"'I have been making further inquiries about Sir Cyril Shenstone,' he
said, 'and have learnt much concerning him from a man who is in the
employment of the trader with whom he lives. What I have learnt more
than confirms me in my impression of him. He came over from France,
three years ago, a boy of scarce fourteen. He was clever at figures,
and supported his reprobate father for the last two years of his life
by keeping the books of small traders in the City. So much was he
esteemed that, at his father's death, Captain Dowsett offered him a
home in his house. He rewarded the kindness by making the discovery
that the trader was being foully robbed, and brought about the arrest
of the thieves, which incidentally led to the breaking-up of one of
the worst gangs of robbers in London. Later on he found that his
employer's daughter was in communication with a hanger-on of the
Court, who told her that he was a nobleman. The young fellow set a
watch upon her, came upon her at the moment she was about to elope
with this villain, ran him through the shoulder, and took her back to
her home, and so far respected her secret that her parents would
never have known of it had she not, some time afterwards, confessed
it to them. That villain, Mr. Goldsworthy,' he said, 'was my son!
Just after that Sir Cyril obtained the good will of the Earl of
Wisbech, whose three daughters he saved from being burnt to death at
a fire in the Savoy. Thus, you see, this youth is in every way worthy
of good fortune, and can be trusted to administer the estate of his
fathers worthily and well.
Pages:
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394