An ordinary man, finding all the hopes of his future,
all the expectations, which had been a part of his very life, taken
suddenly from him, would have abandoned himself to a career of vice; he
would have become a blackleg, a swindler, a drunkard, a beggar at the
doors of the kinsman who had cast him off. But it was not so with
Reginald Eversleigh. From the moment in which he found himself cast
adrift by the benefactor who had been more than a father to him, he
confronted evil fortune calmly and bravely. He cut the link between
himself and extravagant companions. He disappeared from the circles in
which he had been admired and courted; and the only grief which preyed
upon his generous heart sprang from the knowledge that he had forfeited
his uncle's affection."
Sir Oswald sighed. For the first time he began to think that it was
just possible he had treated his nephew with injustice.
"You are right, Mr. Carrington," he said, after a pause; "it was a hard
trial for any man; and I am proud to think that Reginald passed
unscathed through so severe an ordeal. But the resolution at which I
arrived a year and a half ago is one that I cannot alter now. I have
formed new ties; I have new hopes for the future. My nephew must pay
the penalty of his past errors, and must look to his own exertions for
wealth and honour. If I die without a direct heir, he will succeed to
the baronetcy, and I hope he will try his uttermost to win a fortune by
which he may maintain his title.
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