I
advanced towards him.
The governor held me back. "My God, sir," he said, "take care. Don't,
as you value your life, go within length of his chain." But at that
moment the handsome head was raised from the pillow, and my eyes met
George Hawker's. Oh, Lord! such a piteous wild look. I could not see
the fierce desperate villain who had kept our country-side in terror so
long. No, thank God, I could only see the handsome curly-headed boy who
used to play with James Stockbridge and myself among the gravestones in
Drumston churchyard. I saw again the merry lad who used to bathe with
us in Hatherleigh water, and whom, with all his faults, I had once
loved well. And seeing him, and him only, before me, in spite of a
terrified gesture from the governor, I walked up to the bed, and,
sitting down beside him, put my arm round his neck.
"George! George! Dear old friend!" I said. "O George, my boy, has it
come to this?"
I don't want to be instructed in my duty. I know what my duty was on
that occasion as well as any man. My duty as a citizen and a magistrate
was to stand at the further end of the cell, and give this hardened
criminal a moral lecture, showing how honesty and virtue, as in my
case, had led to wealth and honour, and how yielding to one's passions
led to disgrace and infamy, as in his.
Pages:
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881