Cord and Creese | Page 7

carefully out into the office. There was
no one near. He then returned, locked the door, and drawing his chair
close to Brandon, began, in a low voice:
"You have your secrets and I have mine. I don't wish to know yours,
but my own I am going to tell to you, not merely for the sake of
sympathy, but rather for the sake of your assistance. I am going to tell

you who I am, and why I came out here.
"My name is not Compton. It is Henry Lawton. All my early life was
passed at York. There I married, had a son, and lived happily for years
--in fact, during the childhood of my boy.
"It was that boy of mine, Edgar, that led to all my troubles. I suppose
we indulged him too much. It was natural. He was our only child, and
so we ruined him. He got beyond our control at last and used to run
about the streets of York. I did what I could to save him, but it was too
late.
"He went on from bad to worse, until at last he got in with a set of
miscreants who were among the worst in the country. My God! to think
how my boy, once a sweet child, could have fallen so low. But he was
weak, and easily led, and so he went on from bad to worse.
"I can not bear to go into particulars," said the old man, after a long
pause. "I will come at once to point. My poor, wretched boy got in with
these miscreants, as I was telling you, and I did not see him from one
month's end to another. At last a great burglary took place. Three were
arrested. Among these two were old offenders, hardened in vice, the
one named Briggs, the other Crocker; the third was my unhappy boy."
The old man was silent for some time.
"I do not think, after all, that he was guilty: but Briggs turned King's
Evidence, and Crocker and my son were condemned to transportation.
There was no help.
"I sold out all I had in the world, and in compliance with the entreaties
of my poor wife, who nearly went mad with grief, I came out here. I
changed my name to Compton. My boy's term was for three years. I
began a business out here, and as my boy behaved well he was able to
get permission to hire out as a servant. I took him nominally as my
servant, for no one knew that he was my son, and so we had him with
us again.

"I hoped that the bitter lesson which he had learned would prove
beneficial, but I did not know the strength of evil inclinations. As long
as his term of imprisonment lasted he was content and behaved well;
but at last, when the three years were up, he began to grow restive.
Crocker was freed at about the same time and my boy fell again under
his evil influence. This lasted for about a year, when, at last, one
morning a letter was brought me from him stating that he had gone to
India. My poor wife was again nearly distracted. She thought of
nothing but her boy. She made me take her and go in search of him
again. So we went to India. After a long search I found him there, as I
had feared, in connection with his old, vicious associates. True, they
had changed their names, and were trying to pass for honest men.
Crocker called himself Clark, and Briggs called himself Potts."
"Potts," cried Brandon.
"Yes," said the other, who was too absorbed in his own thoughts to
notice the surprise of Brandon. "He was in the employ of Colonel
Despard, at Calcutta, and enjoyed much of his confidence."
"What year was this?" asked Brandon.
"1825," replied Mr. Compton. "Crocker," he continued, "was acting as
a sort of shipping agent, and my son was his clerk. Of course, my first
efforts were directed toward detaching my son from these scoundrels. I
did all that I could. I offered to give him half of my property, and
finally all, if he would only leave them forever and come back. The
wretched boy refused. He did not appear to be altogether bad, but he
had a weak nature, and could not get rid of the influence of these men.
"I staid in India for a year and a half, until I found at last that there was
no hope. I could find nothing to do there, and if I remained I would
have to starve or go out to service. This I could not think of doing. So I
prepared to come back here. But