, walking home
12
THE TWO BROTHERS.
as fast as they could, and others breathed a
prayer that "it might please God to keep their
children from evil ways, and from coming at
last to anything like Dick Giles's end."
Amongst Mr. Gabriel's hearers that evening
had been a family consisting of four persons, Mr.
and Mrs. Calvert and their two sons, Ralph and
Charles, on whom not a word of the sermon had
been lost. They also passed by Dick Giles's
grave, and looked at it with solemn awe, as they
thought of his fearful end.
Mr. Calvert was the principal shopkeeper in
the village, and was reported to be worth some
money, and Ralph and Charles were his only
children. He was a good man, and his wife was
an equally good woman; and their great aim in
life was, not only to provide for their boys as
far as worldly things went, but to give them
good principles, which should help to guide them
through the temptations to which, in common
with every one else, they must be exposed.
THE POACHER'S GRAVE. 13
"Let us teach them to look to Christ for their
salvation, and to live to him as their Master,
and then," said he, "all will be sure to turn
out well at last.'
""
As to the boys themselves, they both gave
promise of being all that their parents desired.
They were singularly diligent at school, obe-
dient and well-principled at home, and had
gained the respect of many in the village far
older and wiser than themselves.
Dick Giles's grave had made a great impres-
sion on each of them, and that night when they
went to bed they could talk of nothing else.
They lay very close to each other, and covered
themselves up as much as they could in the
clothes, as they conversed upon all that they
had heard of the unhappy young man's career
and death, :
1
"I heard," said Ralph, "that he was once a
very good boy indeed, and was beloved by every
one in the neighborhood, and that Mr. Gabriel
2
14
THE TWO BROTHERS.
thought so well of him, that he had him to work
in his garden for more than two years."
"So he had," said Charley, "but some bad
boys offered him a new knife for some of Mr.
Gabriel's apples, and he gave them some of the
very finest in the garden."
"And did Mr. Gabriel find him out, and send
him away?" said Ralph.
"O no,” replied Charley, "he sent for him,
and told him how great a sin he bad committed;
he said he did not care for the value of the ap-
ples, but for Dick's soul; and on his promising
not to do such a thing again, he forgave him,
and kept him on at work."
"Well!" said Ralph, "and what happened
then ?"
"L
'Why, Mr. Thresham, the schoolmaster,
who told me all about it, said that Giles was
caught stealing again and again, until at last
Mr. Gabriel, finding that all his promises
went for nothing, and that he was becoming
THE POACHER'S GRAVE. 15
1
worse and worse, was obliged to send him
away."
"And did he get another place?" said
Ralph.
"Mr. Thresham says, that he went from bad
to worse, that he was always in the company of
the boys to whom he had given the apples; in
fact," said he, "they got hold of him, and he
was to be found at all hours with them, singing
and drinking in the public house, although no
one could ever make out where he got the
money, until now."
'No doubt he got it by poaching," said
Ralph, "but he got his death by it too.'
,,
"You know," said Charley, "they called
him 'Dick the Rattler,' I could not help
thinking of that when I was looking at the
grave."
"But did you hear," said Ralph, "what has
become of all the men who used to be drinking
with him in the public house? I heard father
16
THE TWO BROTHERS.
say, that not one of them has been seen since
the night when Dick Giles was shot."
"I suppose," answered his brother, "they
are off to London, where they can hide. Mr.
Thresham says, that one of the keepers has been
wounded very dangerously, and that if he should
die, and any of Dick Giles's companions be
caught, they are sure to be hanged for it; and
so they have made off."
Here the conversation ended for a while;
when after some minutes of silence the younger
brother began again :
"I say, Ralph, I suppose Mr. Gabriel made
the sermon to-night on purpose because of
Dick ?" But Ralph gave him no answer, as he
had dropped almost asleep, and Charley not
quite liking to lie awake alone, and after sundry
hems and pushes finding that Ralph, so far from
awaking, was beginning to snore, prepared to
follow his brother's example; having again ex-
pressed his opinion that "Mr. Gabriel made
THE POACHER'S GRAVE 17
11
that sermon on purpose for Dick;" "I'll try
and remember it," said Charley, "and when-
ever I hear it, I'll think of Dick Giles's grave,'
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
2*
கு
II.
Zarting Words.
YEAR after this conversation between
the two boys their father fell sick, and
in the course of three months was laid in his
grave. He knew that he was dying after the
first month of his illness, and this made him all
the more anxious to impress upon his two boys
the lessons which he had so often taught them
when he was well and strong. Day by day,
then, he had them by his bed-side, and gave
them every precept of holiness which was neces-
sary to guide their steps in life; well did Mr.
Calvert know that the time would come when
such precepts must be of use, for he had expe-
rienced that the world in which he was about to
leave his wife and children was one steeped in
PARTING WORDS.
19
t
wickedness, and full of bad example, which
might prove their ruin. It was a dreary win-
ter's night, the wind was howling, and the rain
pelting furiously against the window, when this
good man sent for the two boys, and told them
that he felt himself sinking very rapidly, that
the doctor had told their mother that day that
he might die at a moment's notice, owing to the
peculiar turn which his disease had taken.
"My dear boys," said he, "you must remem-
ber many of the precepts which I have given
you during the last few weeks, and soon you
will have your father no more to remind you of
what you ought to do." Ralph and Charley
burst into tears, for they loved their father
dearly, and could not bear to think of his going
from them, never to return again. "Do not
cry, my boys," said the dying man; "God has
been kind to me all my life, and I know he will
not desert me n the hour of death; all my
20
THE TWO BROTHERS
anxiety is about you, that when I have gone you
should live and die like Christian men."
"Ralph," said Mr. Calvert, taking his eldest
son by the hand, "I expect you to be a support
and comfort to your poor mother, and to protect
as far as you can your younger brother. Obey
her as you have done me, and remember that by
honoring her you will bring a blessing upon
yourself."
Then he directed him how to manage some
parts of the business which must fall to him;
and concluded by warning him against evil com-
pany, reminding him of the sermon of Mr. Ga-
briel's to which they had both listened, and of
Dick Giles's grave hard by the gate of the
churchyard.
As to Charley, his other son, Mr. Calvert
spoke much to him of the sin and evil of idle-
ness, for Charley, though an excellent boy at
school, was rather too high-spirited and fond
of play, and latterly this disposition seemed
FARTING WORDS.
21
to be creeping on him; this made his father
anxious to correct the evil as soon as possible,
and induced him to mention the subject at this
solemn time.
After remaining some time with their father,
the two boys went down to their supper, little
thinking they were never to see that dear parent
alive again. But so it was. Peaceably and
almost imperceptibly Mr. Calvert breathed his
last that very night, and a few days after was.
buried by Mr. Gabriel under a beautiful cypress
tree in the old churchyard.
Mrs. Calvert, Ralph, and Charley, followed
the coffin, and a great many of the neighbors
attended; for Mr. Calvert was not only well
known, but also highly respected, in Sharnford
and the neighborhood.
As they turned homewards, when the funeral
was over, and passed the church-yard gate,
Ralph gave Charley a little push with his elbow,
and whispered, "Thero's Dick Giles's grave."
22
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"Yes," said his brother, "Father reminded us
of it the other day." "Oh yes! I remember,"
said Ralph; and they said no more until they
reached home.
At night, however, Ralph renewed the sub-
ject, by saying, "Charley, I didn't like fath-
er's being buried in the same church-yard with
Dick Giles. I was very glad though that they
put his grave a long way off, I shouldn't like
him to be near Dick at all.”
"There was no other place where they could
bury poor father," said Charley, "and I'm
glad, as well as you, that they buried him
where they did, although Dick Giles could do
him no harm even if he were in the next grave
to him."
Well," said Ralph, "if I die in this village.
I'll beg to be buried in the far off corner of the
church-yard, for I always feel a kind of shud-
dering come over me now when I pass by that
grave."
PARTING WORDS.
23
"I'll tell you what it is, Ralph," said his
brother, "it does not matter where we are
buried, provided we live holy lives, and are true
believers in Jesus Christ, and have our sins
washed away in his blood. I hope, Ralph, this
will be the way with us, and then when we die
we shall be with dear father once again." Then
the boys talked about their father, until at last
they cried themselves to sleep.
The following morning two respectable farm-
ers in the neighborhood came to consult with
Mrs. Calvert as to what steps were now to be
taken about the future proceedings of the fam-
ily. On investigating Mr. Calvert's papers and
his will, it was found that he had left the shop
and business with £1,000 to his wife and eld-
est son Ralph, and £300 to Charley, to push
him forward in the world in any way that might
open; and on this Mr. Stubble and Mr. Ban-
tam, Mr. Calvert's two friends, thought that the
family might get on very well.
24
THE TWO BROTHERS.
The shop being one that contained all kinds
of things, and being much frequented by the
villagers, could not be kept closed very long;
accordingly on the third day after the funeral
the shutters were taken down, and Ralph and
the widow made their appearance behind the
counter, where for so many years Mr. Calvert
had sold tea and brushes, twine, soap, letter pa-
per, flannel, hoes, spades, and all the articles
usually needed in a village such as Sharnford.
Every one that came in to buy had a kind
word for the widow and her son, and some re-
marked how civil and attentive Ralph was, and
that he was likely to prove a worthy successor
to his father in the shop.
As to Ralph himself, when the family gath-
ered round the table for supper in the evening,
he was in high spirits, having sold a spade, a
pound of tea, a dozen balls of twine, three
ounces of sugar candy, and a quire of paper,
during the day.
PARTING WORDS.
25
1
But that which pleased Ralph most of all,
was, that Mr. Thresham the schoolmaster, and
Mr. Gabriel the clergyman, had been amongst his
customers.
Mr. Gabriel had indeed been to the Calverts'
shop, and bought the quire of paper which
Ralph had enumerated amongst his sales; not
that he wanted the paper particularly at that
time, but he thought that perhaps business
might be slack and discouraging the first day,
and he would give what encouragement he could.
"That's what I call doing business," said
Ralph to Charley, as he finished reading off of
a slate the different articles he had sold, "and
to-morrow I hope to do as much."
When the widow had counted up how much
she had sold, and added the amount to Ralph's,
she found that they had done even better than
they could have expected; and she made it a
special subject of thanksgiving at their evening
prayer.
3
26
THE TWO BROTHERS.
And what began thus well, continued to pros-
per for a time, until the business fell to ruin
from causes which we shall presently relate.
Meanwhile Charley had left home with many
a prayer from his poor mother, and much good
advice from Mr. Gabriel, to take a place which
had been provided for him in London through
the instrumentality of Mr. Stubble, who like a
true friend to Mr. Calvert determined to do
what he could for his sons. One hundred and
fifty pounds had been paid as his apprentice
fee, and the remaining hundred and fifty had
been put in the bank to be used as circumstances
should make advisable when his apprenticeship
was out; and thus Charley, with care, steadi-
ness, and principle, had every likelihood of
doing well.
}
10.
The Separation.
THE departure of Charles Calvert for Lon-
don was rather an event in the quiet vil-
lage of Sharnford. Living so far away from
the metropolis many of the good folk of that
retired place had very indistinct ideas of Lon-
don; all that the right-principled knew about
it was, that it was a very wicked place, while
such as cared but little for principle, but a good
deal for getting on in the world, said that it
was a place where every one was as sharp as a
needle, "Aye, sharp," said old Bob Hone the
barber, "I wish my razors were always as
sharp, they'd cut uncommon clean."
$
This being the general opinion about London,
Charley Calvert was looked upon by some as a
28
THE TWO BROTHERS.
hero, and by some as a martyr, and not a few
vented their indignation in hard speeches against
good farmer Stubble, declaring that when once
the boy was gone, no one in Sharnford would
ever see him again. Charley's mother, Mr.
Gabriel the clergyman, and farmer Stubble,
with Mr. Bantam, were the only persons who
took a different view of the matter, and they
all hoped that Charles Calvert would prosper,
and do well in life.
In the days of which we are writing now
there were no steam-engines flying through the
kingdom, whirling their thousands up to town,
and into the country, in the space of a few
hours. A journey from Sharnford was quite
an undertaking, and was never ventured on
without some very special and important busi-
ness; when the stage therefore drew up to
change horses at the door of the little village
inn, and Charley and his box and bag were
there to mount on the top, quite a small crowd
THE SEPARATION.
29
had assembled to see him off.
Amongst the
people assembled were Mr. Thresham, farmer
Stubble, and Bob Hone the barber. In a few
minutes the horses were changed, and the guard
sounded his horn for the start. "Good bye,
Charley," said Mr. Gabriel, pressing the little
fellow's hand, "and God's blessing go with
you." "Good bye," said farmer Stubble,
"and remember the directions about where you
are to get down." As to Charley's mother, she
had been prevailed upon to stay at home, hav-
ing already taken leave of her boy at least a
dozen times; tat Ralph had accompanied him
to see the last of him; and now as he was fairly
seated on the top of the coach, and could not
stoop down to return it, he threw up to his
brother a brown paper parcel, in which was a
stick of liquorice and some sugar-candy from
the shop, and Ralph's own half-crown, the only
one which he possessed in the world.
Perhaps Charley would have thrown him
30 THE TWO BROTHERS.
+
back the parcel, not liking to take so much
from him, had not the leaders given a sudden
plunge when the coachman gave them the reins,
and so they were off before Charley had even
time to think.
66
Humph," said Bob Hone, when the coach
had fairly turned the corner of the little street,
and the little crowd began to disperse, “if he
doesn't keep his mouth shut they'll steal his
teeth,-he's gone to an uncommon cunning
place. 'Twould have been twice as well," said
the barber, as he turned on his heel to go home,
"if they had bound him to me; think of what a
shop he could have set up with all that money.”
Bob had indeed already made a proposition to
this effect both to Mrs. Calvert and to farmer
Stubble, and had been rather mortified that all
his declarations of belief in Charley's ultimate
success, even to his attaining the head of the
profession, had failed.
1.
As to the boy himself, he bore up manfully;
THE SEPARATION.
31
he looked back when the coach acsended a high
hill from which Sharnford could be seen lying
in the valley beneath, and then he felt a little
husky in the throat; but his fellow passengers
were very kind to him, and the novelty of the
scenery prevented his dwelling too much on
home.
Ralph, however, and the widow were sad
enough; and as every one that came in to buy
was sure to make some remark about Charley,
which, of course, set them thinking of him
continually, they were very glad when the time
came for shutting up the shop, and retiring to
rest.
"I wonder what Charley is doing now?"
said Ralph, as he sat down on his bed before he
undressed : "I dare say he is thinking of
mother and me;" and then Ralph burst into a
flood of tears. He had not felt really lonely
until now.
While the preparations for his
brother's departure was going on he was obliged
32
THE TWO BROTHERS
to be continually in the shop, to let his mother
see after Charley's clothes; then at bed time he
had his brother always to talk to: but now he
felt himself really alone.
I
"Well 'tis some comfort," said Ralph, "that
gave
him the largest lump of sugar-candy we
had in the shop, and no doubt he'll see a great
many things in London that he'd like to buy,
and he has all the money I had. But won't he
be surprised when he unpacks his clothes to
find my new knife in his best trousers pocket!
he always said when he could afford it he in-
tended to buy one like it."
This last thought seemed to have had a con-
siderable effect upon Ralph Calvert's spirits,
for he laughed right out at the thoughts of
Charley's surprise, and contrived to fall asleep
before sadness came on again.
Meanwhile where was Charles Calvert, about
whom his brother was thinking so much?
Charley was safe in bed in an inn, where
THE SEPARATION.
33
farmer Stubble had directed him to sleep for
the night, and from which he was to proceed to
London the following morning. As the farmer
always put up there himself, and the landlady
had received a letter from him about the little
boy, he found himself in especially good quar-
ters, and was treated quite like a king. Mrs.
Hargrave, who was the landlady, was a mild,
gentle-looking woman, and she brought Charley
within the bar to sit down by her own fire, and
when she had given him his supper, and bed time
came, she went herself to see that he had every-
thing nice and comfortable, so that when he lay
down, and had wrapped himself up warm and
snug, he began to think that as yet he had fared
very well, and that if all went on so pleasantly
to the end the journey would not be so bad as
Bob Hone told him it was sure to be.
There was, however, one thing which sorely
puzzled Charley Calvert, and that was, why the
inn was called "The Dragon." The "Lamb
34
THE TWO BROTHERS.
was the name of the little inn in his own vil-
lage, and Mr. Lamb was the name of the man
that kept it; in his mind there was always a
connection between the two, indeed he believed
that the inn was called after the owner, but why
this was called "The Dragon," he could not
make out. It could have nothing to say to
Mrs. Hargrave's name, that was certain; and
he was sure it could not describe her in any
other way, for she had been very kind to him,
add did not look or speak as though she could
be unkind or fierce to any one; and at last he
was obliged to give up the mystery as unfath-
omable he noted it, however, in his mind, as
one of the points to be touched on in his letter.
to Ralph.
In due course the little boy reached his desti-
nation, and when the coach drew up at the office
in London Charley's intended master was there
to receive him, which he did with very great
kindness.
THE SEPARATION.
35
At first the little boy was somewhat afraid of
him, for he looked rather stern, and the name
of "a master," was rather frightful; the great
question was resolving itself in his mind-Was
he stricter than Mr. Thresham used to be, and
did he cane as he did? Charley Calvert having
been a very good boy at school, had very sel-
dom felt what Mr. Thresham was able to do in
that way; but all masters cannot be pleased,
even if a person do his very best; and the little
boy felt inclined to be somewhat shy until this
point was settled to his satisfaction.
"Do you take that little bag," said Mr. Ker-
symer to his new apprentice, "and I'll take this
box, it's not heavy, and we've not far to go;"
and so saying, the worthy linen-draper seized
Charley's trunk, and with great ease began to
walk off with it. "It would be waste of money
to have a coach," said Mr. Kersymer, as he
walked along, "for our house is not five min-
utes' walk from this, and money must never be
36
THE TWO BROTHERS.
thrown away; we never waste anything," said
he, "no, not even a crumb of bread.”
This speech gave Charley rather an unfavora-
ble opinion of his new master; and he was just
beginning to wonder whether Mr. Kersymer
gave his apprentices enough to eat, since he had
so particularly mentioned the not wasting even
a crumb of bread, when they arrived at his
door. "Here wife!" said Mr. Kersymer,
"here is our new apprentice ;" and that gentle-
man drew Charley by the hand towards the fire
where Mrs. Kersymer was sitting; "and now
we shall be glad of supper as soon as it is
ready."
At mention of the supper Charley Calvert
pricked up his ears; he was very hungry after
his long ride, notwithstanding that the landlady
of the terrible and mysterious Dragon had pro-
vided him with both sandwiches and cakes; and
to his very great joy, he soon saw the table
well spread with a cold leg of mutton, two
THE SEPARATION.
37
loaves of bread, a dish of hot potatoes, and
some cheese.
He looked first at the table, then at Mr.
Kersymer. What could he have meant? Char-
ley, however, did not like to ask, and as he had
already come to the conclusion, owing to Mrs.
Hargrave's keeping the Dragon, that there were
very strange things in the world, so now, look-
ing at Mr. Kersymer who had talked of not
wasting a crumb, and at the same time viewing
the supper on his table, he came to the conclu-
sion that there were strange people as well as
things, which he noted in his mind as a second
thing to write to Ralph about in his first letter.
4
I
IV.
The New Apprentice.
HE following morning at seven o'clock
Charles Calvert joined the rest of Mr.
Kersymer's family at prayers in the parlor.
It was a fixed rule of the worthy linen-
draper's that every day must be begun with God,
and he would retain no servant or apprentice in
his house who did not conform to this regula-
tion.
Mr. Kersymer read a chapter and explained
a portion of it, which he was very well able to
do, as he studied his Bible a great deal; and
then he prayed. Charley could not help re-
marking the great fervor with which he con-
ducted his family worship; especially as he had
been led to think that all the people in London
THE NEW APPRENTICE.
39
were desperately wicked; and that very few, if
any, ever prayed at all. Amongst other things,
Mr. Kersymer prayed for a special blessing on
his new apprentice; that he might be kept from
all the evils of the great city to which he had
come, and that God would enable him to con-
duct himself at all times as a child of his.
The breakfast was soon over, and at eight
o'clock the linen-draper told his new apprentice
that he was to accompany him to the counting
house in the shop, and there hear from him what
his duties were to be.
By this time Charley Calvert's fear of Mr.
Kersymer had considerably abated, and he had
already noted it as a third point to be commu-
nicated to Ralph, and through Ralph to Mr.
Gabriel, that his master was a very good and
pious man; he felt himself therefore compara-
tively at ease when he found himself alone with
the linen-draper in his counting-house. "We
always begin business exactly at half-past.
40
THE TWO BROTHERS.
eight,” said Mr. Kersymer, "and I have now
just half an hour to speak to you of a few im-
portant things."
(L
'In the first place, my boy," said Mr. Ker-
symer, "ever remember wherever you are,
whether in the shop or out of it, that the eye
of God is upon you, and that his ear is open to
every word you say."
•
"Remember, also, that honesty and diligence
are sure, in the long run, to thrive well, and
that whoever pursues a contrary course will cer-
tainly come to harm."
"Be civil and obliging to every one; be
precise, even to a farthing, in all your accounts,
and never use even a penny that is not your
own.
""
1
"You will always find me your friend,” con-
tinued Mr. Kersymer, "therefore come to me
whenever you are in difficulty of any kind, and
I will give you the best advice I can."
"I always expect," said he, at the end of his
THE NEW APPRENTICE. 41
conversation, "that every one in my service will
be diligent and punctual; wherever there is
idleness there is sure to be mischief, and people
are never so happy as when they are usefully
employed."
Having said these, and many other equally
good things, which we have not space to record
here, Mr. Kersymer told Charley that his duty
for the present would be to write out in a large
fair hand on all the parcels the names of the
purchasers and the places to which they were
to be sent; "and remember, my boy, no blots,
no slovenliness, everything must be done in the
best possible way."
Having fairly established his new apprentice
in his particular department, Mr. Kersymer
went through the shop to see that every one was
at his post, and having done this he returned to
his own counting-house to write his letters, and
as this was quite close to where Charles Calvert
42
THE TWO BROTHERS.
was sitting, the boy felt he had his master's
eye on him all the day.
For the first couple of hours Charley had not
much to do; a parcel was brought to him now
and then, but he thought it rather slow work if
all the day were to be spent in that way.
When, however, it came to eleven o'clock, he
soon found that he had no idle place. Several
carriers from the country had brought large.
orders, and by this time the shop was nearly
full of customers. Charley Calvert would
much rather have been in any other part of it
than that in which he was. In the first place
he fancied Mr. Kersymer was always looking at
him, and his hand quite shook as he directed
the first set of parcels; and in the next place
this work seemed rather dull to him; he would
have much preferred to have been at the other
end of the shop where he could have seen the
carriages in the street, and be engaged in a
more interesting way amongst pieces of silk,
THE NEW APPRENTICE.
43
boxes of bright ribbons, and beautiful clean-
looking linens and laces, which he should have
liked uncommonly to have sold and measured
out. Mr. Kersymer knew all this very well;
and kindness to his new apprentice had induced
him to appoint him to the duty on which he was
then engaged. Had Charley been sent down
farther in the shop, his attention must have
been distracted by a thousand new objects in the
street; besides which, he would have been so
fatigued from the continual standing behind
the counter, that he must have left his
post long before the days' business was com-
pleted.
He kept, however, pretty well to his work for
some time, until at last he got fairly tired of it,
and throwing his arms asunder, he indulged in
a very decided yawn;-but what was his horror
on looking up to see Mr. Kersymer staring at
him with apparently the greatest astonishment!
In a moment all the blord in Charley's body
44
THE TWO BROTHERS.
seemed to rush up into his face, and he began
to write away at the parcels before him as dili-
gently as he could. Mr. Kersymer made no
remark, but when Charley's yawn was ended,
quietly went on with his letters again; although
he said nothing, still the new apprentice felt
that he had seen him yawning so stupidly when
every one else was engaged, and when so many
parcels were lying before him which he had not
yet directed.
There was no further yawning until dinner
time; and at one o'clock Charley Calvert ac-
companied his master out of the shop, into the
parlor of which we have already spoken. There
he found as good a dinner as there had been
a supper the night before, so that all the little
boy's apprehensions seemed to vanish as far as
Mr. Kersymer's giving him enough to eat was
concerned that which now particularly troubled
him was, a fear lest Mr. Kersymer should make
any allusion to that unfortunate yawn: he felt
:
THE NEW APPRENTICE.
45
drealfully ashamed at the thought of Mrs. Ker-
symer's hearing anything about it.
Alas! poor Charley's fears were destined to
prove too true: at dinner Mr. Kersymer asked
him whether he should like a nap after dinner,
as he understood that some people were fond of
a sleep in the middle of the day, and as Mrs.
Kersymer looked very much amused at this,
Charley felt that the pleasure of the yawn was
rather dearly bought.
Mr. Kersymer, however, was not much given
to finding fault, so to Charley's great relief he
said no more.
After dinner they returned to the shop, where
everything seemed going on as busily as ever;
and during Charley's absence, he found that his
pile of parcels had been wonderfully increased:
he set to, however, manfully, and did his work,
and did it well; indeed so much so, that Mr.
Kersymer determined that he should have a
treat, so he called him to him, and told him to
46
THE TWO BROTHERS.
get his hat and coat, and accompany the porter
with the light cart, which was to carry some of
the brown paper parcels through two or three
of the most crowded thoroughfares in London.
This was indeed a treat; such wonders the
young apprentice had never seen before;-there
were hundreds of things in the shop windows,
the uses and even the names of which he did not
know; and it was no small pleasure to feel his
little purse which contained five shillings of his
own, besides Ralph's half-crown, and say, "I
can buy this or that if I like;" half Charley's
pleasure as he went along consisted in this.
The reader will easily believe that Charles
Calvert enjoyed this kind of business much
more than directing parcels; and he could not
help indulging a foolish wish, that when he got
a little bigger his duty might be to drive the
spring cart, which in his estimation would be
great promotion from directing the brown paper
parcels in the shop.
V.
Promotion.
N about a month after Charles Calvert's
arrival, he got promotion in Mr. Kersy-
mer's shop, and from directing brown paper par-
cels, he was advanced to a place behind the
counter, which position he had coveted at his
first arrival.
His department was to sell laces, of which
Mr. Kersymer had a large and costly stock ;
and as the shop mark was written very legibly
on each piece, the linen draper thought that his
apprentice was not likely to make any mis-
takes.
Charley was very well pleased with this
change and was only sorry that he lost his oc-
casional rides in the spring cart, to which he
48
THE TWO BROTHERS.
had become greatly attached. He sold a great
deal, for the demand for laces at Mr. Kersymer's
was very great; and in the evening had the
satisfaction of hearing his master say, "He was
much pleased with him," which declaration not
only gratified the boy, but made him determine
to do still better if it were possible.
This resolution was not one made only for a
moment, for Charles Calvert kept honestly to it,
and day by day grew rapidly in his master's
favor, so much so, that in the course of twelve
months he had become of the greatest use in the
shop, and had received from Mr. Kersymer one
or two trifling presents, small indeed in them-
selves, but sufficient to show the master's opin-
ion of his apprentice.
At the end of twelve months Mr. Kersymer
sent for Charles to his counting house, and told
him he was about to change his duties.
66 I
have already given you an insight into three de-
partments of the business; the managers of each
PROMOTION.
49
have reported very favorably of you and now,"
said Mr. Kersymer, "I am about to place you
with Mr. Counter, the cash keeper, and I ex-
pect you will give me as much satisfaction
henceforth as you have hitherto done."
"I have written to your mother," continued
Mr. Kersymer, "and also to Mr. Stubble, to
inform them of your good conduct during the
past twelve months; and it ought to be no small
source of pleasure to you to be able to please
those who take such an interest in your welfare."
All this was indeed very delightful to the
little boy-if indeed he could be called little any
longer, seeing he had grown so much-and he
assured his master that he earnestly endeavored
to do what he knew was right.
"Aye," said Mr. Kersymer, "and whenever
you are in doubt, come and make me your
friend, and above all make God your Friend,
whoever makes Him a Friend is sure to receive
a blessing."
5
50
THE TWO BROTHERS.
With this good advice Charles Calvert was
dismissed from Mr. Kersymer's counting house,
and went to take his seat in Mr. Counter's little
box, which was in the middle of the shop.
There were three occupants of Mr. Counter's
little box, and when they were all safely be-
stowed therein, there was very little room for
turning about.
These three were Mr. Counter, Charley Cal-
vert, and a lad of the name of Tompkins, who
greeted the new comer with a very familiar nod,
as though he had known him for years, and who
styled him "Younker !" which Charley thought
taking a great liberty, seeing he had never
spoken to him before.
All this was carried on without Mr. Counter's
knowing anything about it, so busy was he at
his book, in which he was making entries as fast
as he could write.
When room was fairly made for Charley, and
Mr. Counter had given him the necessary in-
PROMOTION.
51
structions as to how he was to proceed, the boy
was delighted with his work. Gold, silver, and
notes were paid in, in such quick succession, and
change had to be given for each; this was very
agreeable employment, and Charley could not
help wishing that Ralph might at some time do
as much business. "Ah!" said he, "the first
day after poor father's funeral, Ralph thought
he had done wonders, and said, 'That's what I
call doing business!' What would he think if
he were to be here even for a single hour?"
What, indeed!" he repeated, as he put out
his hand to receive a £10 note, for which change
was wanted.
((
The only drawback to Charley's perfect con-
tentment, and even enjoyment, was the conduct
of the boy Tompkins, who, though he dared not
speak any louder than a whisper, as Mr. Coun-
ter was so near at hand, still continued to tor-
ment young Calvert with all sorts of idle words
52
THE TWO BROTHERS.
and low sayings, which were apparently his es-
pecial delight.
Several times he determined to tell Mr. Ker-
symer at once, and so put an end to the matter,
but he had found out that Tompkins was the
son of a widowed mother, and her chief support,
and this prevented his informing his master of
all that passed.
((
'Perhaps he'll be dismissed," said Charley,
"and this will break his mother's heart. I'll
try him on a bit longer, and if he doesn't be-
have himself, I'll threaten to tell it all to Mr.
Kersymer."
Tomkins, however, did not improve, but
seemed to grow worse and worse; until at last
Charles Calvert was so enraged at him one day,
that he threatened to tell Mr. Kersymer that
night. "What, young un," said Tomkins,
"you tell on me? I'll tell you what it is, I'll
pay you out if you do; won't I? O no, may
be not! That's all! May be not! O dear
PROMOTION.
53
no!" And he broke into a suppressed laugh,
and looked so very evil, that Charles seemed
almost afraid to put his threat into execution.
Throughout the day, however, his tormentor
continued so bad, that without any further
threatening, young Calvert determined to inform
his master. Accordingly, when the business.
was concluded for the day, he put on a bold face,
and informed Mr. Kersymer of the martyrdom
he had been enduring, and the little likelihood
there seemed of its ceasing, unless he interfered.
"It is too bad," said that gentleman, "that
I should hear these complaints of Tomkins. I
threatened him once before when I heard him
using such language as he went home for the
night. I must dismiss him, or he will bring
my establishment into discredit, and be a dis-
grace to us all."
Charley saw that Mr. Kersymer was very
much displeased, and that this had evidently
not been Tomkins' first offence; still he could
5*
54
THE TWO BROTHERS.
not bear the idea of the boy's being turned
away, and so bringing wretchedness upon his
widowed mother.
29
"Tomkins shall be dismissed to-morrow,'
said Mr. Kersymer as he locked his desk, and
prepared to adjourn to the parlor for supper;
"he is, I am afraid, too much given to bad lan-
guage, and I cannot keep him any longer."
Charley saw that Mr. Kersymer's mind was
made up, and he ventured to say no more upon
the matter that evening. Two or three times.
he thought of trying, but the decided tones of
Mr. Kersymer's voice when he said, "Tomkins
shall go to-morrow," quite prevented any at-
tempt in his behalf.
All that night the boy slept very little ;—he
did not want Mr. Kersymer to send Tomkins
away; for however glad he might have been to
get rid of him, he fancied that the widow,
his.
other, must starve; "perhaps," said he,
Tomkins is to his mother as much as Ralph is
PROMOTION.
55
to mine, and come what will, I am determined
to try and beg him off."
This was, however, more easily said than
done, especially as all breakfast time Charley's
master seemed intent on dismissing Tomkins
that very day. "It is too bad," said he, to his
wife, that after all my kindness, I seem to
make no impression on him, indeed it is evident
he will never come to any good."
"It is very discouraging," replied Mrs. Ker-
symer, "and I am very sorry for it, not only
for his own sake, for there is no knowing what
will become of him, but also for his mother's;
indeed, if it were possible, I should like you to
try him even once again.”
Now, if ever, was Charley's opportunity, and
he ventured to put in a word for Tomkins.
CL
Indeed, sir," said he, addressing himself to
Mr. Kersymer, "if you will pass over his fault
this once, I hope he will amend, and Tomkins
told me his mother was very poor."
56
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"But," said the linen draper, "I cannot, be-
cause Tomkins's mother is poor, have him using
such language in the shop; it is quite enough to
bring down a curse instead of a blessing on the
place."
(6
'But perhaps he'll amend," said Charles
Calvert, his courage now rising, as he had
broken the ice, and ventured so far.
"Yes, perhaps," said Mr. Kersymer, "but
I should say not very likely, for I have already
forgiven him a great many times."
"Well, sir," said Charley, "if only you will
show mercy to him this once, if he should
offend again, I'll not try to beg him off." And
Mrs. Kersymer seconding the application very
vigorously, it was determined that for this, the
last and only time, Tomkins was to be forgiven.
VI.
The First Step in Evil.
WO years had passed away, and Tomkins
and Charley Calvert were still apprentices
in Mr. Kersymer's shop; Ralph and his mother
were also still at Sharnford, but a good many
changes had taken place during that time.
The boy Tomkins had now become almost a
man, and having had so narrow an escape of dis-
missal, had reformed his manners so far, as to
give up all bad language, at least in Charley
Calvert's hearing; and if by any chance he let
slip a profane expression or an oath, he always
seemed in haste to correct himself, and address-
ing himself to young Calvert, generally said,
"I beg your pardon, O dear, I didn't mean it."
It was evident, however, to the latter, that this
58
THE TWO BROTHERS.
was a proof that any change which there ap-
peared to be in Tomkins, was merely outward,
and that no reformation could have been really
accomplished within.
Remembering his father's advice on his dying
bed, young Calvert had by God's grace con-
tinued faithful and diligent in his duties; so
much so that he was in high favor with Mr.
Kersymer, who during a long illness had trans-
acted all his business through him, and as a
mark of his esteem had presented him with a
valuable watch; he had even done more than
this, he had thrown out some very intelligible ·
hints, that if things continued as satisfactory as
they then were, to the end of Charley's appren-
ticeship, he might hope for a valuable standing
in the business, in which he now made himself
of so much use.
Things were not, however, prospering so well
with the Calverts in Sharnford as they were in
Mr. Kersymer's shop. From time to time ac-
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 59
counts reached Charley's ears that everything
was not as it should be; but as neither Ralph,
nor the widow, said anything about the matter
in their letters, Charles was obliged to content
himself with hoping that the news he heard
could not be true.
This state of hopefulness was not, however,
destined to last for ever, and it came to an end
in a way that young Calvert little dreamed.
A knock was heard one evening at Mr. Ker-
symer's door, when the family were all assem-
bled at supper, and what was the youth's sur-
prise when he heard his own name repeated, and
that by his mother's voice. At first he
looked bewildered, from one to another, then he
turned ashy white, and red by turns; and at
length he overturned his chair, and rushed out
into the hall, where was standing Mrs. Calvert
herself, the same mother that he had left at
Sharnford so long ago.
At first her son scarcely recognized her, so
60
THE TWO BROTHERS.
changed was she from the mother he had left at
the old shop, on the morning he mounted the
outside of the stage for London. She was pale
and thin, and her eyes looked as though she had
been crying ever since. Nor was her dress of
the very best; Charley was surprised to see
that she still wore her widow's weeds, and they
hung round her spare lank figure, as though
she had become very thin since they were made.
All this was very inexplicable to the youth,
but he did not stop long to think about it, and
in far less time than we have taken to write
down all this, he had clasped his mother in his
arms, and covered her thin face with kisses.
"But where is Ralph ?" said Charles to his
mother, as soon as he had embraced her thus
heartily; "has he come up to town with you?
and where is your luggage?" and in addition to
these, the son put two or three more questions
to his mother, even before she had time to an-
swer one.
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 61
The appearance of Mr. Kersymer in the hall
saved Mrs. Calvert's giving an immediate reply
to all these questions, and prevented her son's
seeing the extreme look of anguish which passed
over her face at the mention of Ralph's name.
In truth, the worthy linen-draper was quite as
much astonished as his apprentice was, at the
sudden appearance of Mrs. Calvert, and in a
moment guessed that something of great impor-
tance must have happened, to have brought her
such a long journey, and so unexpectedly; he
was, however, quite cool, which her son cer-
tainly was not, and returning to the supper ta-
ble, he took up a candle, and said to the mother
and her son, “I think you had better come up
stairs, where you can have the drawing-room to
yourselves."
Charley drew on his mother by the hand, too
glad to have her immediately all to himself,
and the widow willingly followed, happy at
being saved answering her son's questions
6
62
THE TWO BROTHERS.
where so many could overhear what she had to
say.
They were now left alone, and Charles impa-
tiently repeated the question he had already
asked in the hall. "Where is Ralph ?" and
his mother's hysterical sobs were for some min-
utes the only answer he received.
"Tell me, dear mother," said Charles, throw-
ing his arms round her neck, "Oh, tell me what
has become of Ralph? has he done anything?
Where is he?"
When Mrs. Calvert was in some degree
soothed by her son's affectionate carosses, and
was able to speak, she told him, that where
Ralph was she knew not; that she had reason
to believe he was somewhere in London, but
where she could not tell; and that she had now
come up in the hope of being able to find him out.
"But what has brought him up to London ?"
said Charley" and how long has he been
here?'
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 63
"He has been here a month," answered the
widow, "and oh," said she, as she looked at her
son's respectable appearance, "I wish he had
been with you ever since his poor father died."
Then Charley heard from his mother's lips
the whole story of his unhappy brother, which
now explained the rumors which had reached
him from time to time, but to which he had
given no credit.
After Charley's departure for London, Ralph
had gone on very well for a while; he was dili-
gently engaged in the shop from morning to
night, and was respected by every one in the
village. After a few months, however, a large
tent was pitched on the village green, and
temporary theatre set up, which drew to its per-
formances a great crowd of people, especially all
the idle and lazy in the neighborhood. This,
as we may suppose, was a source of great trouble
to good Mr. Gabriel, who again warned the
peo-
ple that "He that walketh with wise men shall
64
THE TWO BROTHERS.
be wise: but a companion of fools shall be de.
stroyed."
Ralph, when he heard this verse quoted,
could not help thinking of Mr. Gabriel's former
sermon on this text, of his dear father having
stopped to look with them on Dick Giles's grave,
and of the long talks which he and his brother
had in bed about that awful spot; and he in-
wardly resolved that no matter who went to the
theatre, he would not. This resolution was
very good in itself; happy would it have been
for poor Ralph Calvert if he had formed it in
the strength of the Holy Spirit.
The theatre was to remain a fortnight, and
during the first week of the performances Ralph
never went near the place. Several of his cus-
tomers asked him if he had been, but he always
answered, "No," with a self-satisfied air; as
much as to say, "Don't you think I'm very
virtuous for resisting such a temptation ?" At
the end of the first week, however, a man came
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 65
into the shop and said to Ralph, as he was mak-
ing a petty purchase, I "say, my lad, I think
they have your brother Charley amongst the
actors on the green, and a rare good 'un he is,
he's almost worth the lot." "Ain't he like
Charley?" said he, appealing to another cus-
tomer, who just came in, and who was none
other than Bob Hone, the barber; "Yes, the
very image," said Bob, "his hair is the same
color and all! I shouldn't be surprised," said
Bob, "if it were the young 'un himself. I've
heard say that 'prentices sometimes run away
from their masters, and London is a very wicked
66
place." Umph!" said Bob, "the boy missed
his chances in life when he was kept from being
'prenticed to me, and he'll never come to good!?"
The customers went away, but what they had
said left a deep impression on Ralph Calvert's
mind. "How very strange," thought he, "that
any one should be so like Charley, and they said
he was the cleverest amongst the lot; even Bob
6*
66
THE TWO BROTHERS.
Hone, who is complaining of every one and
every thing, said he was 'an uncommon sharp
dog!' and so like Charley! dear me ! 'tis very
strange."
At supper, Ralph related to his mother all
that had been said in the shop that day about
the actors, nor did he forget to mention the ex-
traordinary boy, so like his brother;
"Bob
Hone said that he should not be surprised if it
were Charley himself, that had run away. What
do you think of that, mother?" and Ralph
looked at her with a face full of wonder.
"Bob Hone is an impudent fellow," answered
the widow, "and always says a spiteful thing
against Charley whenever he can; and all be-
cause we did not bind him to him, instead of to
Mr. Kersymer, where he is likely to do so
well."
"But do you think, mother, it could by any
possibility be Charley? Bob Hone said some-
thing about 'prentices running away, but I
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 67
hardly think my brother would have done
that."
"How can you ask such a question, Ralph ?"
said Mrs. Calvert, "you know that it is only a
fortnight since we had a letter from Charley,
and farmer Stubble called in with one which he
had received from Mr. Kersymer, saying how
much reason he had to be pleased with your
brother; Bob Hone has very little to do; and
as every one knows, he has a great deal too
much to say; his tongue is a good deal too light
for his brains."
The widow thought no more of Bob Hone's
foolish speech, but it had taken great hold of her
son's mind; and he felt a strange longing to go
to the theatre, and see this wonderful likeness
of his brother.
For a long time Ralph Calvert held out
against this wish; but as he had only his own
natural strength to fall back on, he yielded to
it at last. But his mother knew nothing of it;
68
THE TWO BROTHERS.
he was ashamed, and indeed afraid, to tell her,
he therefore kept the matter to himself, and in
the middle of the week told her he was going to
spend an afternoon and evening at the next vil-
lage, if she could spare him; and she not know-
ing that Ralph was capable of deceiving her,
consented very willingly to undertake the whole
business of the shop.
In the afternoon Ralph set out; he took six-
pence in his pocket to pay for his admission,
and for some time walked in the direction of the
village where his friends lived; soon, however,
he struck into the fields and turned back to-
wards his own home, and thus he loitered about
until the time had arrived for the commence-
ment of the performances at the theatre.
"I'll wait a bit," said Ralph, "until almost
every one is in and they have begun, there will
be less chance of my being seen;" for independ-
ently of any principle being involved, he felt
ashamed to be noticed by any one to whom
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 69
he had already spoken so decidedly on the sub-
ject.
Ralph Calvert succeeded in getting into the
tent without being observed by any one; he
pulled his hat down very much over his eyes,
and pulled up the collar of his coat, so that no
one could have known who he was, his place in
the tent being not only the darkest, but also the
most crowded.
The performances had commenced, and every
one was intent on the proceedings of the actors,
when there appeared on the stage the wonderful
boy, whose reported likeness to Charles Calvert
had drawn Ralph to this dangerous place. The
youth was indeed the very image of Charley as
far as his face and size were concerned, but cer-
tainly not as far as his dress, for he was arrayed
in a scarlet coat, a white waistcoat, leather
breeches, with top boots, and a large hunting
whip in his hand.
"You ain't a going, then, to bet on this ero
70 THE TWO BROTHERS.
oss,"
"said the individual,-"I'll warrant hin a
reg'lar fast 'un:" and with his hands behind his
back and his legs apart, he stood looking up
impudently at an old gentleman in a white wig,
who seemed old enough to be his grandfather.
This was the youth's first appearance that
evening, and whether the audience were de-
lighted at his costume, or his little shrill piping
voice, we cannot tell, but this speech was fol-
lowed with loud shouts of applause. Ralph
himself burst into a roar of laughter, and
clapped his hands together, as the individual in
question walked up to the aged gentleman in the
wig, and clapped him on the back, calling him
"old boy." This was the first time Ralph Cal-
vert had ever seen old age taken such liberties
with, and made sport of, still he seemed to have
entirely forgotten himself, and instead of pity-
ing the unfortunate creature in the scarlet coat
and top boots, he roared out as loud as any one
else.
THE FIRST STEP IN EVIL. 71
•
An event, however, here occurred which
greatly marred Ralph's amusement, even though
some other scenes, which the audience seemed to
think vastly more funny, quickly followed. As
he was laughing so heartily, some one near him
gave him a push, and his hat falling off, he was
recognized by the man that had told him in the
shop of the wonderful boy's likeness to his
brother Charley. As Ralph was recovering his
hat, he saw that the man's eye was fixed on him,
and his heart sank within him. But what was
his horror when this man came near him, and
clapping him on the back, said, “Bravo,
younker, so you have found your way here to-
night; what do you think of the play?"
Ralph stammered out something, he did not
know exactly what, and the man having fixed a
peculiarly evil cunning look upon him, which
made him shrink within himself, went away to
another part of the tent.
VII.
Sin and Sorrow.
ALPH had no more spirit for anything
that was going on; this unexpected en-
counter with some one that knew him, made
him very wretched; for, independently of any-
thing else, he felt that his mother might now at
any moment find out that he had deceived her,
and the bare thought of this made him feel as
though he could never hold up his head again.
He immediately left the tent, and as he
turned round on going out, he saw that the same
man that had accosted him a little before was
looking after him; and now that he caught
Ralph's glance, he put his finger to his nose,
and winked in such a suspicious way that he felt
it boded him no good.
SIN AND SORROW.
73
"What am I to do?" said Ralph to himself,
as he turned his steps homeward. "Shall I
tell mother all that has happened?—she'll be
sure to hear it from some one else if I don't,
and the first story is the best."
Happy had it been for Ralph Calvert if he
had indeed confessed the whole matter, and
owned that he had been led to the theatre by
the hope of seeing the lad that was reputed to
be so much like his brother; but alas! a false
shame prevented his doing what he knew was
right: had he only been content to bear the
shame of his first confession, what a world of
sorrow might have been spared his mother, his
brother, and every friend that he had. Ralph
was destined to experience the truth of that
proverb, "He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper; but whosoever confesseth, and forsaketh
them shall find mercy." (Prov. xxviii. 13.)
Having fluctuated a great deal in his mind, as
he walked home, now resolving to confess, and
74
THE TWO BROTHERS.
immediately after shrinking from his determina-
tion, he came at length to his mother's house,
and with trembling hand knocked at the door,
for the shop had now been shut for the night.
Mrs. Calvert came to answer it, and she
seemed so glad to see Ralph back, that one
would have thought he had been absent for
months, instead of a few hours. She had a
choice supper prepared for him of the things
which she knew he liked best; altogether Ralph
felt that his mother never seemed so tender and
full of love as now; and when she went out of
the room to fetch in something that had been
forgotten, and Ralph looked at the luxurious
little meal before him, the tears fell quickly
down his cheeks. Oh! what would he not
have given that he had staid at home! Was he
to pay all this price for looking for a few min-
utes at the wretched little creature in the scar-
let coat and hunting boots?
The wide w's step was now heard in the pas-
SIN AND SORROW.
75
sage, and Ralph immediately dried up his tears
lest he should be suspected, and commenced cat-
ing his supper, to which, however, he did not
do that justice which he might have done, had
circumstances been different from what they
were.
Mrs. Calvert asked Ralph a few questions
about the people to whose house she thought he
had gone, and he answered her just as though
he had really been there. These questions he
had dreaded very much; and had the widow
entered into very minute inquiries, he might.
have been discovered. She, however, did not,.
and the affair passed off much better than he
had expected.
Under pretence of being very tired with so
long a walk, Ralph Calvert went off to bed
very soon, and as usual knelt down to pray;
but he soon found that he had little heart for
real prayer. An idea took possession of his
mind that God would not hear him, and that
76
THE TWO BROTHERS.
there was no use in trying to pray at all. Ralph
was experiencing the reality of those words of
the prophet, when he says, "Your iniquities
have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, that he
will not hear." (Isaiah lix. 2.) Having, how-
ever, said his prayers after a certain fashion, he
went to bed, but it was only to dream all night
long of the man that had recognized him at the
play; and when morning came he arose just as
wretched as he was when he lay down the night
before..
Mrs. Calvert thought that Ralph was not
quite well, and proposed making up for him a
celebrated receipt which had been for a long
time in her family, and which she was in the
habit of resorting to on all occasions; but Ralph
said it was nothing, and set about the business
of the shop as usual.
Formerly Ralph used to feel delighted as he
heard any footstep in the shop, but now he.
SIN AND SORROW.
77
started whenever any one came in, fearing every
moment that the companion of the preceding.
evening must turn up amongst some of the cus-
tomers.
The day, however, wore on, and he had not
appeared; so when the evening closed in, Ralph's
heart began to beat more freely, and he moved
more briskly about the shop. "Perhaps," said
he to himself," he has forgotten it before now,
and never means to tell mother anything about
the matter; and why should he?-after all it is
no affair of his."
Ralph went on thus arguing with himself,
until at length he cheated his mind into a be-
lief that his alarm had been vain; when a heavy
step was heard, and on looking up, he saw his
enemy before him. Even with the dim light
that there was in the shop, Ralph could not for
a moment mistake him. The man looked care-
fully around, as though he wanted to make sure
• that there was no one within ear-shot, and then
*4
78
THE TWO BROTHERS.
laying a shilling down upon the counter, asked
for some tobacco.
Ralph weighed him out the shilling's worth,
and, as was his custom, rang the shilling on the
counter to see if it were good, but the sound
was very suspicious, so much so indeed that he
was about to return it to his unwelcome cus-
tomer, had not that individual put his finger to
his nose again, just as he had done the preced-
ing evening at the play, and winked at him with
precisely the same horrid leer.
Ralph dared not venture a remark, and
though he felt sure that the shilling was really
bad, he dropped it through the hole in the coun-
ter, and let it fall in with the rest of the money
he had taken during the day.
:
This was very vexatious; still Ralph felt, that
as the man had gone without further remark,
had really got off very well.
Night after night, however, the same person
returned and bought different articles, for which
SIN AND SORROW.
79
he did not always pay good money, and Ralph
felt that this course could not go on much
longer.
As to the person himself—as continual indul-
gence in cin makes men not afraid of sin, and
as continual companionship with wicked people,
habituates one to their society--Ralph began by
degrees not to be so much afraid of him as he
used to be, and now and then he ventured even
into a short conversation with him. So far the
man's design had succeeded, and he now felt
that having access to Ralph's ear, he could use
to some advantage the power which the unfortu-
nate youth's having gone to the theatre had
placed in his hands.
One evening, accordingly, when he and Ralph
were alone in the shop, he told him that he
knew where he could get some tea very cheap,
on which he could make double the profit he
was in the habit of getting.
"It's hot smuggled, is it?" said Ralph,
80
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"for if it is, I won't have anything to do with
it."
“And what harm is there in its being smug-
"Don't plenty of
people buy smuggled tea, and it's none the
worse for that?"
gled ?" answered the man.
"Still," said Ralph, "I wouldn't buy it if it
was smuggled; it's dangerous, and besides that,
it's wrong."
"Who said 'twas wrong?" said the man
roughly.
"The Bible says 'tis wrong; it says, 'Ren-
der unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's.'"
"And who's Cæsar ?" asked his companion,
bursting out into a loud laugh. "There's a
dog up at the manor house called Cæsar, is that
he?"
Ralph felt very shocked at the man's igno-
rance or profanity, whichever it was, that had
dictated this speech; he began, however, to ex-
plain the verse as well as he could.
SIN AND SORROW.
81
•
The man did not seem to relish this, for he
said, that he could stand none of that 'ere
preaching stuff;" and then he asked Ralph if
it was long since he had been at a theatre.
"Capital place, that one that was here, wasn't
it, my boy?" and as he said this, he put his
finger to his nose again, and threw Ralph the
same knowing wink that had terrified him so
much before.
VIII.
The Tempter and the Tempted.
SHEN Ralph's visitor had departed, he
AH
could not but feel that he was standing.
on the brink of a precipice; he knew that he
was in the man's power, and yet he could not
bring himself to make his escape, by confessing
all at once, when he might have become free.
Ralph felt that he had not seen the last of his
customer, and he now set his mind to work to
know what was to be done. At one moment he
proposed one thing, and at another he changed
to the very opposite, and by the time the next
evening had come he was found as undecided as
at the commencement.
The consequence was, that Bill Hartry, for
that was the man's name, found him in a very
fit state to be worked upon.
TEMPTER AND TEMPTED. 83
And it is even thus; undecided men are gen-
erally very easily led, and unless the mind be
thoroughly made up to resist an evil influence
or companion, the consequences are likely to
prove fatal at the last.
Bill Hartry was not long in seeing the state
of poor Ralph's mind, and he proceeded in his
operations accordingly; he argued with him,
and flattered him, and then threw out a hint or
two about the latter's appearance at the theatre;
and this settled the matter, and at the end of
the evening Ralph found himself the possessor
of five pounds of smuggled tea, for which he
had promised to pay a trifling sum. Bill
Hartry had indeed taken care not to press for
payment, being anxious to secure Ralph Calvert
on any terms as a receiver of smuggled goods.
It so happened, that at this time Mrs. Calvert
was taken with violent rheumatisın, which pre-
vented her coming into the shop at all, and the
whole business devolved in consequence on her
84
THE TWO BROTHERS.
son. He was therefore enabled to dispose of
the smuggled tea without his mother knowing
anything of the matter.
But Bill Hartry never intended that Ralph
should have only these five pounds to dispose of,
and so he came from time to time with more,
and at last brought with him what he called "a
sample of genuine tobacco," of which he in-
formed Ralph that some friends of his had a
large stock.
At the thought of selling smuggled tobacco,
Ralph at first took fright; he knew that he must
be involved in great trouble if he were found
out, and that he must not only pay a large fine,
and be imprisoned, but that he must be also
disgraced for ever in the eyes of every friend he
had.
In consequence of this, he stoutly refused to
agree to a proposal which Bill Hartry made to
him, of taking twenty-five pounds weight for
sale at a very moderate price, and high words
TEMPTER AND IEMPTED. 85
passed between the two, which seemed likely to
end in an open quarrel. The man was deter-
mined, however, to implicate Ralph as deeply as
possible, and to make the utmost use he could of
him in the disposal of his ill-gotten goods, and
so he turned round upon him in a moment, told
him very coolly, that some of his friends who.
had bought the tea knew that it was smuggled;
and that if Ralph went on with any nonsense,
and did not agree to take the tobacco at
once, he might soon find himself in a pretty
scrape.
It was now no longer a question about the
theater, but about what had happened since;
and Ralph feeling that he could never justify
himself for his conduct, agreed to take the to-
bacco, and on these terms, Hartry assured him
that he was safe. Ralph Calvert was an in-
stance of how men are drawn onwards from one
sin to another, until at length they become so
entangled, that they find it impossible to escape.
8
86
THE TWO BROTHERS.
There are some spiders which spin a web around
cach leg of the fly that becomes entangled in
their net, and thus tie it down, so that they can
destroy it at their leisure; and thus Bill Hartry
had fairly tied down poor Ralph Calvert, who
never recovered the first false step he made.
Under the cover of night, the tobacco was
brought to Ralph Calvert's shop, and safely
stowed away;
it was unusually good as regarded
quality, and as Ralph was obliged to sell it in
order to get the money to pay for it, customers
came very quickly, and always returned for
more.
Thus things went on for some time; the
widow quite unable to venture into the shop at
all; and Ralph selling contraband goods at a
fine profit to his pocket, but at the price of oc-
casional compunctions and twitchings of con-
science, and at the risk of being apprehended
any day as a receiver of smuggled goods.
But the most lamentable thing in the whole.
TEMPTER AND TEMPTED. 87
affair was Ralph's gradual hardening, so that,
although he had an occasional twitcli of con-
science, still he could go on making sin his busi-
ness. He comforted himself with the idea, that
he was not doing any person any harm,
and
that he had been to a great extent forced into
his present method of trade, and although this
ought not to have quieted his conscience, still
under the pernicious influence of Hartry, it did.
Thus things went on for some time, until
Ralph's shop began to get quite a name for the
goodness and the cheapness of the tea and to-
bacco which were sold there. Ralph himself
was making so much money that he was now
engaged in the business not so much from Har-
try's influence, as from his own free will, and
he began to have very bright visions of making
a fortune, and buying land in the neighborhood,
for he was determined to become "a gentle-
man!" forgetting that no smuggler could possi-
bly have a right to any such name
88
THE TWO BROTHERS.
There is a proverb which says that, “He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper." (Prov.
xxviii. 13,) and Ralph Calvert was destined to
experience the truth of this. Bob Hone, the
barber, who entertained a mortal hatred to the
whole of the Calvert family, ever since he had
been disappointed of getting Charley as an ap-
prentice, began to wonder how the tea and tobacco
at the Calverts' shop was so much better than at
any of the neighboring villages, or even at the
market town.
This sorely puzzled him, but he determined if
possible to find it out.
he went and bought, and
He hit on
He hit on fifty plans;
questioned and cross-
questioned Ralph, but he was too much on his
guard, and so the barber went away no wiser
than he was before.
One morning, however, when he was looking
out of his shop window, and thinking over this
matter, and stroking his own chin, for want of
TEMTPER AND TEMPTED. 89
any one else's to operate on, he found a clue
which enabled him to discover all.
A customer most unexpectedly came in to be
shaved, and this proved to be the very man that
had appealed to Bob Hone as to the similarity of
countenance between Charley Calvert and the
young actor. When the barber had done his
work, and the man had gone, he spied a piece of
crumpled paper lying on the floor of the shop,
which had evidently dropped out of his cus-
tomer's pocket.
This the barber took up, and having peered at
it attentively for some time through his specta-
cles, he gave a long low whistle, and then a
"whew," which lasted as long as his breath
permitted.
The paper contained some accounts relative
to tea and tobacco, and also a memorandum of
a certain night on which a cargo was to be run.
Bob Hone had often seen this man talking to
Ralph in his shop, and putting these two things
8*
·
90
THE TWO BROTHERS.
together, he came to the conclusion that.all
Ralph's cheap tea and tobacco had paid no duty.
"And now," said he, as he carefully folded up
the paper and put it in an old greasy pocket
book, "I'll serve the Calverts out, and do my-
self a good turn beside."
4
IX.
The Briary Lath.
AY by day did the barber watch Ralph
Calvert's shop as much as ever he could,
and every evening he sneaked about the door
and window when it grew dark.
At length he succeeded in finding some proof
on which he could ground his information to the
officers of excise.
The shop door was closed, but not quite shut.
Ralph and Bill Hartry were inside, and Bob
IIone had his ear quite close to the door.
The two persons in the shop were speaking in
a very low tone; still, by very attentive listen-
ing, the barber understood a fragment here and
there; quite enough to answer his purpose of
informing against young Calvert.
92
THE TWO BROTHERS.
Hartry had come to sell Ralph a large quan-
tity of tobacco, as he was going out of the neigh-
borhood for some time, business requiring his
presence in London.
The matter was agreed on; and Bob Hone
saw through the chink the money paid down by
Ralph.
This was quite enough for him, so he crept
quietly away, and slipped into bed very early,
to mature his plans for Ralph Calvert's ruin.
The following morning the barber was up be-
times, and off to the neighboring market town,
where he called upon the excise officers, and told
them all that he suspected, and all that he had
heard; he showed them also the scrap of paper
which Bill Hartry had dropped in his shop a
short time before.
They agreed that all this looked very suspi-
cious, and took all the necessary steps for a
search of the Calverts' shop, and seizure of the
goods, if anything smuggled were discovered.
THE BRIARY PATH.
93
That very night they put all their plans into
operation. Just as the shop was about being
closed, they walked in, and took possession of
the premises, preparatory to a general search.
Nor had they very much trouble; under the
counter they found no less than fifty pounds.
weight of smuggled tobacco, the last lot which
Hartry had left Ralph only a short time before.
As to Ralph, he had not a word to say.
When the officers asked him where he had got
the tobacco, he mumbled out first one story, and
then another, and it was very evident that he
was not telling the truth. They therefore bun-
dled up all they found, and put it with Ralph
into a spring cart which they had brought for
the purpose from the market town, and thus
Ralph left his home and shop, a prisoner,-
never to return to it again,—a sad example of
the truth of the proverb, that, "the companion
of fools shall be destroyed."
That very night was Ralph Calvert brought
94
THE TWO BROTHERS
before a magistrate, and after having been ex-
amined, a warrant was made for his committal
to prisor This, however, was not done until
the unhappy young man had been given every
possible opportunity of clearing himself of the
charge if he could. Ralph had indeed attempted
to do this, and in the attempt had added many
more falsehoods to those which he had already
told the excise officers, but the magistrate saw
clearly that there was not one word of truth in
what he had said, so that he had only added sin
to sin for no purpose.
We cannot suppose that all this took place
without creating great noise and confusion in the
little village where Ralph lived. Ill news flies
fast enough, and what had happened was soon
told to Mr. Gabriel, and passed from one to an-
other, until at last quite a crowd gathered round
the shop.
"Serve him right," said one old woman, "he
THE BRIARY PATH.
95
has been very uppish this long time, and folks
say, he wanted to be a squire."
a
Aye, aye," rejoined old Saunders, "
mighty fine squire he'd make after selling to-
bacco and tea!"
"I'd like to know where you'll get it so
cheap, now he's gone?" chimed in Betty
Thornton, "I wish they had let him alone, poor
lad."
"I knew those Calverts had always some-
thing bad about them," cried another; and thus
the crowd abused poor Ralph and his family, as
though they were all of them, root and branch,
the very vilest of the vile.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Calvert, Ralph's widowed
mother, was in the deepest affliction. The ex-
cise officers had not allowed her son to bid her
farewell, or give her any explanation of the
dealings which had caused the visit of the in-
truders to her house. She had seen, however,
enough to be convinced that the charge of
96
THE TWO BROTHERS.
smuggling was only too true, and she knew not
what trouble might be in store for her unhappy-
son. So terrified was she, that she feared he
must be hanged, and this dreadful thought al-
most frightened her into fits.
Mr. Gabriel, who was ever present when sick-
ness or sorrow came upon any of his parishion-
ers, comforted Mrs. Calvert on this point, and
promised to accompany her the next day to the
neighboring market town, to which the excise
officers had carried Ralph. "There is nothing,"
said he, "like going ourselves, and finding out
exactly how matters stand; for as to reports,
one cannot believe the half of what is said.”
And having remained some little time with Mrs.
Calvert, he went out and dismissed the people
to their homes.
Mr. Gabriel had to pass by the church-yard,
as he returned to his own house, and his eye fell
on Dick Giles's grave. "Ah!" said the ven-
erable man; "that was a true proverb on which
THE BRIARY PATH.
97
I preached the evening of that unhappy young
man's funeral; 'He that walketh with wise men
shall be wise but the companion of fools shall
be destroyed.' God grant that the last part of
the proverb may not be fulfilled in poor Ralph
Calvert, as it has been in Dick Giles."
We must now return to Ralph Calvert, who
was handcuffed by the officers and taken off
to a place which was commonly called "the
Cage," where prisoners were kept until they
were removed to the county gaol. It was in-
tended that the young man should be secured
here until the following day, when, with three
other prisoners, he was to be taken off.
The officers, as we have already said, hand-
cuffed him, and with a crowd at his heels, he
was marched off to spend the night in "the
Cage."
"The Cage" was a two-storied building, with
an archway underneath it, and all its windows
were barred with iron. It ran across the street,
9
98
THE TWO BROTHERS.
so that the houses on each side touched it; one
of these was the police station, and the other
was uninhabited, it had been for years without.
any tenant, and was now in such a wretched
state of repair, that it seemed likely never to be
inhabited again.
When Ralph had been somewhat rudely
thrust into one of the upper rooms of "the Cage,"
by the keeper of the place, and heard the key
turn in the great lock upon the heavy door, he
felt wretched in the extreme. There was no ta-
ble, no chair in the room, and the iron bedstead
that was fastened to the wall seemed covered
with something like brown sacking, which
looked very different indeed from the snowy
whiteness of his own bed at home. A brown
earthenware pitcher full of water was standing
in the corner, and altogether Ralph Calvert felt
that he had never before been in such a desolate
and wretchel place.
When he had been in this dreary room for
THE BRIARY PATH.
99
about half an hour, the gaoler came in with a
small loaf of very coarse bread, and told him
with a grin to make himself comfortable; having
said which he slammed the heavy door, and
turned the key in it again.
Ralph now left fairly to himself, began to feel
the wretchedness of his position, and to hate
the day when he went to the theatre, and so put
himself in Bill Hartry's power. He thought
how this must break his poor mother's heart;
and how dreadful the news would prove to his
brother Charles; and how, even if things
turned out better than he could expect, he could
never show his face in Sharnford again.
V
IIad Ralph Calvert been imprisoned, and yet
possessed a clear conscience, far different would
have been his reflections at this trying time,
and in this disagreeable place. There would
have been no real disgrace in his imprisonment
if he had not been guilty, and there would have
been no real unhappiness if he felt that he had
100
THE TWO BROTHERS.
God with him. Paul and Silas were able to
sing praises in their prison; many an ancient
martyr was able to rejoice even when he was
chained down with iron which cut his flesh; but
Ralph Calvert was shut up justly for breaking
the law, and his spirit was not by any means
humbled to seek his God.
There was something else also to make him
very wretched; not knowing what was the exact
punishment for smuggling, but being sure that
it was a very serious crime, his imagination be-
came terrified, and he felt certain that he should
be hanged.
This thought took such possession of his mind,
that much as he must have been in want of food
at this late hour, he felt that he could not swal-
low a morsel of the loaf,-the water he drank
off greedily, for he was burned up with thirst,
but the morsel of bread he tried to eat seemed
to stick fast in his throat.
While Ralph was filled with these horrid
THE BRIARY PATH.
101
thoughts, the night wore on; the street of the
market town was now quite deserted, and the
prisoner could see light after light extinguished
in the windows of the neighboring houses, until
not one glimmered anywhere around.
Ralph, however, did not undress, or go to
bed; he stood with his head pressed against the
bars of his window; the cold iron seemed to
cool his burning brow; he knew that even if he
lay down he could not sleep, and he kept won-
dering if there was any chance of his making
his escape. "I would run," thought he, "if I
got an opportunity; at the worst I could only
be taken again, and now I am sure to be
hanged."
Ralph Calvert looked down upon the street,
but it was too far below him, for a jump, be-
sides his window was barred, and that effectually
took away all chance. A chance, however,
came from a quarter whence he least of all ex-
pected it. A light glimmered for a moment in
7*
102
THE TWO BROTHERS.
a crevice of the old house adjoining Ralph's side
of "the Cage," and in about a quarter of an
hour, the prisoner saw it again; presently, how-
ever, he lost sight of it, and in despair had
seated himself on the edge of the iron bedstead,
when he was aroused by a gentle tapping on the
glass of his window.
Ralph jumped up, and in a moment stood at
the window and looked out. He could not dis-
cern any person in the street, nor could he hear
a single footstep, but in an instant he heard the
tap again. Nor was it long before he discovered
whence it came. There was sufficient light to
see that the noise proceeded from a stick or rod
that struck against the glass. Ralph Calvert
gently raised the sash of the window, which was
not fastened; the iron bars being considered
sufficient to detain any prisoner that might at-
tempt an escape from "the Cage," and he now
distinctly saw, that the rod came from one of
the windows of the dilapidated old house which
THE BRIARY PATH.
103
was hard by. Then he saw the light again, and
it shone full on Bill Hartry's face, who had been
tapping with the iron rod.
As soon as Hartry perceived that Ralph Cal-
vert had noticed him, he withdrew the rod, and
in a minute thrust it back again with a file tied
at the end of it. He did not say a single word,
but this action was in itself significant enough.
What could the file be for, but to attempt his
escape, and Ralph, having the gallows before his
eyes, set to work on the centre bar with all his
might.
Once or twice the thought flashed across his
mind, as to what he was to do when the bar was
filed through, but observing that Hartry's light
was still glimmering in the old house, he felt
sure that he must have provided for his escape.
On then wrought Ralph Calvert, and he soon
found that the task was much easier than he had
expected.
The iron work in front of the window was so
104
THE TWO BROTHERS.
worn with rust, that it made scarcely any resist
ance to the sharp file, and in the course of an
hour it was fairly out. Ralph soon found that
Bill Hartry was closely watching his proceed-
ings, for the moment the bar was removed, the
iron rod was pushed again towards Ralph, and
this time it had attached to the end of it a stout
piece of cord. Ralph laid hold of the cord, and
the rod was drawn back again, and immediately
the light disappeared altogether from the old
house.
On pulling the cord to him, Ralph Calvert
found that it grew thicker by degrees; it was
composed of several pieces knotted together,
and each was stouter than the preceding one;
at length he drew in a piece of thick rope, which
was fastened to a rope ladder, by which it was
evident he was to make his escape.
For one moment the prisoner halted, thinking
what a hazard it was to descend from such a
height on so frail a ladder; he felt also, that he
THE BRIARY PATH.
105
ran a great risk of being discovered, but again
the gallows appeared before his eyes, and fasten-
ing the ends of the ladder to the two remaining
iron bars, he descended as quickly as he could,
and in a few moments stood quite free in the
open street.
In the door way of the old ruined house, stood
Bill Hartry ready to receive him, and now
Ralph felt that he was completely within this
man's power, and that he must do precisely as
he chose to command.
Pointing to the house opposite, and putting
his finger to his mouth, to warn Ralph that he
must not speak, Hartry drew the young man
into the dilapidated old dwelling, and whispered
to him to follow as quickly as he could. Then
he unlocked the back door, and having passed
through the long slip of garden all overgrown
with weeds, he climbed a low wall, and skulking
along two lanes, the open country was soon
gained.
106
THE TWO BROTHERS.
(
(
"Now then, old boy, you're safe," said
Ralph's companion to him, "and we've played
them a trick at the Cage' they won't forget in
a hurry. If they want to put their bird in the
Cage' again, they must throw a little salt on his
tail, ha ha ha!" roared Hartry, evidently
amused at his own wit.
"Cheer up, my old bird," continued he,
drawing a flask of brandy, and a lump of bread
and meat, from his pocket, and presenting them
{{
to Ralph, we have six miles yet to go, and we
must not let the grass grow under our feet;" so
saying, he made Ralph take a little of the
brandy, and bade him eat the bread and meat as
they went along. On then they went, walking
as fast as they could, until they reached a pub-
lic house where the London waggon changed
horses.
Ralph and his companion got into this, and in
due course reached the metropolis; where we
must leave them for the present.
X.
Sin Saddens Many Hearts.
HEN the morning came, there was a great
ASHEN
deal of bustle in the usually quiet vil-
lage of Sharnford, and old Mr. Gabriel was astir
betimes, for he intended to accompany his af-
flicted parishioner, Mrs. Calvert, into the mar-
ket town, to see how matters stood with Ralph.
It was still very early when they entered the
main street, and they soon saw that something
very unusual must have occurred.
A great
crowd had assembled round "the Cage," and
the rope ladder by which Ralph had made his
escape, was still dangling from the window.
The few policemen who belonged to the pace
were bustling about, and every one was talking
as loud as possible; each giving what he thought
the most likely version of the escape.
108 THE TWO BROTII ERS.
At first Mrs. Calvert could not believe that
Ralph could have so suddenly become daring
enough to break from prison, but there was no
doubting it, after all she saw and heard.
"Unhappy young man," thought Mr. Ga-
briel to himself, "he is now fairly launched
upon a sea of troubles, and who can tell where
all this will end ?”
There was nothing that the old clergyman
could do to help Mrs. Calvert, nor indeed could
she do anything more herself; and so with a sad
heart Mr. Gabriel turned the horse's head back
to Sharnford again.
Ill news flies fast enough: and before the
widow and Mr. Gabriel had returned to Sharn-
ford, the story of Ralph's escape from the cage
had become known.
Bob Hone, the barber, who was the principal
newsmonger of the village, heard it from a man
who was passing through with a cart, and had
stopped for a few minutes at his shop to be
SIN SADDENS MANY HEARTS. 109
shaved, and he had immediately stepped out,
and made it his morning's work to spread the
news. Having embellished it with sundry ad-
ditions of his own, namely, that a policeman had
been killed, and that Ralph had been fired at
and wounded as he was making his escape; it
was with great difficulty that Mr. Gabriel and
the widow could persuade the people, that
things, though bad enough, were yet not quite
so black as this.
But what was to be done? Mrs. Calvert had
not health, even if she had spirits, to carry on
the shop; she could never rest, so long as she
was uncertain of her son's fate; and it was de-
termined that the shop should be shut up at
once, and that the widow should go to farmer
Stubble's for a while.
For a month had she staid there, hoping every
day to hear something of or from Ralph, of
whose affection to herself she had no reason to
doubt, even though he had fallen into such
10
110 THE TWO BROTHERS.
shocking hands; but day after day having
passed on, and no account of the young man
coming to hand, she determined to set off and
seek for him herself.
The very morning that the almost broken-
hearted widow left farmer Stubble's house to go
to London, a letter was put into her hand, the
writing of which she did not know; it contained,
however, intelligence of the deepest interest to
her, and confirmed her in her intention to go to
London at once. There was no name to this
mysterious letter, it merely gave the widow the
information which she in turn gave Charley
Calvert about his brother, namely, that he had
been in London about a month, and was quite well.
This, then, was Ralph Calvert's sad history;
and now Charley and his mother were mingling
their tears over it in the drawing-room which
Mr. Kersymer had given up to them for awhile.
Bitterly indeed did each of them feel Ralph's
terrible fall The mother had loved him ten-
SIN SADDENS MANY HEARTS. 111
derly, had experienced the kindest attention from
him, and had ever found him full of love to her.
And the brother-he remembered their boyish
days together, he thought of their last parting,
when Ralph had thrown him up his only half-
crown; he remembered finding the knife which
his brother had parted with, to give to him, and
which he had hidden in his trousers pocket,
lest he should refuse to take it from him:
Charles Calvert remembered also the evening
when he and Ralph stood by Dick Giles's grave,
and heard Mr. Gabriel's sermon on the text,
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
How long they might have continued sorrow-
ing together we cannot tell, had they not been
aroused by a gentle knocking at the door, and
the good linen draper came in.
Addressing himself to Charles he said, "I
perceive, Charley, that something has happened,
and I have just stepped up to say, that if I can
112
THE TWO BROTHERS.
be of any use to you, I shall be happy to do
everything in my power."
Mrs. Calvert not knowing what sort of person
Mr. Kersymer really was, or being perhaps
ashamed that the wickedness of her son should
be known to a stranger; thinking also that
Ralph's conduct might prejudice Charley's mas-
ter against him, seemed at first as though she
would decline all Mr. Kersymer's offers.
The apprentice, however, knew that they were
were too valuable to be refused; all Mr. Kersy-
mer's previous kindness had taught him this, so
in a whisper he recommended his mother to tell
him all.
And truly distressed was he when he had
heard the sad tale-the tears more than once
came into his eyes, and as Mrs. Calvert told him
what a good son Ralph had been to her, and
how implicitly she had trusted him, who could
have seen this mother's bitter tears and have
been unmoved ?"
SIN SADDENS MANY HEARTS. 113
"You shall sleep here to-night," said Mr.
Kersymer, "it is too late for a stranger like you
to go into a strange lodging, and I will think
over the matter, and see if anything can be
done."
XI.
A Friend in Teed.
HE following day Mr. Kersymer had a long
conversation with Charles Calvert.
"You have behaved yourself well,” said the
master, "and given me satisfaction in every
branch of the business in which you have been.
engaged, and I am anxious to do all I can to
help you in this unhappy affair. In serving
your mother, I know you will consider I am
serving you; it is hardly probable that you
would have been so good an apprentice had you
not previously been a good son.”
"I propose," continued Mr. Kersymer, "to
admit you to a small share in the business in
course of time, and for the present your services.
are sufficiently valuable to entitle you to a
A FRIEND IN NEED.
115
salary. I had not intended giving it to you im-
mediately, but this unhappy affair of your
brother's has somewhat hurried matters, and I
now wish you to take a lodging for your mother
near this; engage also a bed-room for yourself,
and you will be a protection and comfort to
your parent in the sad circumstances in which
she has been placed."
Charles Calvert's eyes filled with tears as he
heard his master say all this. It is true he
had experienced many acts of kindness at his
hands-that Mr. Kersymer had even thrown out
hints that his good conduct should not go with-
out a substantial reward, but he had never gone
so far as to hint a word about partnership, or a
present salary.
The young man could not speak, for he was
quite overpowered; but he seized his master by
the hand, and pressed it with all his might. As
to Mr. Kersymer, he also seemed as though
he could make no more arrangements at that
116
THE TWO BROTHERS.
time, and his eyes were quite wet-Charley Cal-
vert had never seen him thus affected before. ·
"I feel for you, Charles," said the worthy
linen-draper at last, "I loved my own mother
with all my heart, and she had a son who cost
her many a tear-poor fellow! he repented of
it upon his dying bed: do not be surprised,
then, if I shed a tear, for your present trouble
brings all the past to mind. However," con-
tinued Mr. Kersymer, "the past cannot be
altered now, so let us speak of business, and
understand how things are to be. You shall
have your salary at once! I had intended it to
be eighty pounds, but as you must support your
mother at least to a considerable extent-I
shall make it one hundred."
"There, that will do," said the worthy linen-
draper as he hurried the young man towards the
door of the room, for he could not bear to be
thanked much for anything that he did, "that
will do, business ha. been very good, and I can
A FRIEND IN NEED. 117
well afford to give you the hundred pounds. I
shall not want you to-day in the counting-house,
so you can accompany your mother, and do the
best you can in the way of providing lodgings
for her and for yourself."
A mine of wealth now seemed to have opened
itself for Charles Calvert's special use, and it
could not have appeared at a more opportune
time. Had not this most unlikely event oc-
curred, he could not now imagine what must
have befallen his mother. Providence, however,
had manifestly provided, and over and over did
the young man bless God for His bounty.
"True," said he, "it comes through Mr. Ker-
symer, but it does not on that account come less
from God; may I lean upon Him in every
difficulty into which I may come.”
That day was spent by Mrs. Calvert and her
son in finding respectable lodgings near Mr.
Kersymer's shop. They tried many, but
Charles was rather hard to please. One room
118
THE 1WO BROTHERS.
was too noisy, and he feared that his mother,
accustomed to the quiet of the country, would
not be able to sleep; another was not light
enough; and a third had some other fault at
last, however, he found one house with which
he was satisfied, it overlooked one of the little
city churchyards, and the green of this little
spot for it was green in summer—and the ver-
dure of an old tree that stood in it, would be
refreshing to any one who had lived in the
country all her life.
The remainder of the day was quite sufficient
for the few further arrangements which were to
be made, and that very night the widow took
possession of her two rooms, it having been set-
tled that her son was to remain at Mr. Kersy-
mer's for two or three days more.
All these events seemed in the course of
these few days to have made Charles ten years
older. Deeply did he ponder over the sad cir-
cumstances of Ralph's fall, and on the duties
A FRIEND IN NEED.
119
which his new position entailed upon him.
"Thank God," said he, "I have the means of
providing for my mother; with economy we
shall be able to live on my salary, which is far
more than I could have expected; but oh, poor
Ralph!" (and then the tears came rushing into
his eyes) "what is to become of him? poor,
fallen Ralph! Ah! Mr. Gabriel's words are
true, 'The companion of fools shall be de-
stroyed.'
From this time forward Mr. Kersymer seemed
to make Charles Calvert more of a companion.
He asked more minutely into the history of his
former neighbors and acquaintances, and very
often dropped into deep thought for a few mo-
ments, when he heard the young man mention
Bob Hone, the barber of Sharnford.
As regards the concerns of the shop, Charles
was now placed next to Mr. Kersymer himself,
and his position was envied by no one more than
Tomkins, his former associate in the desk, where
120 THE TWO BROTHERS.
they were both engaged in receiving the cash.
Devoutly thankful was the young man for all
these blessings; but he was not happy,-how
could he be, when his only brother was an out-
law, the companion of he knew not of what des-
perate characters, and running the way to ruin as
fast as he possibly could? Mr. Kersymer also
was often very thoughtful, and from the ques-
tions he used suddenly to put to Charles about
all his mother had told him of Ralph, it was
evident that the worthy linen-draper's mind was
running on the case of that unhappy young
man.
In the course of a few weeks the deep interest
Mr. Kersymer took in this matter became appa-
rent. Summoning Charles into the inner parlor
one morning, he told him that business required
him to leave London for a fortnight, and that
he should intrust him with the management of
the shop. "I can put every dependence on
you I know, and even if I should remain longer
A FRIEND IN NEED.
121
away, things will go right enough, but he very
particular about these accounts," and he put
some private papers into the young man's hand.
"We shall be very much engaged this afternoon,
and I have sent for you now, as I might not
have another opportunity of speaking to you
before I go;" and having said this, and ex-
plained all that he wished to have done during
his absence, Mr. Kersymer said he had an en-
gagement, and left the house.
"I will follow it up to the last," muttered
an elderly gentleman, as he walked quickly
along the streets, and turning a corner passed
down the Old Jewry, where his lawyer lived..
"Yes, if anything can be done, I'll do it,
though it cost me a thousand pounds;" and
having expressed this determination, the elderly
gentlemen, who was none other than Mr. Ker-
symer himself, knocked at the door of Mr.
Sharpe, his lawyer, with just that kind of
11
122 THE TWO BROTHERS.
knock which is as much as to say that the man
that gives it is very much in earnest.
And never was any man more in earnest
than the worthy linen-draper. If it were possi-
ble he would rescue Ralph, and punish those
by whom he had been led astray.
"Well, Mr. Kersymer, and how do you do?"
asked Mr. Sharpe, the lawyer, as he rose from
his desk, which was covered with a very yellow
old parchment deed.
"How do I do ?" ejaculated the linen-draper
((
as well as any man can do that has a bad
business in hand."
"A bad business !" re-echoed the lawyer in
turn, "I hope you have not been robbed ?"
"I have not been robbed," responded Mr.
Kersymer, "and still I have a bad business,-
I
may say a very bad business-in hand.”
"Well--let us try if we can't make the bad
better tell me what it is."
"Tho case is this," said Mr. Kersymer-and
A FRIEND IN NEED. 123
the moment he began, Mr. Sharpe withdrew
his pen from behind his ear, and prepared to
take notes of every thing he heard.
"Ralph Calvert, a young man, brother to an
excellent lad that I have had with me for some
time, has fallen into the hands of some desper-
ate characters, and is likely to get hanged, if he
goes on much longer as he is doing now."
"What's that?" interposed the lawyer,-
"a brother, did you say, of a lad that you have
had with you for some time? You may be
sure, then, he has robbed you; has there not
been a conspiracy between them ?"—and Mr.
Sharpe took a pinch of the snuff, of which he
was so fond.
"What do you mean?" said his companion.
sharply" there has not been any robbery or
conspiracy—it is for the sake of this good lad
that has been with me now for a considerable
time, and for the sake of his poor mother, that
I wish to take up the case of this unhappy
124
THE TWO BROTHERS.
youth, and rescue him if I possibly can from the
hands into which he has fallen.'
"I beg pardon," said the lawyer, "but I
have had some bad cases of robberies of this
kind, lately, and I thought you might have
been victimized like some others. Proceed, if
you please, with the case."
Mr. Kersymer had gathered up very dili-
gently all the particulars which Ralph and his
mother could give him, and producing a paper
from his pocket, in which he had in true busi-
ness-like style drawn out the several facts in
regular order, he told Mr. Sharpe every thing
he knew.
The lawyer, who prided himself on his man-
agement of difficult cases, and who was never so
happy as when engaged in one, foresaw that this
was likely to be exactly to his mind, and en-
tered into it with great spirit.
"I have made up my mind," said Mr. Ker-
symer, to spare no trouble or expense, if I
A FRIEND IN NEED. 125
can only rescue the unhappy youth, before it
becomes too late."
'Very kind of you; very kind indeed,” ob-
served the lawyer, and he rubbed his hands
together, and took another pinch of snuff.
"Now tell me what you propose to do."
"I was thinking of going down to Sharnford
myself, and endeavoring to trace out what I
could there."
"Pooh ! nonsense!" said the lawyer. "What
could you trace out? the case is a most difficult
one; it is one that requires a skilful hand. I
must go myself, and besides this I must employ
a clever fellow I know. You can come too, but
it will require the use of all our wits to trace
out where this young man is now. Depend
upon it," continued the lawyer, "there are two
or three looking out for him besides you, and
that for a very different purpose also. But are
you prepared for such heavy expenses? This
matter cannot be done for nothing; it may
11*
126
THE TWO BROTHERS.
cost you a hundred pounds before it is fin-
ished."
"I am prepared for anything, for every-
thing," answered the linen-draper; and having
made some further arrangements, he took his
departure, leaving the lawyer in his chambers
in the Old Jewry, meditating over the proper
course to pursue in the present difficult case,
XII.
Seeking the Lost.
S soon as Mr. Sharpe was left alone, he
sent a messenger for Mr. Pierce, the
person of whose services and experience he pro-
posed availing himself upon the present occa-
sion.
"There are considerable difficulties to be en-
countered," said the lawyer, as he took his
favorite pinch of snuff. "Considerable difficul-
ties !"
"But," answered his companion, "I have
no doubt we shall succeed; we have had cases
where there was not half the clue that we have
here."
"We shall have to do with a pretty set of
rascals,' said Mr. Sharpe. "And that will be
nothing new," responded Pierce.
"It's my
128 THE TWO BROTHERS.
opinion, however, that the sooner we begin with
them the better; every hour is of value; for no
doubt the detectives are endeavoring to trace the
gang."
The result of Mr. Sharpe's cogitations with
Pierce was, the speedy starting of the whole
party in a post chaise for the scene of poor
Ralph Calvert's fall. They did not, however,
go immediately to Sharnford, but to the market
town, from "the Cage" of which Ralph had
made his escape.
"We must commence operations there," ob-
served Pierce," and I must go alone to Sharn-
ford and find out what I can from the man
Hone, who seems to have known a good deal,
but who, I expect, is as cunning as a fox."
At the market town of Chiukley, the post
chaise arrived in due course of time, and the
party put up at the inn. That night they held
their last conversation together, and the follow-
ing morning started off in three different direc-
SEEKING THE LOST.
129.
tions, to gather all the information that was to
be had.
Pierce, dressed as a pedlar, with a pack upon
his shoulders, started for Sharnford. Mr.
Sharpe went to and fro about the town of
Chinkley, purchasing petty articles in different
shops, and chatting with the people he bought
from, so contriving matters as always to turn
the conversation upon the subject of the escape
from "the Cage ;" while Mr. Kersymer, who
was not so well up to this kind of thing, under-
took a visit to farmer Stubble's, to glean what
intelligence he could in that quarter.
It was still very early in the morning, when
a pedlar with a pack upon his shoulders was
seen looking through the panes of the barber's
window in Sharnford, apparently examining the
razors which hung there half open across a
string.
Nor was the pedlar allowed to continue long
alone; in a few minutes the barber bustled to
130
THE TWO BROTHERS.
the door, and began a long catalogue of the vir-
tues of his razors, which he declared would al-
most cut of themselves.
"I don't mind exchanging for one,” said the
pedlar, "but money is too scarce now-a-days
for a man like me to buy a second razor when
he has one already, even though that be none
of the best."
"Well, let's see what you've got in the pack,
perhaps we can do business," answered the
barber, whereupon the pedlar entered the
shop.
The pack was opened, and after much bar-
gaining, Hone offered an old razor that was not
good for anything, for half a dozen red cotton
handkerchiefs.
"Done," said the pedlar, "if you'll shave
me into the bargain," for Pierce had left him-
self unshaved on purpose that day, intending to
have that operation performed on him by Mr.
Hone, and hoping that while he was thus en-
SEEKING THE LOST. 131
gaged, his tongue would run on as quickly as
it generally did.
Nor was he disappointed.
Pierce had let him
have an excellent bargain on purpose to put
him into good spirits, and the consequence was
that the Sharnford barber's tongue ran even
faster than was its wont.
"This is a quiet village," began the barber,
"not much business to be done by men in your
line; a hard place to get one's living; there's
no money going;" and by this time he had fin-
ished tucking in his dirty napkin at the back of
Pierce's neck.
(C
Why, I've heard it said that there used to
be a good deal of money stirring here; but
times change:" and having said this, the pedlar
gave a deep sigh.
"L
Yes, we've had money enough stirring here,
a little time ago, more than was good," answered
the barber, "as ONE learned to his cost; we've
had a deal of smuggling going on."
132
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"Smuggling?" said the pedlar; "who'd
have thought of it, in such an out of the way
place as this?"
"Out of the way or in the way, smuggling
has been going on-but the shop's shut now,
and there'll be no more:" then Bob Hone's
tongue ran on, as fast as it was possible for a
tongue to go.
Not to delay the reader, we may inform him
at once, that the barber told the pretended ped-
lar everything he knew about Ralph Calvert's
affair, describing accurately the man that had
dropped the paper in his shop, which had been
the means of Ralph's having been discovered.
This was the main point that Mr. Pierce re-
quired to know, and having been shaved and
given his razor, he took his departure, going
about the village most of the day, to try and
pick up what else he could.
As to poor Mr. Kersymer, he returned quite
crest-fallen from farmer Stubble's, not having
SEEKING THE LOST.
133
been able to find out anything that could in the
least help him in his search.
Mr. Sharpe, however, and his attendant
Pierce, had gleaned enough to be of some use,
and seeing plainly that by a longer stay they
were not likely to do any more good, the whole
party returned to London, to make the best use
of the information they could.
How Ralph was found out in a very unex-
pected way, the next chapter will tell.
12
T
XIII.
The Coiner's Gang.
was very well that Mr. Kersymer had not
protracted his absence to any very great
length of time, for when he came home he found
everything in confusion.
The boy Tomkins, who had been such an an-
noyance to Charley Calvert in the early days of
his apprenticeship, and who had not been moved
from the position which he had then occupied,
had been detected in giving false coin in change,
and had been apprehended by the police.
The narrow escapes which this wicked youth
so often had of being turned away from his situa-
tion at the linen-draper's,. had done him no
manner of good, and although he had given
some outward tokens of improvement, he had
THE COINER'S GANG.
135
secretly become far worse than before. In fact,
he had been for some time associated with a
gang of coiners, and had already made Mr.
Kersymer's shop the chief scene of his opera-
tions. Commencing with passing sixpences and
shillings, he had gone on to passing counterfeit
half-crowns, and that in a more daring manner
during the few days that Mr. Kersymer had
been away. Two bad half-crowns having come
into the possession of one gentleman, he put the
matter into the hands of the police, and Tom-
kins's desk having been searched, a bag of false
coin was found in it. The police having examined
the youth's boxes in the room where he lodged,
found a further quantity, and there being plain
proof that Tomkins was the guilty party, he had
been taken before a magistrate, and remanded
for further examination on the return of his
master.
Little did the worthy linen-draper expect to
find all this trouble before him on his return,
136
THE TWO BROTHERS.
for although he did not look for anything
strikingly good from Tomkins, still he fondly
hoped that at the least he was somewhat im-
proved.
Mr. Kersymer had to appear before the magis-
trate, and the result of the second examination
was, that Tomkins was committed to take his
trial for the offense.
On being taken back to prison, the wretched
young man determined to try and save himself
by turning evidence against the whole of his
gang; and having ascertained that if he gave
valuable information it might perhaps tell here-
after in his behalf, he gave the names of every
one concerned in the manufacture of the base
coin, as far as he knew them, and the name
also of the place where the manufacture was
carried on.
Having thus endeavored to save himself at
the expense of his comrades, Tomkins gave the
paper with the names of his accomplices into
THE COINER'S GANG. 137
the hands of the police without a single feeling
of pain; like most of the wicked, he was.
thoroughly selfish, and he did not care what be-
came of all the rest, provided he himself
escaped.
Guided by the information which they had
received from Tomkins, the police threaded
their way, in the middle of the night, through
many low streets and alleys in the neighborhood
of Whitechapel, until they arrived at a house
where there were three broken stone steps lead-
ing up to the door. There was neither bell nor
knocker, but they had been provided by Tom-
kins with the means of getting in. The ser-
jeant of police drew from his pocket a curious-
looking latch key, which soon opened the door,
and the party soon found themselves in a long
narrow passage, which would have been quite
dark, but for the light which the chief of the
party threw on it by means of his lantern.
Along this passage they all walked on tip-toe,
12*
138 THE TWO BROTHERS.
lest the sound of so many feet should alarm the
* coiners, whom they expected to catch actually
at work. Owing to this precaution they were
not heard, and having arrived at a thick door,
and given a peculiar whistle, the inner bolt was
drawn back, and in sprang the whole party of
police into the very centre of the room.
They had indeed managed affairs very well,
for the coiners were now caught in the very act.
Lying about the room, in different places, were
the various moulds which they were in the habit
of using, and on the fire was boiling a large
caldron of base metal, with which they were
carrying on their operations. One glance at the
occupants of this room told the practised eye of
the police that they had desperate characters to
deal with, and if they needed any further proof,
they might have read it in the two brace of
horse pistols which hung from nails quite close
to the door, and the heavy bludgeons which lay
near them in a corner against the wall. These
THE COINER'S GANG. 139
weapons the police had information of from
Tomkins, who in hopes of currying favor for
himself, had made as minute a revelation as he
possibly could; and acting upon this informa-
tion, the first two policemen who entered the
room, stationed themselves in front of the
weapons, thus cutting off all possibility of ap-
proach for those who might have used them with
only too good effect.
It was well for them that this precaution had
been taken, for there were in this gang two or
three of the most desperate characters in the
metropolis, who would not have stopped at
murder itself. Now, however, they were pow-
erless, and although they made as desperate a
resistance as they could, kicking, and striking
at the police with all their might, they were
speedily overpowered and secured with handcuffs
from doing any further harm.
The gang consisted of three stout men, whose
shirt sleeves were tucked up for their work, an
140
THE TWO BROTHERS.
old man whose cunning face seemed to have be-
come wrinkled in crime, and a young man who
looked as though he could not have been with
them long; his face was fresher and his coun-
tenance more open than those of his compan-
ions; still he was evidently engaged in the same
work as the rest, and was now apprehended in
company with them.
The police handcuffed the entire party, and
took possession of everything they found in the
place leaving three of their number in charge of
the premises. The remainder marched off their
prisoners to the same gaol in which Tomkins was
confined. At times the strongest of the men
seemed to make some resistance, and refused to
move on, but the escort of police was so large,
that they found they could do nothing more
than show their sulkiness; as to denying their
guilt, or anything of the kind, no one seemed
to hav thought for a moment of that, for they
had all been caught in the very act.
}
THE COINER'S GANG. 141
It was evident, however, to the police that
they had not succeeded in the capture of the
wholo band: the prisoners were talking amongst
themselves of "Bill's luck in having just gone
out," and this precisely answered to one of the
names given them by the informer Tomkins.
Arrangements had been made to watch for him,
and seize him if possible, for it was evident he
was at the head of the whole matter, and the
prime mover in it all.
■
The police lodged their prisoners safely in the
gaol, and they were placed in separate cells,
preparatory to their examination in the morn-
ing and thus we have Ralph Calvert a second
time in prison, for he was the young man found
with the coiners—and again we are called up on to
note the truth of that proverb on which good old
Mr. Gabriel preached the day that Dick Gles
was buried, "He that walketh with wise men
shall be wise but the companion of fools shall
be destroyed.'
1
હા
THEN
XII.
The Discovery.
HEN Ralph Calvert had succeeded in
making his escape from "the Cage" at
Chinkley, he made his way with his bad com-
panion, Hartry, to London.
This wicked man was engaged in many un-
lawful pursuits, and did not care how bad any-
thing was to which he turned his hand, provided
he could make money by it.
We have already seen that he passed off some
base coin on Ralph Calvert, at Sharnford, when
he was there on smuggling business, and he then
determined to get hold of the lad, if possible,-
proposing to use him as a convenient tool for
some of his bad designs.
Ralph, when once he had defied the law, by
THE DISCOVERY.
143
breaking from the Chinkley cage, was complete-
ly in this man's power; and on his arrival in
London, he was introduced by him into this
gang, and had received very little more than his
bare clothes, and just food enough to keep him
alive. He was, in fact, quite a servant of the
other coiners, and was obliged to do the nieanest
work for them; nor did he dare attempt to
escape-so afraid was he of being apprehended
for his former crimes. The proverb says that
"The way of the transgressors is hard," and
poor Ralph found this to be only, too true; and
often and often had he mourned, with bitterness
of spirit, the hour in which he first listened to
Hartry's voice, and went to the theatre, where
all his troubles had commenced.
:
Ralph was now very much changed in ap-
pearance from what he once had been; he was
no longer the healthy strong looking young
man, with bright eyes, and round plump limbs,
but he was sallow and thin, and his hair was
144 THE TWO BROTHERS.
matted, as though he never touched it from one
month's end to the other.
The close confinement to which he had been
subject in the coiners' room, together with the
continual fear in which he lived, had quite
broken his health, and he appeared as if he were
dying fast of a decline.
When apprehended with the rest of the coin-
ers, Ralph's first thought was that he must be
known to every policeman, and that he would.
now be certainly brought to account not only for
being found with the gang, but also for his
former doings both at Sharnford and Chinkley.
This so cast him down, that with great difficulty
he walked along, and when he was put into his
cell, the turnkey thought him looking so ill,
that he paid him special attention. Ralph felt
thankful to him for this, for he had seen but few
kind looks, and heard but very few kind words.
of late; and although the turnkey's voice was
at the best but rough, still he seemed so plainly
THE DISCOVERY.
145
determined to be kind, Ralph was quite cheered
in his distress.
The turnkey, however, could not remain with
this prisoner more than a certain time, and when
the heavy key was turned in the lock of his cell
and the two outer bolts secured, and Ralph felt
himself alone in the dark, he could not but feel
wretched and terrified in the extreme.
What would he not have given if he had
never gone to that odious theatre? What
would he not give if he had had courage to tell
his mother of his fault? Yes, he even felt that
he would willingly have given much that he had
never broken from "the Cage" at Chinkley,
for now he had double to answer for, and as he
thought, could not hope for any mercy at the
hands of the law. It was now, however, too
late; he felt that he should have thought of all
this before, and that nothing now remained
for him but to take the consequences of his
guilt.
13
146 THE TWO BROTHERS.
•
And let this be a warning to us all! How
many times have we had to mourn over the con-
sequences of our sins, to wish that we had not
done such and such things, which our con-
sciences told us to abstain from, and yet we are
not perhaps as careful now as we should be; un-
less we have God's grace we cannot be upheld,
we can escape neither from sin itself, nor from
those bitter results, which, sooner or later, are
sure to spring abundantly from it.
Whilst Ralph Calvert's mind thought on these
things for a while, it was also engaged during a
part of the night, in planning what course he
was to pursue. He knew very well that Char-
ley was not far off, but where was the use in
letting him know anything about his present
position; "He can do me no good," said Ralph,
"and why should I run the risk of injuring
him with Mr. Kersymer, who might cast him
off if he knew he was connected with such a fel-
low as I an?" "No," said the prisoner,
THE DISCOVERY.
147
come what will, I'll go through it all without
bringing any disgrace on him."
Coldly and dimly the grey hazy light of the
morning broke in upon Ralph Calvert's cell,
through a small high window or rather slit in
the wall, which offered no hope of escape like
"the Cage" at Chinkley.
At the proper hour the friendly turnkey ap-
peared, and brought some breakfast for the
prisoner, and told him to prepare for his exami-
nation before the magistrates that day at eleven
o'clock.
Poor Ralph eat the breakfast, although every
morsel of it seemed to stick fast in his throat,
and he felt ready to sink into the ground with
shame, when he thought of standing in the dock
with the ill-looking gang with whom he had
been apprehended the night before. He made
himself, however, as decent-looking as he could,
and determined on giving some false name, by
which he flattered himself that his connexion
148
THE TWO BROTHERS.
with his brother Charles could not be discovered,
and that no one would know that he was the
same person that had been committed for selling
smuggled goods, and that had broken from the
Chinkley Cage.
Alas! now, as on former occasions, poor
Ralph's hopes were entirely blasted, for when,
in company with the remainder of the gang, he
stood up in the dock, the very first person his
eyes happened to rest upon, was his brother
Charles, whom he had not seen for so long a
time.
The court was crowded, for it had got abroad
that this desperate gang had been seized, and
Mr. Kersymer and his apprentice were there,
being highly interested in the affair, as it was
through the information of their former shop-
man, Tomkins, that the capture had been
made.
On the appearance of the prisoners, every
eye was turned to the place where they stood,
THE DISCOVERY.
.149
;
and Charles Calvert, after looking a few min-
utes, recognized his brother Ralph in the dock.
Poor fellow! it was indeed a terrible blow to
him, and he fainted away, and was removed by
Mr. Kersymer out of court.
"What is the matter, Charles? come, cheer
up, man!" said the worthy linen-draper, when
he succeeded in bringing his companion back to
a state of consciousness again; but all Charley
could say in answer was, "Ralph! oh, poor
Ralph, to think that it should have ever come to
this !"
Mr. Kersymer was not long in discerning the
cause of Charles Calvert's fainting fit, and the
kind man felt as though he should almost have
fainted himself; he returned, however, imme-
diately to court, and on looking fixedly at the
young man in the dock, he perceived that, how-
ever altered he must now be, still his features
agreed with the description he had received of
them, and without waiting for the end of the
13*
150 THE TWO BROTHERS.
matter, off he went as fast as he possibly could
to Mr. Sharpe, who with his wise man was
doing his very best to trace out the unhappy
culprit row so unexpectedly discovered.
XV.
AJOND
I
The Meeting.
ONDERFULLY surprised was the law-
yer to hear what his client, Mr. Ker-
symer, had to say; he opened his eyes as wide
as they could possibly go, he wiped his specta-
cles, he took several pinches of snuff, and ended
finally by a long "Ahem," and looking amaz-
ingly astonished.
"We must immediately take measures for
the defence, sir:" and having said this, he
looked very hard at the linen-draper, and
awaited his reply.
The whole thing is wrapped up in mys-
tery," was the only answer that was returned.
"Oh! we're accustomed to mysteries,” said
Mr. Sharpe, looking very calm, and apparently
152
THE TWO BROTHERS.
quite forgetting that he had been so very much
astonished such a little while ago.
"The first thing to be done, is to get an order
from the magistrate to see the prisoner;" and
Mr. Sharpe drew his pen from behind his ear
to make the application; "until we have seen
him nothing can be done."
"Be it so! Be it so !" said Mr. Kersymer,
who was looking as unhappy as though the mis-
fortune had happened to his own son.
“ Well,
be it so, the matter is still in your hands just as
it was before; spare no expense; do the very
best you can."
The order was obtained, and that evening
Charles Calvert, Mr. Kersymer, and the law-
yer set out for the gaol where Ralph and the
remainder of the gang of coiners were to be de-
tained until their trial.
It was indeed a sad meeting between the two
brothers; and when Charles Calvert examined
THE MEETING.
153
Ralph's countenance closely, he was shocked to
see it so terribly changed.
At this interview Ralph informed the party
that had come to see him, of all his past doings,
from his going to the theatre up to the moment
of his being seized with the other coiners by the
police. All his ruin he laid at the door of Bill
Hartry; but he did not hide from his friends
how much he was to blame himself.
"We will do what we can to help you," said
Mr. Kersymer, "and you shall be well defended
at your trial."
"No fear about that," chimed in Mr. Sharpe,
"it's a difficult case; but then we're used to
difficult cases. I hope, however, that no one
will recognize you, it will be very awkward if
they bring up the Chinkley Cage affair."
As to poor Charles, he said very little he
sat with his hand in Ralph's, looking up into
his worn, pallid face, and every now and then
the large tears came rolling down his cheeks.
154
THE TWO BROTHERS.
It was with great difficulty that Mr. Kersy-
mer and the lawyer could persuade him to leave,
when the turnkey came to give notice that the
time for their departure had arrived; it was
perfect wretchedness to the young man to go to
his own comfortable home, while his only
brother was the tenant of a prison cell there
was no help for it, however, and they all re-
turned to Mr. Kersymer's to supper, to make
arrangements as to what was to be done next.
"I shall have justice done on that fellow
Hartry," exclaimed the linen-draper, “yes, if it
costs me a thousand pounds; he's the root of all
these misfortunes, and if I can bring him to jus-
tice I will."
"Pierce is on the look out for him," observed
Mr. Sharpe, as he helped himself to a large
slice of mutton, "and if he's above ground,
Pierce is the man to catch him !"
"The police are now watching the premises
where the coining was carried on," said Charles
THE MEETING.
155
Calvert, "but I fear he's too cunning to let him-
self easily be caught."
"Pierce is as cunning as a fox," responded
the lawyer, "he's a wonderful man; Pierce
would almost go into a rat-hole after any one he
wanted very particularly, especially if any one
makes it worth his while."
"He shall have fifty pounds," said the linen-
draper, "the hour that the key of the gaol turns
on Hartry."
"I'll make a note of that, and tell him,"
answered the lawyer, as he wrote it down in his
pocket-book.
And this, and some other affairs in connexion
with Ralph Calvert's present melancholy posi-
tion having been arranged, the party separated
for the night; Mr. Kersymer to lie awake
thinking over the whole of this strange affair;
Mr. Sharpe to make plans for the defence of
Ralph, and the capture of Hartry; and poor
Charles to weep with his mother, and pray that
156
THE TWO BROTHERS.
God would have mercy upon his unfortunate
brother.
The time for the trial of the coiners drew on,
and as yet Bill Hartry had not been traced out
by Pierce. Several times he was very near
being caught, but cunningly escaped in the va-
rious disguises he assumed.
During this interval, Charles Calvert and his
mother had frequent interviews with Ralph,
and it was manifest to them how very deeply he
had repented of all his past sin, and how thor-
oughly conscious he was that the first unfortu-
nate step had led to all the subsequent crimes.
The chaplain of the gaol, who was an excel-
lent man, and who spared no pains with the
prisoners, was also a frequent visitor in Ralph's
cell; and when the time for the trial came, the
prisoner was in a deeply humble state of mind
-prepared for the worst that might come-be-
lieving that it would be no more than his crimes
deserved.
THE MEETING.
157
1
As to Mr. Sharpe, the lawyer-finding that
Ralph was determined to plead guilty in court,
and that all his efforts to get him off would be
thus rendered of no avail-that active gentleman
retained the best pleader he could find, so that
the judge might be convinced that the prisoner
had been the dupe of another, in which case he
hoped that the punishment might be consider-
ably lightened.
Mr. Sharpe would have much rather that
Ralph had pleaded not guilty, for the lawyer
considered himself famous at a difficult case, but
none of his arguments at all availed with Ralph,
who said that he was guilty, and that nothing
should induce him to tell a lie.
"But every one pleads not guilty,” rejoined
Mr. Sharpe, "the other prisoners will all plead
'not guilty,' and why should not you do as the
rest ?"
"A lie is a lie," said Ralph, "whether it is
14
158
THE TWO BROTHERS.
told in the court or out of it: I would not tell
it now to save my life."
Mr. Sharpe thought Ralph a very strange
nd obstinate young man, still he deter-
mined to make the best of the case; and thus
matters stood when the day of the trial came
on.
The night before this terrible day, Mr. Ker-
symer, and Charley, and his mother, visited
poor Ralph, and it was an affecting sight to see
the whole party kneel down upon the floor of
the cell, while the worthy linen draper put up
a prayer to God, that He would guide the events
of the morrow, and soften the hearts of such as
were engaged in the trial, so that they might
feel for this unhappy young man, as having
been the dupe of one, cleverer and more design-
ing than himself.
There was not a single tearless eye in the
cell; and after the linen-draper's prayer had
ended, and they had all uttered a fervent
THE MEETING.
159
Amen," Ralph felt stronger and better than
he had done for a long time.
"How do you feel, Ralph ?" said Mr. Kersy-
mer, as he wrung him by the hand.
"Better-better than I have done for a long
time," answered he, "come what will, bad as I
have been, I put my trust in God."
"That's right," said Mr. Kersymer: "He
never forsakes those who put their trust in
Him,-trust in Him to-morrow, and remember
you have friends in court;" and so saying they
all left the cell, and the turnkey locked the door
on the prisoner for the night.
1
"
XVI.
The Trial.
HE eventful morning came, and Ralph, with
the remainder of the gang of coiners, was
conveyed from the prison to the court.
The trial of this gang seemed to have at-
tracted great attention, for the court-house was
quite crowded, and there was no chance of a
seat for any one that came a moment after the
trial had commenced.
Ralph was first conveyed to a kind of under-
ground room, strongly secured, from which there
was a flight of steps that led up into the dock.
Here he found himself for the first time since
his examination before the magistrates, in com-
pany with his former associates,-who seemed
not change in the smallest degree, but were
THE TRIAL.
161
just as ruffianly-looking as the night they had
been captured by the police.
They came up to Ralph Calvert, and wanted
to shake hands with him, and renew their old
acquaintance with him, but Ralph drew back as
though he was half terrified.
Look at him, Dick!" said one of the men,
highly offended,-"well, if he ain't become a
gentleman since we saw him last!"
"I suppose he's in mourning for his sins,"
sneered the man that answered to the name of
"Dick," for Ralph was dressed in a decent suit
of black, which had been provided for him by
his brother Charles.
"Silence there," cried one of the police; and
before there was time for saying anything more,
the names of the several members of the gang
were read out, and they were directed to move
up into the dock.
Poor Ralph, now that the trying time had
really come, felt as if he could have dropped
14*
162 THE TWO BROTHERS.
down and died with, shame; but there was no
help for it, so he ascended the stairs, and found
himself in the dock with the rest.
All eyes were instantaneously turned upon
the prisoners; but as to Ralph, he did not at
first see any one. He saw, as he thought, a
thousand faces swimming to and fro, and heard
all sorts of strange noises,-but he soon came to
himself, and then he perceived that several per-
sons were whispering evidently about him, and
pointing in the direction where he stood.
When Ralph Calvert felt courage enough to
look around he saw that Mr. Kersymer and
Charley were in the court, also Mr. Sharpe, who
was in earnest conversation with an elderly gen-
tleman in a black gown and grey wig, while
right opposite him was the judge, an old man
in a red gown, and with a keen bright eye,
which seemed but little dimmed with age.
Ralph thought he had never seen such an eye
THE TRIAL.
163
before, he felt as if it had already read him
through and through.
The indictment was read, and the prisoners
were called upon to plead; whereupon Ralph
66
pleaded guilty," but the remainder of the gang
"not guilty."
On Ralph's pleading guilty, every eye in the
court was turned upon him, his fellow prisoners
also stared at him, and the old judge looked as
much astonished as any one else.
Ralph, however, persisted in his plea, and
then the trial of the other prisoners went on.
The police gave very clear evidence of having
caught the coiners in the very act, and the
counsel for the prisoners could not shake their
evidence in the least. Tomkins also, who had
been admitted as King's evidence, confirmed
many of the points brought against them, and it
was in vain that their counsel made a long de-
fence; it was as clear as day that they were
guilty.
164
THE TWO BROTHERS
The jury seemed to have no doubt upon the
matter, for they brought in a verdict of guilty
against them, but recommended Ralph Calvert
to mercy.
And in truth Ralph's counsel had done his
very best for him. When he came to speak on
his behalf, he showed so plainly that the young
man had been Hartry's victim, that the judge
seemed evidently impressed in his favor.
Sentence was passed on all the prisoners be-
fore they left the dock; they were to be trans-
ported for life: an intimation was however
given that as regarded the prisoner, Ralph Cal-
vert, his case should be represented in the prop-
er quarter, and hopes were held out that his
sentence would be mitigated.
In passing the sentence, the old judge took
care to point out the evil of bad companionship,
and Ralph and Charley both started when they
heard him quote the text, "He that walketh
with wise men shall be wise: but the companion
THE TRIAL.
165
of fools shall be destroyed." They remembered
the night when dear old Mr. Gabriel had
preached upon this proverb, and how, with
their father, they paused by the side of Dick
Giles's grave as they passed the church-yard
gate. How true had these remarkable words
turned out! Each of the brothers was an ex-
ample of the truth of a part of the proverb;
the one was on the road to fortune, the other
was now a felon in the dock!
The gaoler removed the prisoners, and many
persons left the court, as the other trials which
were coming on were not expected to be as inter-
esting as this had been, and among the number
who took their departure, were Mr. Sharpe,
Mr. Kersymer, and Charley Calvert. Before
they left the court, however, a very remarkable
scene took place, which afforded all three infinite
satisfaction.
There had been present in the court listening
to the trial, a Chelsea pensioner with white hair
166
THE TWO BROTHERS.
and a black patch over one eye, as though he
had been wounded in battle. This man had
been listening to the trial very attentively, and
seemed as though he were interested in it to a
great degree; he seldom, however, raised his
head, which he leant upon his stick, as though
he required this support.
:
Sitting in the very back row opposite this
man, had been a stout middle-aged person, who
seemed also very much interested in the trial;
he seemed, however, to divide his attention be-
tween the prisoners in the dock and the Chelsea
pensioner opposite him. About the middle of
the proceedings this individual left the court,
and reappeared at the side opposite to that where ·
he had just been sitting, quite close to the pen-
sioner. By a good deal of management he con-
trived to get next him, and even to speak a few
words to him; after which he moved away
again, and took his seat in a less crowded place
by the door.
THE TRIAL.
167
Now that the trial was over, and the prison-
ers removed, the Chelsea pensioner was taking
his departure as well as many others; he was
not, however, permitted to go very far; for as
he was hobbling out upon his stick, the strong
arms of Pierce seized him, and he called upon.
the police in the passage to assist in securing
the prisoner.
There was at first a general cry of "Shame!
shame!" and "Let him go !" for no one could
see but that the person thus violently seized
was indeed an aged pensioner; but in spite of
all this, Pierce held the old man firmly in his
grasp, until two policemen came to his assistance.
On Pierce's representation, they seized the
old man by the collar, who very soon straight-
ened himself much more than he had been be-
fore, and when Pierce had removed his white.
wig, and the patch from his eye, he made a very
different appearance to what he had done a little
while before.
168
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"Ha! Hartry, I have you at last, and you
shall not easily slip through my fingers, once I
have laid them on you."
"What? is this the man they were speaking
of at the trial just now ?" cried first one and
then another.
"The very same," said Pierce.; "and if I
mistake not he'll soon get his due."
Mr. Sharpe now gave directions what was to
be done, and although the old Chelsea pensioner
made two or three desperate efforts to burst
away, he was safely lodged in gaol that very
day.
:
XVII.
Betribution.
THE recommendation of the judge was for-
warded to the secretary of state, and
Ralph Calvert's sentence was commuted to seven
years' transportation. As the whole of the
smuggling proceedings at Sharnford, and the
escape from the gaol or cage at Chinkley, had
come out upon the trial, and of course been
represented in the statement of Ralph's case, a
less punishment could not have been well in-
flicted, and truly thankful were Ralph and his
friends that matters were no worse.
Still, to be exiled for seven years was a
terrible thing, and Ralph and his friends felt
it very much; they had, however, this con-
solation-they were allowed to see each other
15
170
THE TWO BROTHERS.
pretty often, and they had the prospect of
being united again after the expiration of the
sentence.
In a few weeks a ship sailed with convicts to
Botany Bay, and amongst them was Ralph Cal-
vert. He wore a convict's dress, his hair was
cut close to his head, and he was treated in
every respect exactly like the rest.
He soon, however, made friends for himself,
and his conduct being very superior to that of
most of his fellow-prisoners, he was treated with
both kindness and indulgence by those in au-
thority.
At first Ralph was obliged to do several very
menial offices, but he never complained; he did
also all that lay in his power to keep in order
the most unruly spirits amongst the other con-
victs, owing to which he secured the good opin-
ion of the captain of the ship, as also that of the
officer in command of the soldiers who formed
the convict guard.
RETRIBUTION.
171
Ralph was not, however, what he used to be;
he had lost all his strength, and his constitution.
was evidently breaking; all that he had gone
through, evidently began to tell upon him now,
and it became doubtful whether he should ever
be what he was before.
Thus was poor Ralph Calvert "the com-
panion of fools," exiled, and in disgrace, while
his brother Charley, who walked with wise men,
was in honor and respectability at home. Let
us now glance at the remainder of Bill Hartry's
history, for judgment fell on him most terribly
for all his crimes.
After the unhappy man's apprehension by
Pierce in the court-house, he was committed to
prison for his share in the coining. He had not
been there long, when some of the detective
police, having a suspicion that he had been im-
plicated in a murder that had taken place a
year before, traced out everything in connexion
with it, and procured such evidence as clearly
172 THE TWO BROTHERS.
convicted him. His trial did not take place for
some time, owing to the difficulties in the way
of procuring the evidence: it did, however,
come off at last, and he was sentenced to be
hanged.
The sentence was carried into effect in the
presence of an immense crowd, and the unhappy
man died quite hardened; he remained impeni-
tent to the very end, although the worthy
chaplain of the gaol did everything he could
to bring him to a proper sense of his awful
state.
In the crowd that witnessed Hartry's ignomin-
ious end, stood Mr. Kersymer, Charles Calvert,
Mr. Sharpe, and Pierce, and as they returned
home, one feeling seemed to animate the linen-
draper and his young companion; it was thank-
fulness, that bad as had been poor Ralph's lot,
he had not come to this.
"Who knows," said Mr. Kersymer, "to what
lengths he might not have been carried, had not
RETRIBUTION.
173
his connection with this unhappy man been cut
short in time?"
All that evening there was a shade of melan-
choly over Charles Calvert's mind: he could
not help feeling deeply for the wretched creature
he had seen hurried into eternity; still he felt
cheered, as he thought of how entirely Ralph
had been in this man's power,-had not that
gang been broken up, and Ralph mercifully ap-
prehended, (for it was a mercy that he was
taken up) he might have stood side by side to-
day with Hartry, and expiated his crimes upon
the scaffold.
"God is wise, and merciful, and good," said
Charles Calvert, "and oh! how thankful am I,
that he has kept me from the ways of the de-
stroyer; may I have been spared, only to live
henceforth more and more to Him." "Yes,"
said he, "He shall be my God, and I will
serve Him while I have my being;' and should
poor Ralph be ever restored to us again, I will
174
THE TWO BROTHERS.
help him with all my might to retrace the sad
steps of his former life."
Thus determined Charles Calvert, and thus
he did!
XVIII.
The Death of the Sighteous.
YEAR after Bill Hartry's execution, Mr.
Kersymer fell ill; at first his illness
seemed of no consequence, but it gradually be-
came worse, and at length the doctor gave no
hope of his ultimate recovery, although it was
likely that he might live for three or four
months.
This was told to Mr. Kersymer, for he was
the last man in the world not to wish to know
the whole truth, and he began to arrange his
affairs, so that there should not be anything to
do at the last.
For this purpose the linen-draper called in
our old friend Mr. Sharpe, who drew up a will,
in which the business and stock with five thou-
176
THE TWO BROTHERS.
sand pounds was left to Charles Calvert, the
remainder of Mr. Kersymer's large property
being left to his wife. There were several
legacies for trustworthy servants who had been
with him for many years, but the bulk of the
property was divided between Mrs. Kersymer
and Charles Calvert.
The worthy linen-draper was not indeed long
for this world. Day by day he seemed to waste
away, and was very often in great pain.
Not a day, however, passed, but that morn-
ing and evening and for half an hour in the mid-
dle of the day Charles Calvert was up in his
former master's room. At these times they
held many conversations on holy things, and
often they talked over poor Ralph's present
state, and what was to be done for him when he
returned home.
"It is indeed a comfort," said Mr. Kersymer
on one of these occasions, "not to have put off
repentance to a dying bed. Charley, my boy!
DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 177
I'm sometimes so racked with pain for hours.
together, that even if five minutes' serious
thought could save my soul, I do not feel that I
could think, even for so short a time. Thank
God," said the linen-draper, "He has given me
grace never to neglect Him in the busiest of
times, and believing and resting on my Saviour,
I now feel that I shall die in peace! and, Char-
ley," continued Mr. Kersymer, "you are to
succeed.:: me in the business. Honestly, even to
a very thread, has it been carried on in my
time; let it also be honestly carried on in your's.
Honesty is in the end the best policy, and I
have ever found it so: and mark well, my boy,"
said the worthy man, as he pressed Charley's
hand, “find time for God in life, lest God may
not find time for you in death."
Thus used the dying man to address his in-
tended successor; he now also confided in him
the whole history of his poor brother, on whose
178 THE TWO BROTHERS.
account he had taken such a deep interest in the
unhappy Ralph.
It seems that young Kersymer had been led
astray by a designing man like Hartry; there
was hardly any depth of wickedness short of
murder into which he had not been led, and
having been brought to justice for his crimes,
he had been sentenced to transportation for life.
This sentence was, however, not carried into
effect, for a gaol fever broke out, and John Ker-
symer with several others died of it.
"And he
died I hope repentant," said the linen-draper,
his voice becoming indistinct with sobs.
died, not without seeking his Saviour; still the
bitterest thoughts I have had in life, have been
those about poor John: God grant," said Mr.
Kersymer, "that your brother Ralph may be
restored to you, and that he may yet become a
faithful servant of his God. Oh! Charles,"
continued Mr. Kersymer, "how thankful ought
you to be to Him that He has spared your
"He
DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 179
brother, when he ran so headlong in the path
of ruin."
"There is one thing more that I have to say
to you," said the linen-draper before this inter-
view ended. "I have left your brother one
hundred pounds in my will, provided he returns
an altered character; if he comes back, he will
have nothing of his own, and this will help to
set him up in the world, and to make a decent
appearance.
Mr. Kersymer survived this conversation but
a very short time. In about a fortnight he died,
and his end was perfect peace.
Almost from very childhood had Mr. Ker-
symer known and loved his Saviour, and
he had lived to Him, even in the midst of
the bustle and cares of life; and He was pres-
ent with him on his dying bed, administer-
ing to him that peace which the world can-
not give, and which the world cannot take
away..
180
THE TWO BROTHERS.
·
The worthy linen-draper had been a kind and
liberal friend to Charles Calvert, and he was
deeply grieved at his benefactor's death. It is
true he now found himself at the head of one of
the finest businesses of the kind in London, that
he had fortune before him, and many blessings,
but he felt as though he could have given them
all up to have had Mr. Kersymer back again.
But such a thing could not be, and Charles
Calvert, in order that he should not be speedily
forgotten, erected a splendid monument to him
very near the place where he used to sit in
church. He determined also on carrying on the
business under the old name; and that name,
said he, shall never be disgraced by any unwor-
thy deed of mine.
Nor was it. Charles Calvert conducted the
business on principles of the strictest integrity,
and found, as Mr. Kersymer told him, that
(6
honesty was indeed the best policy !" As to
the tricks of trade which he saw others carrying
DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 181
ɔn, he utterly and entirely refused to have any-
thing to say to them. Some of his neighbors
used to put up articles ticketed at a certain
price in their windows, and then sell their cus-
tomers some apparently the same, but really of
a quality far inferior; but young Calvert never
allowed such a thing to be done.
It is true that when this custom came in,
some persons who were in the habit of dealing
with him, left his shop, and tried elsewhere;
but they soon found that they were taken in,
and they were glad enough to return where they
had been always well treated, and received the
worth of their money.
Thus young Calvert carried on the business,
and at length he obtained such a good name,
that many country shopkeepers never came up
to choose their goods, but merely scnt him
directions what quantities he was to forward
to them.
As to Charley's mother, by Mrs. Kersymer's
182
THE TWO BROTHERS.
especial desire, she and Charley came to reside
in the house; and it became quite evident that
the widow had adopted the former apprentice as
her son
XIX.
The Returned Convict.
IME passed on, and Charles Calvert-who
had been married to a niece of Mr. Ker-
symer's-was sitting at tea with his wife, and
his own mother, and Mrs. Kersymer, whom he
used to call his second mother; and the conver-
sation turned upon the poor exile-Ralph.
"He ought soon to be here," said Charles
Calvert, as he examined an almanac. "The
vessel has been due over a week. I'll go and
make further inquiries about it to-morrow."
"I wonder if he's much changed," sobbed old
Mrs. Calvert, who could never speak of her un-
fortunate son without tears.
"Come, come, mother, cheer up!" said her
son as he went over and kissed her. Perhaps
(:
Ralph will look better than any of us ?"
184
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"But that horrid prison dress," sobbed out
Mrs. Calvert, "and his hair cropped so close,
oh dear! it was dreadful !”
"Well, so it was," said Charles, "but how
much more dreadful would it have been if he
had shared the fate of the remainder of the gang,
when we should never have seen him again; or
if that wretched Hartry had led him into some
worse crime, in which case he might have shared
his fate."
"What? have been hanged !" answered Mrs.
Calvert, pushing back her chair from the table,
and throwing up both her hands and looking
aghast―" Ralph have been hanged ?”
Yes, mother, have been hanged-many a
young man has been brought by bad companions
and bad example to the gallows; as long as we
live, we cannot be too thankful that it has not
been so with Ralph !"
"You need not be in such trouble, mother,
about Ralph's convict clothes, cr about his hair,
THE RETURNED CONVICT. 185
for no doubt," said Charley, "he has let his
hair grow; and I have taken care that a box
containing proper clothes should be forwarded
for his use nearly a year ago; he will be certain
to come in them, and perhaps on the whole he
will look much better than when he went out."
Thus was Ralph Calvert's arrival debated by
the party at tea, when a knock was heard at the
door, and the servant told Charles that a gen-
tleman wished to speak with him in the hall.
Perhaps he has some news for me of the
arrival of the ship," said the young man, full
of the subject of which they had all just been.
speaking. "They promised at the office to come
up and give me the earliest information they
received." So saying, Charles Calvert took up
a candle and went down stairs.
属
​"Any news of The Hercules?" said he, as
he thought he saw before him one of the clerks
of the office. "Has she come into the Downs ?"
(6
Charley!" said the stranger; and the
186 THE TWO BROTHERS.
young man staggered against the wall-it was
Ralph.
When the first moment of surprise was over,
the brothers were locked in each other's arms;
and a very few minutes sufficed to bring down
old Mrs. Calvert, Mrs. Kersymer, and Charles's
wife.
It was indeed the convict that had returned.
Owing to an accident, "The Hercules" could
not sail for a month after the time she had been
advertized, and he had come home in a large
brig called "The Mercy," which was ready to
sail immediately.
At first Ralph Calvert seemed to shun the
light in the room where the party were assem-
bled at tea; he kept looking continually down
upon the ground, and fidgetting on his chair; and
it was evident to his brother that he deeply
felt his present position, and was very ill at ease.
Mrs. Kersymer, however, soon disappeared,
having found out that she had a bad cold, and
THE RETURNED CONVICT.
187
young Mrs. Calvert went to see after the baby,
and so Ralph was now alone with his mother
and his brother.
And now the old lady began to kiss him, just
as she used to do in olden time; but Ralph fell
down upon his knees, and clasping his hands
together in her lap just as he used to do when
he was a child, he implored forgiveness from her
for all the trouble he had caused her, and for
the disgrace he had brought upon his father's
name. The poor woman seized her son's thin
hands, and kissed him again and again; and
when Ralph then turned and did the same to
Charles, the young man felt as though his very
heart would break.
"Get
At length he found utterance and said,
up, Ralph," and he raised him from his knees,
"we must only kneel to God, and thank God
He has restored you to us again."
"Yes! thank God," ejaculated Mrs. Calvert,
"Thank God, indeed."
188
THE TWO BROTHERS.
Poor Ralph! when he was seated, and had
somewhat recovered himself, gave his mother
and his brother an account of all that had hap-
pened to him since he had left the country.
He had at first been put under a master who
treated him with great severity, and worked him
beyond his strength, but his good conduct won
him over, and towards the end of his time
Ralph had been treated very well. He had
been offered good wages if he would remain as a
free servant in the colony, but he refused, feel-
ing the strongest desire to return and see his
mother and brother once again.
"Oh yes," said Ralph, as he looked at his
mother, "it was the hope of seeing you that
sustained me in many a wretched hour, and all
the money in the world could not have induced
me to have remained. And yet," said Ralph,
"there were times when I felt as though I could
hardly venture to return, as though I could not
bear to look you in the face, or hold up my
THE RETURNED CONVICT. 189
head again, after the terrible course of wicked-
ness in which I had engaged."
After Mrs. Calvert and Charley had assured
Ralph over and over again of their unabated
love for him, and how delighted they were to
have him with them, he seemed somewhat reas-
sured, and ventured to ask if anything was
known of Bill Hartry, and what had been the
lot of that wretched man.
Charles told him of his trial for the murder,
and how he, with Mr. Kersymer, Mr. Sharpe,
and Pierce, had seen him executed. "He died
as he lived," said Charles Calvert, "a hardened
sinner, and gave no sign whatever of any sorrow
for his crimes."
Late indeed it was before any of the three re-
tired to rest. Ralph would not be satisfied until
he had heard the whole history of Charles's
prosperity, and he wept with gratitude when he
heard of Mr. Kersymer's kind remembrance of
him in his will.
190
THE TWO BROTHERS.
"Cheer up," said Charley to im, "Cheer
up, Ralph, I hope that your future may be
happy, and we shall find something for you to
do."
"My future" said Ralph, in a deep solemn
voice, "can never be happy; unless indeed it
be the far distant future. Charley! Mother!
I look for happiness in another world, but not in
this!"
XX.
The Journey's End.
HE following day showed Mrs. Calvert and
Charles that there was too much reason to
fear that what Ralph had said about his never
having much happiness in this world, was true.
When they met him at breakfast, they ob-
served much which had not been apparent by
the dim candle light the evening before.
The young man's hair was quite grey, and
his black clothes hung loosely upon his limbs.
It was evident that he was entirely changed,
and his mother and brother were greatly
alarmed about him.
And day after day confirmed their fears; they
observed that a settled melancholy had taken
possession of his spirits, and that he went
192
THE TWO BROTHERS.
about very feebly, as though all his strength had
gone.
The truth was, that poor Ralph's constitution
had been completely undermined, and he must
long since have sunk, had he not lived on in the
bright hope of seeing his mother and his brother
again. Now, however, having accomplished
this, his temporary strength gave way, and it
became evident that he was not destined to re-
main long in this world.
The physician that was consulted on his case,
recommended light and cheerful employment to
occupy Ralph's mind, and out-of-door exercise,
which, with some strengthening medicine, he
hoped might have a good effect.
This employment Charles found for Ralph.
"I cannot bear to be eating the bread of
idleness, and to be living on you," said the poor
invalid to his brother. "Employ me in some
way, and I will try and serve you faithfully,
and be as useful as I can."
THE JOURNEY'S END. 193
So Charles, to make him more comfortable,
gave him every day a short list of monies to
collect, so that Ralph should have plenty of
out-door exercise.
"You shall have a hundred a year, and
board and lodging," said Charles, "for your's
is a confidential situation, and when you get into
the way of business you will be of the greatest
use."
Ralph then took up his abode with his brother,
and for a few weeks he kept on at his collecting.
It was evident, however, that he was getting
weaker and weaker, and each week Charles
made his list shorter and shorter, until at last it
came down to only half-a-dozen names, and all
these near home.
Ralph's disease was one of the mind; and the
kind physician that attended him could not cure
his sorrow. Night after night did Charles and
his wife hear him sobbing in his own rcom, and
praying earnestly to God.
194
THE TWO BROTHERS.
At length Ralph kept the house altogether,
and still anxious to do something, he copied a
few of his brother's letters for him, but even that
he soon was obliged to give up; and he seldom
left his bed.
In Mrs. Kersymer, and his own mother, and
sister-in-law, he found tender and devoted
nurses, and they read to him when he became
too ill to read for himself. Charles also was
with him continually, and whenever he had a
spare moment, he was sure to spend it at his
brother's bedside.
Ralph continued thus to grow weaker and
weaker, and the physician one morning called
Charles aside, and told him that his brother, in
all probability, would not last longer than one
week more. "( "You must break it to him as
gently as you can," continued the physician,
"for now his life hangs as it were upon a
thread, and any sudden shock might carry him
"off in a moment.'
""
THE JOURNEY'S EN D
4.
195
But it did not require very much trouble to
break the news to the dying man; he seemed to
know all about it, and to be quite prepared for
his last solemn change.
It was Sunday evening: the bells which had
been ringing merrily for church were all
hushed, and Ralph Calvert's last hour had now
almost come. He had no worldly affairs to set-
tle, for the one hundred pounds-which was all
he had in the world—he had given to his brother
Charles for a Sunday school in which he was in-
terested. Let them teach," said Ralph sol-
emnly, as he put it into his brother's hands,
"that He that walketh with wise men shall
(
:
be wise but the companion of fools shall be
destroyed.' He asked, however, to see his
brother's infant once again.
Young Mrs. Calvert brought the little child
to him, and the dying man seemed to gather up
all his energies to utter his last earthly prayer.
It was indeed a sight to draw tears from the
196
THE TWO BROTHERS.
eyes of all present, for when the sleeping infant
was laid on his bed, Ralph raised his two trans-
parent trembling hands, and joining them to-
gether, he looked up and said, "O my God!
make this child walk with wise men and be
wise! O my God! let him not 'be the com-
panion of fools, and be destroyed!" The dying
man could say no more. Mrs. Calvert took the
infant away, and Charles and his mother laid
the invalid back upon his pillow. There he lay
for two hours, and having opened his eyes two
or three times, and looked on all around his
bed, he fell apparently asleep, and in his sleep
he died-he who had been the companion of
fools, departed a broken-hearted penitent, ac-
cepted-let us trust-in the all-atoning blood
of Jesus.
Some time before he died, Ralph had ex-
pressed a wish to be buried by his father's side,
in Sharnford churchyard, and Charles. Calvert
carried his wish into effect
THE JOURNEY'S END.
197
Old Mr. Gabriel had been dead some time,
but the clergyman that had succeeded him was
written to, and he made all necessary arrange-
ments about the funeral.
It was a sad journey for poor Charles, as he
followed the hearse for many a weary mile to
the village where he had lived, but he com-
forted himself with the thought of Ralph's hav-
ing graciously found peace at last.
As he passed through the little village of
Sharnford, he felt as though his heart would
burst, especially when he saw the house where
he and Ralph had lived, and the window of the
room where they had lain awake to talk over
Mr. Gabriel's sermon on Dick Giles's grave.
By the side of their father did Charley Cal-
vert lay his brother, and with a sorrowful step
did he turn from the spot-and as he passed
the churchyard gate on his return, he paused
for a moment to look at Dick Giles's grave.
There it was as dark and melancholy-looking
1
198 THE TWO BROTHERS.
as it had been many years before. Many a
weed and nettle had grown on it, and it seemed
unlike any other grave. "God grant," said
Charles Calvert, as he turned away from it,
"that my children may walk with wise men
and be wise, lest being the companion of fools
they be destroyed !"
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MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
1
PART I.
SHOWS HOW HR. CLIPSTICK WOUND UP HIS CLOCK ON THN
LAST NIGHT OF THE YEAR, THREE YEARS AGO.
WYR. CLIPSTICK was an artisan of excel-
lent character, and well to do in the
world; he was none of your shuffling drunken
fellows, who are almost a disgrace to any trade;
but a brawny-armed, honest-faced man, who
could work for what he ate, and eat what he
worked for. Let me tell you that Mr. Clipstick
was a down-right honest, respectable fellow, "a
true chip of the old block," for his father before
him had been honest and respectable too.
Well! Mr. Clipstick, after he had served his
apprenticeship, worked hard at his trade, and in
course of time saved a very comfortable little
sum, began to think of getting a wife. As our
friend had not spent his money in the public
202 MR.
CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
house, or in dressing above his station, or keep-
ing company with spendthrifts, he could honora-
bly ask a respectable girl, to come and share his
home; and when with much ado (for Clipstick
with all his pretensions, was a very modest
man) he contrived to make Mary Gray know
his mind, with much ado, she also made him
know hers, and so the matter was settled, and
in due time they were found one sun-shining
morning at the church together, and were mar-
ried. Mary Gray came to a comfortable home;
her husband had furnished it neatly, he had as
much as fifty pounds in the savings' bank; and
as far as earthly things go, they had every pros-
pect of happiness.
Our story begins on the last night of the old
year. Kind reader, if you had been in Mr.
Clipstick's house you would have seen a little
boy, who is no other than Master Clipstick, Mr.
Clipstick's only son and heir (to all that can be
got for him). You would have also seen a
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 203
clock; well! it is about that clock we have
principally to write.
The way Mr. C. came by the clock was
this-about a year before, he bought it at a
sale; he had it a dead bargain, but like most
bargains it did not turn out good for much; for
with all Mr. C.'s windings and settings, it never
would keep time. It would either go too fast,
or too slow; but alas! never, never right. At
last little C., who was always saying strange
things, suggested that it should get a new in-
side;
"that'll do it, father," said the boy; and
on due reflection, the case, being a valuable one,
was kept, and a new set of works actually
bought; and on the old year's last night the
clock was wound and set, little Clipstick having
been allowed to stay up to witness the opera-
tion. It was astonishing what a comfort the
clock now became; it kept true time; it kept
the tradesman right in all his appointments, in a
word it went right; and by the unanimous con-
204
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
sent of the household, the clock was on the last
night of the following year, voted well worthy
the money and trouble which had been spent
upon it.
PART II.
SHOWS HOW MR. CLIPSTICK WOUND UP HIS CLOCK ON THE
LAST NIGHT OF THE YEAR, TWO YEARS ago.
(6
THERE, that'll do," said Mr. C., as he
finished winding his clock a few minutes
before 12 on the above named night; "you'll
go all right for another year," and then he
and Sammy his son, this great operation
being over, prepared to go to bed. But as we
have said, Sammy was always saying strange
things, and asking strange questions; so when
his father said "good night," he asked him,
"Father, do you think you'll go all right for
another year?" "Aye, aye, Sammy," was the
reply, and so Mr. C. went to bed. Whether it
was the ringing of the village bells, which kept
him awake, we cannot tell, but the workman lay
listening for a long time to the peals from the
206 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
old parish church, the sound of which the keen
north wind blew down to the house in which he
lived. We often fancy that the train rolls on to
the sound of certain words, and that the bells
jingle some familiar voice in our ears; and now
the old village bells seemed to repeat over and
over again, "Will you go right fo-or this
year ?" They rang all sorts of changes, but
always repeating the same words over and over
again. At last the sound seemed so entirely
like a human voice that the tradesman got up,
and went over to his son's little bed to see if he
were repeating his last question, but little Sam-
my was fast asleep. Oh, well it was only
fancy, so he went to bed again, but though the
bells had now stopped, the voice still kept on,
"Will you go right fo-or this year?" "There
must be something in this," said John Clip-
stick, and so he lay awake thinking.
And as John Clipstick thought, some matters
came into his mind, of which he had not taken
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 207
much account before-"go right!" what could
be the meaning of that-hadn't he gone right
last year, and why shouldn't he this-he had
paid his way, and that was more than some of
his grander neighbors could say he had been
punctual in his engagements, kind to his wife
and child he had worked hard and indulged
himself but little-Was not that going right?
There was no denying that all these things were
very good in themselves, still they were unable to
quiet the troublesome sounds which still jingled
these questions in his ears; and at length the
tradesman began to think about some other
matter, and as he now fairly gave his mind to
the subject, a new light began to break in upon
him. J. C. began to think, "Life is a journey,
man is going somewhere, and where have I been
going during the past year?"-aye, thought
John, that is a stiff question, but it must be
answered nevertheless. "If I were now sud-
denly pulled up, and told, 'TO-NIGHT, JOHN
208 MR.
CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
CLIPSTICK, YOUR JOURNEY IN THIS WORLD
ENDS-YOU DIE BEFORE MORNING,' should I
be found to have gone right?" then John's heart
smote him; and when he came to look at the
matter in this light, he did not feel he could lay
his hand upon that heart and say, "I am ready
to go—I have gone right—I am on the right
road-death will be only one step farther, and
then I shall be in the land of life for ever."
John Clipstick was perfectly correct in suppos-
ing that he had not gone right; he had cared
little for true religion, although he had been
decent and moral; his place in God's house had
often been empty, his Bible many a day had not
been read, and worse than all, he felt he had no
real desire for heaven, no true earnest love to
God, and forasmuch as God had made man to
love and serve Him, John felt he had been
going wrong and if I go on thus-aye, if I
do. WHAT THFN? and at last he fell into a
troubled sleep.
PART III.
SHOWS HOW MR. JOHN CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK MADE HIM THINK,
AND WHAT IT MADE HIM DO LAST YEAR.
HEN John Clipstick got up next morning,
he looked very hard at Sammy, and
when he came home to breakfast he looked hard
again, as though he would look right through
him, and when he looked hard at the clock, as
though he would make sure that they had not
been in collusion, playing into each other's
hands, and both together playing him some
trick. It is a great thing to look honest in the
face, and as Sammy's face and the clock both
looked honest, the tradesman held his peace.
But he thought all the more-and soon his wife
began to see a great change in him; his place
in church was never empty, morning or even-
ing; the dust had no longer any chance of
210 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
gathering thick upon his Bible; the poor spider
who had lurked behind that Bible for many a
day, and even spun her web from a corner of it,
and murdered many a hapless fly in its imme-
diate vicinity, now found the neighborhood so
unsettled that she decamped, bag and baggage
one fine morning, and was heard of no more;
and although some took the liberty of twitting
John on his new ways, and were impertinent
enough to interfere with him, as if his doings
were any affair of theirs, he held on, determin-
ing to have an answer ready for the clock if it
should question him again at the end of the
year, or for Sammy; or for the Broadstone
bells, no matter what they chose to chime.
Thus things went on until near Midsummer,
when John Clipstick heard something which
changed his mind again. He had observed that
with all his reading and attendance at church,
he did not really feel any better than he had
done before; on the other hand he began to feel
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 211
himself worse, and the right way seemed harder
to walk in, than it used to do. How was this?
This appeared poor encouragement to keep on
in his present path; he was finding out more
and more how wicked he was, he was discover-
ing how "straight was the gate and narrow was
the which leads to life, and how few there
be which find it ;" and there were times when the
tradesman began to wish he had never known
any thing of this new way.
way
Thus matters went on for some time, and day
after day John Clipstick seemed to get deeper
and deeper into the mire, and at length he de-
termined on asking advice from the Minister, who
he knew was always ready to see and converse
with
every poor person. This determination was
strengthened by a sermon preached one Sunday
morning, at which John Clipstick had been an
attentive hearer. The text was Prov. xiv. 12.
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof are the ways of
212 MR. CLIPSTICK S CLOCK.
death." At the sound of the words, "way"
and "right" John Clipstick pricked up his
ears; here was the very subject about which he
was so anxious, and although he was not silly
enough to suppose the Minister was going to
preach at him, still he felt pretty sure he was
going to preach to him. The sermon was a very
homely, plain-spoken one; any laboring man
could understand it, and it showed how often
what man thought to be the right way, proved
in the long run to be the wrong one, ending, as
the text said, in death.
"There is the way of
pleasure," said the Minister; "the young man
thinks it all right to enjoy himself while he can,
and so he lives on careless of his soul; no one
can persuade him he is doing any harm, until
death draws near his body, then he sees that the
end of his past way is death to the soul."
Then comes the way of idleness. "Ah," said
the Minister, "some people think it no harm to
saunter through life; their way is an easy one.
MR. CIIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 213
and they think it all right, because they don't
hurt anyone, but they must give an account of
the good which they have left undone, and
which they had plenty of time to do, and so the
end thereof are the ways of death." Then
came the man who hoped to be saved by his
morality; and when the Minister spoke of him,
John Clipstick looked very hard at him, and
thought, (but may be it was only his fancy) that
the Minister did the same to him.
"The way
of morality! it is an excellent way," said the
Minister; "no man can reach heaven who does
not walk in it; ("Good," said John to him-
self) without morality a man cannot be holy,
and without holiness no man shall see the
Lord.' But," said the preacher, "the way of
morality may be only the way of death." Had
a bomb-shell, fresh from Sebastopol, fallen into
John Clipstick's lap, he could not have been
more astonished than he was at this strange doc-.
trine. He opened his eyes as wide as he could,
214 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
so as to make sure that the Minister looked quite
right in his mind, and then he began to think
he must be a very wicked man to preach such
strange things. "What?" thought he, "a man
not be saved because he is moral? If men
can't be saved for their morality, I should
like to know what will become of most folk:
where's the good of being what one ought to be,
if this is all the thanks one gets for it?" As
John Clipstick sat in a free seat very near the
door, he might easily have shown his displeas-
ure by walking out, but like a sensible man, he
determined to hear the Minister to the end, al-
though his feeling was: "Well! what shall we
have next?" "Now," said the Minister, "I'll
prove what I said, ("Wish you may," mut-
tered John, "you'll be sharper than I take
you to be if you do.") I said the way of
morality might be the way of death, (“So you
did," muttered Clipstick)—and I hope to show
it may be so--What says the word of God?
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 215
'The soul that sinneth it shall surely die.'
Well is not one bad thought a sin? is not the
omission of one duty a sin? the most moral man
has had a bad thought, and has omitted some-
thing which he ought to have done as well as
done something which he ought not to have done,
therefore even if he be the most moral of men,
he is and must be condemned by that text.'
""
John thought that this was rather hard meas-
ure, still he felt there was no denying that it
was true; but he had a loophole ready for
escape—if a man repent, surely that will save
him. It seemed as though the Minister was list-
ening to his hearer's thoughts, for he pro-
ceeded—“ But some people think that if they
repent, that will be enough; and if they show
they are in earnest by determining not to do the
like again, then they are safe. Now, my
friends, if a man fall down stairs while he is
drunk and break his leg, and then when he is
confined to his bed, feels deeply sorry that he
216 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
was such a fool as to get drunk, and determines
on never drinking another drop, will that cure
his leg? ("Not a bit of it," thought John.)
No more will a man's being sorry for a fault,
and his determining not to commit it again,
blot it out of the judgment book of God."
"Now with regard to the mercy of God,” con-
tinued the preacher, "many people are saying,
"O we throw ourselves upon the mercy of
God'—but tell me, my friends, what is to be-
come of His justice? His justice is quite as
dear to Him as his mercy, and a man de-
ceives himself if he thinks he is in the right
way, when he just calls out, 'Lord have mer-
cy! Lord have mercy!'"
Had it been the custom for the congregation.
to speak during the sermon, our friend John
would now assuredly have cried out, "Come
tell us what is the right way, you have been
telling us a lot of ways which are not right,
now let us have the right one;" for John was
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 217
convinced by what he heard, and he was deter-
mined as he had heard so much about the
wrong, to hear about the right. There was no
necessity, however, for any uneasiness; the
Minister was coming to that point, "Now, my
friends, seeing that God's justice must be sat-
isfied, Mercy cannot save man; the prisoner is
not acquitted because he cries out, Mercy! mer-
cy! when he is in the dock. There remains
but one way, by which we can be saved; that
is God's own way, and therefore it is the right
way—it
way it is the way of faith. The way of faith
is this-When a man finds that he cannot be saved
by keeping God's law, and that God's justice
must be satisfied in some way, and that he has
nothing of his own wherewith to satisfy it, then
when he says, 'O my God, take Jesus INSTEAD
of me; mercy has provided Jesus as a substitute
for me, if I cast all upon Him-Justice is con-
tented to take the blood of Jesus instead of
man's if I offer it; I now put forward Jesus in
218 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
my place then God's justice receiving the
blood of Christ is satisfied, and mercy, which
provided Christ, rejoices; and the sinner is
saved-in God's own way. All else follows
upon this. The Spirit of God makes the man
moral, and given to good works, and he delights
to work for and to please that Saviour who has
saved him; and he feels he can never do too
much for him. There is nothing which will
make a man so moral, and given to good works,
as love to that Saviour who has done all for
him—and none more deeply repent, than those
who feel that their sins are such as to need no
less than that blood to have blotted it out. This
is the way, my friends, God's own way; walk
ye in it, and it will bring you to heaven at the
last." John Clipstick_thought very much over
this sermon; he had been very angry with the
Minister at first, and he would have liked to have
told him a bit of his mind, but he felt the
preacher had been all the while knocking the
}
MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK. 219
nail on the head, and this last part of the ser-
mon had clenched it on the other side. Our
friend John was not one of those sulky men,
who won't think over a thing because they don't
like it far from it; he determined to go and
ask the Minister more about the matter; and a
comfortable, friendly talk they had upon the
subject; and the Minister came to see John in
turn, and when he told him the story of the
clock, and how ever since he had acted on what
he had heard in the sermon, he had become a
different man, the same outside but quite differ-
ent within:-"Aye, aye," said his visitor, it is
with you, John, just as it was with the clock;
you were always trying to get right and keep
right, until you had a new heart: whichever
way you turned before, you went wrong, but
now you'll go right, and men will see that you
do so; and when time shall be no more, the
right way will have led you to a happy eter-
nity-keep straight on, and you'll go right."
19
220 MR. CLIPSTICK'S CLOCK.
And so when John Clipstick wound up his
clock the last night of the old year, to start it
for the present one, he was not afraid of Sam-
my's questions, or the Broadstone chimes; he
had an answer ready if they chose to put the
old question to him, and he passed from the old
year to the new one a happy man!

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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
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Power, Philip Bennett.
The two brothers and the two paths.
3 1951 002 122 834 J
WILSON
ANNEX
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