Paid For! // Her Ransom — Charles Garvice

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1890 edition. Excerpt: ...Some men, in his plight, would have summoned up courage and gone straight to Audrey Hope, but the idea did not even present itself to Neville; and, if it had, he would have scouted it at once. What! go and claim friendship with Miss Audrey Hope? Present himself in his seedy clothes, looking like a tramp--he had been taken for one that night--to be pitied and humiliated by offers of assistance? He would have starved to death by choice. He wandered on till he reached the depressing garret which he had taken for a few shillings a week on arriving in London, two nights ago, and climbing the steep stair, he flung himself on the apology for a bed and buried his face in his hands. He had been hungry an hour ago, but though he took some bread and cheese from his pocket, he.could not eat. The vision of Audrey as Jordan's wife had effe ctually destroyed his appetite. In another pocket was a nei ffspaper. Your returned wanderer always buys a newspaper, though it costs him a dinner, for he has an uncontrollable hankering to learn what is going on in the old country; and Neville, hoping to get awaj from his own thoughts, at any rate for a few minutes, opened the paper and tried to read. And the first thing that caught his eyes was the report of a speech which the Eight Honorable Sir Jordan Lynne had made at a meeting of a well-known charity. It was a beautiful speech, full of the highest morality, with choice quotations from the most sentimental of the poets, and with heart-stirring appeals to the sympathies--and the pockets--of the charitable. It ought to have softened Neville's heart toward his halfbrother and made him proud of being related to so great and good a man; but, strange to say, it produced exactly the opposite effect. You see, he knew...