Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 Excerpt:...A fatal one indeed, if this was its outcome. As soon as the party arrived at Windermere, Mr. Bolton had looked out for Tom, expecting that he would be glad to join him; but already Joe Fisher had got hold of him. He saw them together on the lake during the morning--already so excited, he feared some accident would happen to their boat. After that he knew nothing of their proceedings, except hearing incidentally that the whole party were said to have spent the afternoon in a low public-house, drinking and card-playing. With the utmost kindness, Mr. Bolton helped the widow to get her son upstairs and to bed, merely remaining afterwards for a few words of prayer with the broken-hearted mother, then hastening home, lest his family should be made anxious by his non-appearance at the expected time. "But I'll look in to-morrow after office hours, Mrs. Knowles," he explained. "May be Tom will let me say a word to him by that time." With a heartfelt "God support and comfort you, poor mother!" he went out, closing the door after him; and Mrs. Knowles was alone--for the first time since she had a home to call her own, with one member of it drunk beneath her roof! How she could feel now for the poor women whose anxious faces she had watched one short hour ago at the station! For was she not one of the most sorrowful amongst them? Then she took from the oven the remains of the now useless supper which she had prepared with such care for her boy, thinking the while of the pleasant talk they would have together, as he recounted the events of the day. All spoiled now, and only a miserable heartache left--a heartache, it seemed to her, she would carry to her grave. Her bright, loving son--the last remaining one--sleeping the heavy sleep of the...