It Is Never Too Late to Mend Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the It Is Never Too Late to Mend novel. A total of 164 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : It Is Never Too Late to Mend.by Charles Reade.CHAPTER I.George Fielding cultivated a sma
It Is Never Too Late to Mend.by Charles Reade.CHAPTER I.George Fielding cultivated a small farm in Berks.h.i.+re.This position is not so enviable as it was. Years ago, the farmers of England, had they been as intelligent as other traders, could have purch
- 101 "And did not you?""I'll tell you. At first we certainly gained on him a few yards, but after that I could not near him. But Hazy put on a tremendous spurt, and left me behind for all I could do. 'Here is a go,' thought I, �
- 102 "The wretches!""No! you don't see--they thought he had betrayed them.""But, of course, you undeceived them," said Robinson."No! I didn't. Why, you precious greenhorn, was that our game?""Well, sir,&qu
- 103 Robinson went away discomfited; he went doggedly down the street begging them all to have their doors beautified, and wincing at every refusal.At last he found a shopkeeper who had no objection, but doubted Robinson's capacity. "Show me what you
- 104 The next morning at six o'clock Jenny was down to make his breakfast for him before starting. If she had said, "Don't go," it is to be feared the temptation would have been too strong, but she did not; she said sorrowfully, "You a
- 105 "Well! I didn't think to see you under a roof of mine again.""Just the welcome I expected," thought Robinson bitterly. He answered coldly: "Well, as soon as you are well you can turn me out of your house, but I should say you
- 106 "I am afraid it is a very bad country for that.""Ay to make it in, but not to find it in.""What do you mean?""George," said the other, lowering his voice mysteriously, "in our walk to-day we pa.s.sed places tha
- 107 George hesitated. He felt himself so weak-handed with only Robinson, who might leave him, and a shepherd lad he had just hired. However his hands were unexpectedly strengthened.One day as the two friends were was.h.i.+ng a sheep an armed savage suddenly s
- 108 "I don't see him anyway, Tom.""Of course you don't, he is vanished into the bowels of the earth. I don't like gentlemen that vanish into the bowels of the earth.""How suspicious you are! Bushrangers again, I suppose
- 109 "You don't say so, Tom.""This is gold was.h.i.+ng as beginners practice it in California and Mexico and Peru, and wherever gold-dust is found. They have been working with a pan, they haven't got such a thing as a cradle in this co
- 110 He s.n.a.t.c.hed the spade, and giving full vent to the ardor he had so long suppressed with difficulty, plunged down a little declivity that led to the ancient stream, and drove his spade into its s.h.i.+ngle, the debris of centuries of centuries. George
- 111 Meadows did not resume his visits at Gra.s.smere without some twinges of conscience and a prudent resolve not to anchor his happiness upon Susan Merton. "That man might come here any day with his thousand pounds and take her from me," said he. &
- 112 "He is; we have all got our little vanity, and like to be thought worthy of confidence.""Humph!""And then I can't sleep for puzzling. Why should you stop every letter that comes here from Australia. Oh, bless me, how neglectf
- 113 "You make the calculation," said he; "the figures are all there. Come to me when you have made it."The land had been bought twenty-seven years and some months ago. Mr.Meadows made the calculation in a turn of the hand and announced it.
- 114 "Show us what they gave you as the price of a dinner?"Meadows dug into a deep pocket, and chased into a corner, and caught, and produced a little nugget of quartz and gold worth about four pounds, also another of somewhat less value."They d
- 115 "You pa.s.s it oftener than that, sir. Excuse me, sir; I must catch the train. But one word before I go. My name must never be mentioned in this business.""Very well; it never shall transpire, upon my honor."Meadows felt pretty safe. A
- 116 Crawley winced and rubbed his hands."And your fortune is made if you help me to win her."Crawley rubbed his hands."Old Merton has promised the woman I love to this George Fielding if he comes back with a thousand pounds.""Don'
- 117 "Of which you will account for fifty pounds only.""Liberal, sir; as I said before, liberal as running water.""You are going a journey.""Am I? well! Don't you turn pale for that--I'll come back to you--nothing b
- 118 He has given us to see the northwest pa.s.sage forced, and winter bearded on his everlasting throne, by another. (Is it the hero's fault if self and snowdrop-singing poetasters cannot see this feat with the eyes of Camoens?) He has given us to see t.
- 119 "They have been lucky a long time," explained the other, "and now this added--""Well, what about it?""Nothing! only I wish somebody else had it instead.""Why?""That is a secret for the present. I only
- 120 They ran back. They saw two dark figures melting into the night on the other side the tent. They darted in--they felt for the bag. Gone!They felt convulsively all round the tent. Gone! With trembling hands Robinson struck a light. Gone--the work of months
- 121 "Come," said Robinson, "here is a spot that looks likely to a novice; dig and cut it up all you can."George was mystified but obeyed, and soon the place looked as if men had been at work on it some time. Then Robinson took out a handfu
- 122 "How did you get your black eye?""Oh! didn't I tell you? Fighting with the blackguards for your claim."It was now Robinson's turn to be touched."You are a good fellow. You and I must be friends. Ah! if I could but get to
- 123 "We are newly arrived and just going to pitch, and a digger told us we must not come within thirty yards of the captain's tent, so we are measuring the distance.""Well, measure it--and keep it."Robinson stayed by his tent till the
- 124 "And we never shall till you take my advice, and trace the gold to its home in the high rocks. Here we are plodding for dust, and one good nugget would make us.""Well! well!" said Robinson, "the moment the dry weather goes you sha
- 125 Toward evening he collected his whole faction, got on the top of two cradles, made a speech, thanked them for their good-will, and told them he had now an opportunity of making them a return. He had discovered a vein of gold which he could have kept all t
- 126 "Prejudice be hanged, this is a lovely land.""So 'tis, Tom, so 'tis. But I'll tell you what puts me out a little bit; nothing is what it sets up for here. If you see a ripe pear and go to eat it,--it is a lump of hard wood. N
- 127 "That it is, for Heaven taught it him. We must try and keep all this in our hearts when we get among the broken bottles, and foul language, and gold," says George. "How sweet it all smells, sweeter than before.""That is because it
- 128 "I will, Tom, I will. Thank you kindly. Ah! now I see why he came to me and kept licking my hand so the moment he got the hurt. He had more sense than we had; he knew he and I were to part that hour. And I tormented his last minutes sending him into
- 129 BLACK WILL no sooner found himself inside the tent than he took out a dark lantern and opened the slide cautiously. There lay in one corner the two men fast asleep side by side. Casting the glare around he saw at his feet a dog with a chain round him. It
- 130 The man fumbled and brought out about an ounce. All the time he weighed it, the Jew's keen eye kept glancing into his face he lowered his eyes and could not conceal a certain uneasiness. When he was gone, Levi asked Robinson whether he knew that face
- 131 "And much I marvel that any man or even any woman who has been in a gold mine and seen and handled virgin gold should take mica" (here he knocked the mica clean off the table) "or pyrites" (here he spanged that in another direction) &q
- 132 Stevens. "'Ah!"Robinson. "Oh!"Andrew. "Come! the beggars have got hold of some of our words!"Robinson. "Silence in the court!"Andrew. "I ask pardon, captain."Stevens. "But the other pounced on it
- 133 "Such as it is it cost me thirty pounds," cried Jem. "Keep it. I shall find him. My spade shall never go into the earth again till I'm quits with this one.""That is right," roared the men, "bring him to us, and the
- 134 "I guess I was thyar," said a voice behind the judge, who s.h.i.+fted uneasily.McLaughlan went into the jury-box with a meaning look at Robinson, but without another audible word."Mercy! mercy!" cried Walker."You must not interrup
- 135 "Silence! hear Judge Lynch!" Silence was not obtained for five minutes, during which the court was like a forest of wild beasts howling."I condemn him to be exposed all day, with his dust tied round his neck, and then drummed out of the cam
- 136 "If it come within my knowledge," replied the senior, with grave politeness."Which weighs the heaviest, sir, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?" and he winked at Nathan, but looked in Isaac's face as demure as a Quakeress.&qu
- 137 COWARD.Attacked and abused an old man.>N. B.--Not hanged this time because they got a licking then and there."Let us go and see after Mr. Levi, George.""Well, Tom, I had rather not.""Why not? he ought to be very much obliged to
- 138 brutus, who was wanted at peep of day for the dark scheme already hinted at, got terribly battered by George Fielding, and placarded, and, what was worse, chained to a post, by Robinson and Ede. It became necessary to sound his body and spirit.One of the
- 139 "Yes.""Tie him to it in his handcuffs. Give him food enough.""And when shall we loose him?""At noon, to-morrow.""It shall be done! but you must come and show me which of the four it is."Robinson went with
- 140 "No; others might, but not me. We are being hunted," said Robinson, sternly. "George, I am sick of this, let us end it. Let us show these fellows they are hunting lions and not sheep. Is your revolver loaded?""Yes.""Then
- 141 Kalingalunga glided from the tent. Jem followed him. The snow fell in flakes as large as a lady's hand, and the air was dark; Jem could not see where the hunter was taking him, but he strode after him and trusted to his sagacity.Five hours' hard
- 142 These sounds were very appalling in the ghostly wood. The men instinctively drew closer to each other; but they were no chickens; use soon hardened them even to this. They settled it that the forks they were sitting on would not give way, because there we
- 143 "No doubt. Then, Tom, it was not an enemy, after all!"Jacky came back with Jem, who, at sight of them alive and well, burst into extravagances. He waved his hat round his head several times and then flung it into a tree; then danced a _pas seul_
- 144 "Captain! are you going to let them take us out of the wood before we have hunted it for that scoundrel?""Yes, I am. Look here, Jem, we are four, and he is one, but a double-barreled gun is an awkward enemy in a dark wood. No, Jem, we will
- 145 "Well, I do. Look here, Tom! look at this great large heap of quartz bowlders, all of different sizes; they have all rolled down here out of that river of quartz.""Why, of course they have! who doubts that?""Many is the time I have sat on that green
- 146 Thus it was. Mr. Crawley had a natural love of spirits, without a stomach strong enough to deal with them. When he got away from Mr.Meadows he indulged more and more, and for some months past he had been subject to an unpleasant phenomenon that arises now
- 147 * In Berks.h.i.+re, among a certain cla.s.s, this word means "a human being.""A pretty Christian," sneered Robinson."You know what I mean, Tom?""I know it is very kind of you to take all this trouble to bury my enemy," said Robinson, hurt."Don't
- 148 "Jacky, that man is our enemy. Could you track him by his footsteps without ever letting him see you?"Jacky smiled superior."Then follow him and see where he goes, and whom he joins--and come to the mine directly and tell me."Jacky's eyes gleamed at
- 149 "Bless you, bless you!" cried he, with a violence more horrible than his curses, "you warm my heart, you _are_ a pal. What a head-piece you have got! ---- you, Smith, have you nothing to say? Isn't this a dodge out of the common?"Now for the last min
- 150 What is that figure crouching and crawling about a hundred yards to windward? It is the caitiff, Crawley, who, after peremptorily declining to have anything to do with this h.e.l.lish act, has crept furtively after them, partly to play the spy on them, fo
- 151 "Why, ye fool! they are half way to Sydney by now.""Half way to Sydney?" and a ghastly look pa.s.sed between the speaker and mephistopheles."Ay, lad! they rode off on Moore's two best nags at midnight.""The captain had a belt round his waist cramm
- 152 "Yes! I have heard a rumor.""You don't believe it, I hope.""Why should I believe it?""I'm going to trace it up to the liar that forged it, if I can."Susan suppressed her satisfaction at this resolution of Will Fielding's."Is it worth while?"
- 153 MR. MEADOWS did not visit Gra.s.smere for some days; the cruel one distrusted his own firmness. When he did come he came with a distinct purpose. He found Merton alone."Susan sees no one. You have heard?""What?""Her sweetheart. He is dead.""Why, ho
- 154 The next evening he came he found her entertaining four or five other farmers' daughters and a couple of young men. She was playing the piano to them and talking and laughing louder and faster than ever he had heard her in his life. He sat moody a little
- 155 The deep Meadows never ventured on that ground again. He feared she wanted to be off the marriage, and he determined to hurry it on. He pressed her to name the day. She would not."Would she let him name it?""No."Her father came to Mead
- 156 "What made you come home without orders?" asked Meadows, somewhat sternly."Why, you know as well as me, sir; you have seen them?""Who?""George Fielding and his mate."Meadows started. "How should I see them?&quo
- 157 They spoke in an Eastern dialect, which I am paraphrasing here and translating there, according to the measure of my humble abilities.Isaac sucked his pipe very fast; this news was a double blow to his feelings. "If she be indeed a Nazarite without f
- 158 "You are short of cash, too; come to me--after the wedding, and I'll give you fifty pounds cash.""You are very liberal, sir. I wish it was in a better cause.""Now go home, and don't be a sneak and a fool--till after the
- 159 "Mrs. White," said Meadows, "if you have got a bed for me I'll sleep here, for my nag is tired and the night is darkish.""Always a bed for you, Mr. Meadows," was the gracious reply.Soon the two friends rang for bed-candl
- 160 "Yes, you had when last I saw you--in the gold mine; you set ruffians to abuse me, sir.""Don't you believe that, Mr. Levi.""I saw it and felt it."The peculiarity of this situation was, that, the room being full of people
- 161 "He has kept my ring!""I was there before you, Mr. Meadows--but I won't stand upon that; I don't believe there is a man in the world loves a woman in the world better than I love Susan; but still I would not give a snap of the fin
- 162 Meantime, George and Susan and Tom rose to their feet in some astonishment."There is a chentleman coming to put a question or two," said the first speaker. And, in fact, an old acquaintance of ours, Mr. Williams, came riding up, and, hooking his
- 163 Then Crawley followed him, abusing and reviling him. "So this is the end of all your maneuvering! Oh, what a fool I was to side with such a bungler as you against Mr. Levi. Here am I, an innocent man, ruined through knowing a thief--ah! you don't like t
- 164 "Not I. I let him lie for whoever chose to own him.""You let him lie? What, when there is a printed order from the government stuck over the whole mine that n.o.body is to leave carrion about! You go off directly and bury your carrion or yo