virtue of temperance was seldom inculcated. On the contrary,the more a man could drink, the better he was thought of by his ordinarycompanions. Sleech smiled as he saw Harry toss off tumbler aftertumbler of wine. It was cool claret, and tasted like water. Thetempter had now his victim more than ever in his hands. The papers werebrought out. Harry put his name to several.
"I wish you could write old Kyffin's name as well as you do your own,"observed Sleech, "or your uncle's. I say, Harry, why were you notcalled Stephen Coppinger? Your grandmother's name was Coppinger, wasn'tit? In my opinion it's a better name than Tryon. Better, at allevents, on 'change--Tryon's not worth much there, I have a notion, andCoppinger is worth whatever amount Stephen Coppinger chooses to putabove it. Don't trouble yourself about that amount you owe me--a fewhundreds only. You forget all about it now, very likely. However, justlet me get these papers in circulation, and I will never trouble youagain about it."
"Give it me," said Harry; "I wish I had never signed it," a sudden flashof sense coming across his mind.
"So ho! boy, be calm, my dear fellow," answered Sleech. "You will findthat you have got to deal with your master."
Harry Tryon never knew what papers he signed that fatal night, nor whatnames he had written on them. He had a faint idea that he had moved hishand according to Sleech's guidance.
The next day Mr. Sleech declared himself indisposed, and told Harry heshould not go out that evening. They were alone in the office. It wasthe business of Mr. Sleech to see it closed. Harry's head achedfearfully. He had never felt so depressed. Several bills had come in,and he had already spent every farthing of his salary for the quarter.Silas Sleech approached him.
"I rather think, Harry Tryon, this is the last day you will be at thisoffice--that is to say, if you take my advice."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Why just this, my dear fellow, listen to reason. There are certainpapers to which you have put your hand. These will be brought beforeyour uncle in the course of a day or two, and will be strong evidenceagainst you, that you have aided in a serious fraud. You are in my debtfor 500 pounds. I have your acknowledgment. You owe your tailor andother tradesmen no small amount. Now, you don't know Mr. Coppinger as Ido. When he finds all this out, he will come down upon you with aseverity to which you are little accustomed. I tell you, Harry, hewould, without the slightest compunction, have you shut up in Newgate,and see you sent to the scaffold, even though you were his own son,instead of his grand-nephew. Thus you see your character is blasted,and all hopes of success in business cut off."
Harry had sat with his hands clenched and his eyes fixed on Silas Sleechwhile he made these remarks.
"Sleech, you are a villain!" he exclaimed with vehemence; "a cunning,hypocritical scoundrel!"
"Very likely," answered the other. "Go on, young one, what else am I?"
"You have deceived me, and led me into all sorts of vice," cried Harry,clenching his fist.
"You are quite right. You followed my lead. I had an object, and Ihave succeeded. I wished to ruin you in our worthy principal'sestimation, and you'll find by to-morrow that he looks upon you as ahopeless profligate. You have no longer any chance of supplanting me.As to Mr. Kyffin, I rather think that he will consider himself mistakenwith regard to you, and that you will no longer as of yore be preciousin his sight. Thus you see, Harry, I have check-mated you completely."
"You have shown me clearly that I am a fool, and that you are aconsummate villain," exclaimed Harry. "I will acknowledge my own faultand exhibit your knavery."
"As you please," said Sleech, in an unmoved tone. "You must rememberthat in acknowledging your own folly you run the certainty of beingconvicted of felony. I have no especial personal dislike to you, exceptthat I have reason to believe you a rival in more cases than one, andthat you have been received on friendly terms by a family who havelooked upon me, though a relative, with haughty contempt. Youunderstand me, Harry Tryon. There is as good blood runs in my veins asin yours, and do you think with that knowledge that I would consent tobe cut out and trampled upon without taking vengeance when I have it inmy own power?"
"Sleech, are you in earnest in what you say?" asked Harry, almost aghastat this declaration of his companion. "You are either mad or a mostfearful villain."
"You have called me so twice already," exclaimed Sleech, in the samecool tone; "I don't mind it a bit. Again I say, stay if you like andbrave your uncle's anger. My character stands high with him, and I knowtoo many of the secrets of the house for him to venture to quarrel withme, even should he wish it. You see I know the ground I stand on, and Iagain say, take your own course. It's really a matter of indifferenceto me."
Harry dared not longer trust himself with Sleech. Seizing his candle,he rushed up-stairs into his own room. What should he do? Had he knownmore of the world he would have remained, and, acknowledging everythinghe had done since he came to London, have repeated Mr. Sleech's threats;but he did not know the world, nor Mr. Coppinger's character, while hecould not take advice of the friend who, he ought to have known, at allevents, if he did not, would certainly have given him such advice as awise father would give his best beloved son. For a long time Harrycould not close his eyes. At length, overcome by the violence of hisfeelings, he dropped off to sleep. The shutters were not closed.
It will make matters more clear if the full amount of Silas Sleech'svillainy is explained. For several reasons he wished to get rid ofHarry. He had induced him to put his signature to several I O U's, not,however, to himself, but to different unknown persons. On a part of thevery same paper he had himself forged Mr. Coppinger's signature in a wayby which it would, he thought, make it evident that it had been writtenby Harry. This made him more than ever anxious to induce the young manto hurry away from London, knowing that his flight would assist infixing the crime on him. Mr. Kyffin's absence would assist his object.
When Harry awoke the grey dawn was stealing into the room. He sprangup. On his table was a purse; it contained ten guineas. By it was apaper, on which was written, "Take the advice of a friend, and go!"
It was not signed, and the handwriting was disguised. "He has been toocunning to give me the slightest proof of his villainy," he said tohimself.
"Go I must, I see it too clearly, but I will write to Mr. Kyffin, andtell him all."
He packed a few articles of dress into a bag which he could easilycarry, and taking a stout stick in his hand, left his room. He knockedat Sleech's door as he went by.
"Close the door after me, I am going out," he said.
"Ah! you are wise," answered a voice from within.
Harry withdrew the bars and bolts. He waited outside till he heard themreplaced. Few people were in the streets at that early hour. He walkedon rapidly westward. He might be in time to catch the coach, whichstarted at an early hour from Piccadilly. It would have carried him bynight for a considerable part of the journey. He might hire a horse forthe following day, or proceed on foot. He ran rather than walked alongthe streets; there were no hackney coaches out at that hour, and he hadhis legs alone to depend on. The heavy coach was beginning to move justas he reached its place of departure. There was one seat vacant. Hehad just time to climb into it, when the vehicle commenced its rumbling,rolling progress to the south-west. The inside, which carried sixpeople, was full. One person sat by the coachman on the box, and fourothers were perched up behind him. Harry's seat was facing the guard,who was known by the large red coat, ornamented by yellow lace, and thehuge blunderbuss which was slung by his side. Harry was not inclinedfor conversation. The guard eyed him narrowly for some time.
"You are all right," he said at last. "It is necessary to be awake,when people come as you did without booking their names. We were robbedthree days ago by a gentleman on a fine horse, and even I took him for anobleman, till he cried, `Stand and deliver,' and somehow or other myblunderbuss would not go off, and the passengers inside only screamedand cried, and
those outside only roared and swore. However, if Ithought you were up to any tricks, I would just shoot you through thehead with my blunderbuss, as if you were a savage beast in ExeterChange."
Harry thanked the guard for his kind intentions, and begged that hewould keep his ammunition for another object. As the coach moved along,during the day, Harry could not help looking out in the expectation ofseeing a horseman in pursuit, sent by his uncle to bring him back.Again and again he cursed his folly and his weakness, for having yieldedto the temptations thrown in his way by Silas Sleech. As the eveningclosed in, the heavily laden vehicle reached the end of its journey. Itwas the same inn at which he had stopped