When London Burned

of persons were traversing the street below, many of them going out through the bars, fifty yards away, into the fields beyond, where some sports we

ith tears, and his thoughts were in the little room behind him; for

ong the Cavaliers who rode behind Prince Rupert was noted for reckless bravery. When, on the fatal field of Worcester, the last hopes of the Royalists were crushed, he had effected his escape to France and taken up his abode at Dunkirk. His estates had been forfeited; a

despised as well as hated the Puritans against whom he fought. Misfortune did not improve him; he still drank when he had money to do so, gambled for small sums in low taverns with men of his own kind, and quarre

a comrade poorer than himself. In the worst of times he was as cheerful as when money

eman, had drawn his sword with the greatest reluctance, and only when he saw that Parliament was bent upon overthrowing the other two estates in the realm and constituting itself the sole authority in England. After the execution of Charles he had retired to France, and did not take part in the

d and pious man, as well as an excellent scholar, and under his teaching, aided by the gentle precepts of Lady Parton, and the strict but kindly rule of her husband, Cyril received a training of a far better kind than he would ever have been likely to obtain had he been brought up in his father's house near Norfolk. Sir Aubrey exclaimed sometimes that the boy was gr

rry to see the boy growing up so different from himself; and Cyril, in spite of his father's faults, loved him. When Sir Aubrey came back with unsteady step, late at night, and threw himself on his pallet, Cyril would say to himself, "Poor father! How different he would have been had it not been for his misfortunes! He is to be pitied rather than

should have diced them away years ago-and I am not sure but that their forfeiture has been a benefit to you. If the King ever gets his own, you may come to

, as you have been, and I shall take service with some of the Protestant Princ

t, lad?" his father

ather; but I shall f

ork, but he checked himself. If Cyril never came into

ur sword; it is a gentleman's profession, and I would rather see you eating dr

nodded an assent and then asked some question th

ent among the Cavaliers scattered over the Continent; and as soon as the matter was settled, all prepared to return to England, in the full belief

weeks before all these Roundheads can be turned out of the snug nests they have made for themselves, and the rightful owners come to their own again. As I have no friends in London, I should have nowhere to bestow you, until I can take you down with me to Norfolk to present you to our tenants, and you would be grievously in my way; but as soon as things are settled I will write to you or come

you can take me w

up to welcome the King home. I can bestow myself in a garret anywhere, but I could not leave you there all day. Besides, I shall have to get mo

or it was but little guidance he received from his father; and after his studies were over he laid the case before his master, Mr. Felton, and asked if he

them, and they are a worthy couple; the husband is, as you know, a fisherman, and you and Harry Parton have often been out with him in his boat, so it would not be like going among strangers. Continue your studies. I should be sorry to think that you were forgetting all that you have learnt. I will take you

nd; Cyril moving, with his few belongings, to the house of Jean Baudoin, who was the owner and master of

rowns, which will furnish you with ample pocket-money. And I have arranged with your fencing-master for you to have lessons regular

he had made in the matter. Madame Baudoin was a good and pious woman, and was very kind to the forlorn English boy; but when a fortnight over the two months had passed, Cyril could see that the fisherman was becoming anxious. Regul

h me; he can earn his victuals in that way. If he won't do that, I shall wash my hands of him altogether, and he must shift for himself. I believe his father has l

. Then a thought struck him; he went to his box, and took out from it a sealed parcel; on it was written, "To my son. This parcel is only to be opened shou

Keep it as a sacred gift, and do not open it unless you are in sore need. It is for you, and you alone. It is

w, and without hesitation he broke the seals, and opened the

ch belonged to my mother, I leave to you. It is worth a good deal of money, and this it is my desire that you shall spend upon yourself. Use it wisely, my son. If, when you open this, you are of age to enter the service of a foreign Prince, as is, I know, the intention of your father, it will provide you with a suitable outfit. If, as is possible, you may lose your father by death or otherwise while you are still young, spend it on your education, which is the best of all heritages. Should your father be alive when you open this, I pray you not to inform him of it. The money, in his hands, would last but a short time, and might, I fear, be wasted. Think not that I am speaking or thinking hardly of him. All men, even the best, have their faults, and his is a car

a necklace of pearls. After some consideration he took this to the Curé of St. Ursula,

, you ought to lay aside the money for some future necessity. If he does not come for some time, as may well be-for, from the news that comes from England, it is like to be many months before affairs are settled-then draw from it only such amounts as are needed for your living and education. Study hard, my son, for so will you best be fulfilling the intentions of

e had disposed of the necklace for fifty lo

essed his claims, in season and out of season. He had no powerful friends to aid him; his conduct had alienated the men who could have assisted him, and, like so many other Cavaliers who had fought and suffered for Charles I., Sir Aubrey Shenstone found himself left altogether in the cold. For

ad, shortly before his father left France, heard a conversation between Sir John Parton

pecially says that all questions of grants, sales and purchases of land, and titles, shall be referred to Parliament. The Nonconformists are at present in a majority, and although it seems that all parties are willing to welcome the King back, you may be sure that no Parliament will consent to anything like a general disturbance of the possessors of estates formerly owned by Royalists. In a vast number of cases, the persons to whom such grants were mad

govern himself most circumspectly, so as to give offence to none of the governing parties. As to his granting estates, or dispossessing their holders, he will have no more power to do so than you or I. Doubtless some of the exiles will be restored to their estates; but I fear th

oubt it will erelong be disbanded; but you will see that Parliament will then recover the authority of which Cromwell deprived it; and Charles is a far wiser man than his father, and will never set himself against the feeling of the country. Certainly, anything like a general reinstatement of the men who have been for the last ten years haunting the taverns of the Continent is out of

him up so long failed now, and he grew morose and petulant. His loyalty to the King was unshaken; Charles had several times granted him audiences, and had assured him that, did it rest with him, justice should be at once dealt to him, but that he was practically powerless in the matter, and the knight's resentment was concentrate

would be with me. I suppose when he wants money he will write and say so, though where I

om the sale of a small trinket his mother had given him before her death, and that when this was spent he should doubtless find some means of earning his living until he could rejoin him. His father never inqui

e Curé, and at the end of two years he had still twenty louis left. He had se

ather," he said, "and would fain ke

th one of the principal traders of the town. He was to receive no salary for a year, but was to learn book-keeping and accounts. Although but fourteen, the boy was s

ment, and therefore wished him to come over in the first ship sailing. He enclosed an order on a house at Dunkirk for fifty francs, to pay his passage.

d, and fresh delays arise, you may, with the practice you have had, be able to earn your living in London. There must be there, as in France, many persons in trade who have had but little education, and you may be able t

These, however, soon faded, and although Sir Aubrey would not allow it, even to himself, no chance remained of those Royalists, wh

ign bringing up had given him an ease and politeness of manner rare among English lads of the day, it was not long before he obtained several clients. To some of the smaller class of traders he went only for an hour or two, once a week, while others required their bills and accounts to be made out daily. The pay was very small, but it sufficed to keep absolute want from the door. When he told his father of t

emunerative than those he had at first obtained. He kept the state of his resources to himself, and had no difficulty in doing this, as his father never alluded to the subject of his work. Cyril knew that, did he hand over to him all the money h

vening, been carried upstairs, mortally wounded in a brawl; h

just as well as they are. I hope you will come to your estates some day; you will make a better master than I should ever have done. I hope that in time you will carry out your plan of entering

her. I only undertook this work b

ight. I know you won't forget tha

s had gone back to old times. "Boot and saddle," he murmured. "That is right. Now we are ready for

ought sadly over the past, and of his father's wasted life. Had it not been for the war he might have lived and died a country gentleman. It was the war, with its wild excitements, that had ruined him. What was there for him to do in a foreign country, without resource or employment, having no love for reading, but

nd of late they had been drawn closer to each other in their loneliness; and although scarce a word of endea

, and then sat himself down to think what he had best do. Another three or four years must pass before he could try to get service abroad. When the time came he should find Sir John Parton, and beg him to procure for him some letter of introduction to the many Britis

e when the hope of his father's recovering his estates vanished, and although he was sure of a kindly reception from Lady Parton, he shrank from going there in his pre

ced to keep him, or should seek other employment. He would greatly have preferred some life of action,-something that

offers; but the sooner I leave it the better. It was bad enough before; it will be worse now. If I had but a friend or two i

hey might let him have in lieu of paying him for his work. Even if they never spoke to him, it would be better to be in a house where he knew something of those downstairs, than to lodge in one where he was an utter stranger to all. He had gon

one. He took out his little hoard and counted it. After paying the expenses of the funeral there would still remain sufficient to keep him for three or four months should he fall ill, or, from any cause, lose his work. He had on

d one of two hours, and the spare time between these he filled up by calling at tw

ed away in a yard behind it. The owner of this store was a one-armed man. His father had kept it before him, but he himself, after working there long enough to become a citizen and a member of the Ironmongers' Guild, had quarrelled with his father and had taken to the sea. For twenty years he had voyaged to many lands, principally in ships trading in the Levant, and had passed through a great many adventu

eighing iron, after a free life on the sea, but I don't so much mind now I have had my share of adventures; though I dare say I should have gone on for a few more years if that ra

you are back, David

ill suit their wants. Besides, customers like to talk with men of their own way of thinking, and sailors more, I think, than other men. You know, too, most of the captains who sail up the Mediterranean, and may be able to bring fresh custom into the shop. Therefore, do not think

ole owner of the house and business. A year after he did so he wa

and although I was a smart scholar enough in my young days, my fingers are stiff with hauling at ropes and using the marling-spike, and my eyes are not so clear as they used to be, and it is no slight toil and labour to me to make up an account for goods sold. John Wilkes, my head shopman, is a handy fellow;

entices; they don't count in the matter. Robert Ashford, the eldest apprentice, could do the work, but I have no fancy for him; he does not look one straight in the face as one who is honest and above board should do. I shall have to kee

ut he is a steady, honest young fellow, and I fancy his pen keeps his father, who is a roystering blade, and spends most of his time at the taverns. The boy co

want him every day, if he could manage i

do for me; I thought there was too much of the gentleman about him. He has good manners, and a gentle sort of way. He has been living in France all his life, and though he has ne

" the sailor said, "but anyhow I s

oes at twelve," the man said, "and I will

d the next morning

your looks, lad, but I doubt whether we shall get on together. I am an old sailor, you know, and I am quick of spe

ether, sir, you will only have to tell me that you don't want me any longer; but I trust you will

that ledger with the red cover; the sales where no money passed have to be entered to the various customers or ships in the ledger. I have made out a list-here it is-of twelve accounts that have to be drawn out from that ledger and sent in to customers. You will find some of them are of

t finished the work; some of the accounts were long ones, and the

getting on, lad?"

ment finished t

y, it would have taken me all my evenings for a week. Now

en Cyril handed him the twelve accounts he had drawn up. Captain

t the average, so if you come three times a week you will always have two days' sales to enter in the ledger. There are a lot of other books my father used to keep, but I have never had time to bother myself about them, and as I have got on very well so far, I do not see any occasion for

t be a great many items, and I can't say how long it will take entering all the goods received under their

worrying over them, they get further and further in arrears. Look at those files over there," and he pointed to three long wires, on each of which was strung a large bundle o

Probably in those files there are many

fore. Well, we must wait, then, until you can make up the

each bill 'Account made up to,' and then pu

use to me. I can buy and sell, for I know the value of the goods I deal in; but as

sir; but if I came to you three times a

d, I don't think you charge enough. However, l

he interval Cyril had gradually wiped off all the arrears, and had al