He had met you at Mr. Wallace's, and at once recognised your
name, and learnt from Mr. Wallace that you were the son of Sir Aubrey
Shenstone. He studied your character, had an interview with Dr.
Hodges, and learnt how fearlessly you were devoting yourself to the
work of aiding those stricken with the Plague. With his own son he
had reason for being profoundly dissatisfied. The young man had
thrown off his authority, had become a notorious reprobate, and had,
he believed, sunk down to become a companion of thieves and
highwaymen. He had come up to London solely to make a last effort to
save him from his evil courses and to give him a chance of
reformation by sending him out to New England.
"Mr. Harvey is possessed of considerable property in addition to the
estates purchased of your father, for, previous to that purchase he
had been the owner of large tanneries at Norwich, which he has ever
since maintained, not so much for the sake of the income he derived
from them as because they afforded a livelihood to a large number of
workmen. He had, therefore, ample means to leave to his son, should
the latter accept his offer and reform his life, without the estates
of Upmead. When he saw you, he told me his conscience was moved. He
had, of course, a legal right to the estates, but he had purchased
them for a sum not exceeding a fifth of their value, and he
considered that in the twenty years he had held them he had drawn
from them sums amply sufficient to repay him for the price he had
given for them, and had received a large interest on the money in
addition.
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