Mr. Owen

“ Father always used to say that it paid best to be honest and upright in every way, even if it were not a question of right. Dishonest people must always live in fear of being found out. Father said we must always live open lives, and then everything would be right."
"Your father was a good man, Owen. I can't think how I came to suspect you. Only get well, and I will do all I can for you."
"Thank you, uncle; I am very glad you know I did not do it," replied the boy, as if he could not forget how heavy a weight had been lifted off him.
"It troubled you?" asked Mr. Hadleigh, kindly. ”

“ CLARICE HELPING OWEN.—Page 60.
[62] "An old friend of yours," she replied, returning in a few minutes with an elderly gentleman, in whom Owen joyfully recognised his kind friend the Vicar of Westbrook.
"Oh, Mr. Sturt, sir, is it really you? I can't get up, sir, but I am glad to see you."
"Don't move, my boy. I have just heard of your accident from your uncle," he said, taking a chair which Clarice offered him, close to Owen. "I was passing through Barmston, and thought I should like to see you. You look very altered and weak," he said, kindly; "are you in much pain?" ”

“ As soon as the shop was closed Mr. Hadleigh came up himself to visit his nephew, and assure him that he would take all care of him, and that he was not to trouble about the accusation, for the more he watched him, the more he was convinced that he was innocent, though where the goods had gone to was a great mystery.
"David shall sit up with you to-night," he said, "and we will see about a better nurse in the morning."
Owen was much surprised at his uncle's tender manner, for he had always been too absorbed in business to speak kindly to any of his family. ”

“ He stayed in case you should want to see him, Augustin."
"I don't want him," said I with a laugh, as I pushed my chair back. "But I was glad he talked like that about Owen last night. I think I'll go and see if Owen's in his room." I rose and started toward the door.
"Augustin, Mr. Owen is not in his room," said my mother in a strangely timid voice. ”

“ Owen would value. Prowess in athletics was to Mr. Owen but superiority in play, often shared with the idle and the vicious. In scholarship Rob could never hope to rank above a low B; he had no gift for public speaking; no one ever urged him for office. ”

“ Owen thought of this as she entered the drawing-room. He had thought of it before. The Reverend Mr. Owen greatly admired Madam Carroll.
When he had paid his visit and gone, Sara Carroll went up-stairs to her own room. She had her mantle on her arm, her bonnet in her hand, for she had not taken the trouble to go to her room before receiving his visit, as Madam Carroll had taken it: Madam Carroll always took trouble. ”

“ Farmer Rowe, who lived near, at Fenside Farm, had been the faithful friend of Mr Hartley from the time of his first coming to the parish, and taking him by the hand, followed as a mourner. Owen bore up during the ceremony, but on returning to his desolate home, at length gave way to the grief which was well-nigh breaking his young heart.
“Don’t take on so, Master Owen,” cried Jane, leading him to his little room; “he who is gone would not wish you to grieve. He is happy, depend upon it, and he wants you to be happy too. ”

“ David did as he was asked; but he looked so excited that Owen inquired again, "Where have you been?"
"Mr. Hadleigh wanted me down in the shop."
"In the night! What time is it?"
"Two o'clock."
"What could he want?"
"We caught a thief stealing the goods out of the shop. I went for two policemen, and they got hold of him."
"How dreadful it must be to be a thief; it is worse for him even than for uncle to lose his things." ”

“ But he had promised his brother to look after Owen, and he would take him back with him. A few of his brother's belongings were packed up for the boy, but the rest Mr. James Hadleigh decided should be sold. There were several things that Owen greatly desired to keep; the arm-chair that his father used, a small cabinet which contained botanical specimens that his father had collected, some books of his mother's, and other treasures. But his uncle spoke decidedly—
"Nonsense; they are mostly old things. I cannot have my house filled with lumber. ”

“ His ways are always better than ours."
"No doubt; but one cannot always realise it," said the schoolmaster wearily.
Mrs. Mitchell ventured no more than a quiet "good-night," as she saw Owen was listening to the conversation, evidently desiring to know what they meant. But when she was by herself out in the road, she said softly, "Poor things, they are both in trouble. Mr. Hadleigh is a clever man, no doubt, and gets the children on wonderful; but he has not got that quiet trust in God that Mrs. Hadleigh had. God give it him!" ”

“ This accident might never have happened but for Norris. I saw him push Owen just as he was stepping down; and having his arms full, he could not save himself."
Mr. Hadleigh went in to see the boy, before he went round to the police-court, and stayed some little time with him.
Owen asked to be sent back to Westbrook; he was sure some there would care for him for his father's sake; and he had not forgotten his uncle's words in the train, that if anyone could not work they had no right to live.
"It is impossible you should be moved, at any rate for some weeks," he said. "Why do you want to go?" ”

“ Routine is death to heroism. For the first few days after his parting with Mr Sheppherd, Owen was in heroic mood, full of vaguely dashing schemes, regarding the world as his oyster, and burning to get at it, sword in hand. But routine, with its ledgers and its copying-ink and its customers, fell like a grey cloud athwart his horizon, blotting out rainbow visions of sudden wealth, dramatically won. Day by day the glow faded and hopelessness grew.
If the glow did not entirely fade it was due to Audrey, who more than fulfilled her promise of ringing him up on the telephone. ”

“ He speaks different from other lads, and he's better behaved. There's always been something queer about little Owen. And I've tried to keep it up too, sir. I've encouraged him to speak well, to address his betters as he should, and to be gentle in his play."
"And you've succeeded well, ma'am," exclaimed the sergeant with enthusiasm.
"Very well indeed, madam," agreed Mr. Benjamin. "Is there nothing more to tell us?"
"Nothing, sir. He stayed here till a year ago, [Pg 27] when the guardians apprenticed him to Mr. George Ransom, a farmer that's not the best-loved of all living about Winchester." ”

“ His being a sailor will account for the activity he showed in unbuckling the harness.”
Owen gave an account of the incident to Mrs Kezia.
“That is like you, Owen,” she said. “Do what is right without hope of fee or reward. I am afraid that the old man does not give you much of either. What salary are you getting?”
“I have received nothing as yet; nor has Mr Fluke promised me a salary,” answered Owen. “I conclude that he considers it sufficient to afford me board and lodging, and to teach me the business. I should not think of asking for more.” ”

“ Owen visited all his old friends, greatly profited by Mr. Sturt's kind instructions, and at last returned to Barmston with a happy, thankful heart, resolved to be as industrious and active as possible, while yet keeping the heavenly riches foremost before his eyes; while diligent in business, to be fervent in spirit, in all things serving the Lord.
S. W. PARTRIDGE AND CO., 9 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
Punctuation errors have been corrected without note. ”

“ When Owen regained his senses he found himself in a hammock in the sick bay of the frigate, with Mike and Nat close alongside of him.
“How do you feel, Mike?” asked Nat, who had not observed that Owen was awake.
“Mighty quare, but not sorry to find myself here. I hope Mr Hartley will come to soon. They seem to treat him as one of us.”
“He ought to be with the officers aft,” said Nat. “The mate is with them, I suppose, but I have not seen him.”
“Shure he’ll not fail to make himself out to be a big man somehow or other,” said Mike. ”

“ The form of phrase, the inflexion of voice, the dancing light of humour, make up the motley which is the true jester’s ‘only wear’; and under his flashes of merriment is a sober, sound philosophy. This, after all, is the only kind of humour that lasts ... it is easy to appreciate, difficult to acquire; and Mr. Owen Seaman, having acquired it with all the felicity of good humour and art, stands practically alone among the humourists of the hour.... His technical quality seems to strengthen with every new volume. ”

“ You came here wishing to gain riches, and God is giving you your desire, not in earthly coin, but in precious souls saved for all eternity. 'There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.' God give you grace to choose the lowly and the better way at all times through life."
Mr. Sturt could not stay longer; he was only in Barmston for a short time; when Owen was strengthened and comforted by seeing his kind friend once more, and by his helpful words. ”

“ The man's face he could not see, nor could he at all make out the figure.
After watching him for a moment, he crept upstairs, and calling David out of Owen's room, sent him off by a back-door to the neighbouring police-station, while he again mounted guard at [54] the glass door. It seemed a long time to Mr. Hadleigh as he stood watching the thief walking softly about the shop, helping himself here and there to tea, sugar, cloves and spices, dried fruit, and other goods. He felt sure it was one who knew the premises well, by the way he went about, laying his hands on exactly what he wanted. ”

“ Owen, who at first felt somewhat strange at being thus suddenly introduced into the society of gentlemen, soon recovered himself, and behaved as might have been expected. He addressed Mr Leigh with freedom but perfect propriety, and spoke to the French officers in their own language. ”

“ Can you be Owen Hartley? We had given you up for lost long ago. But are you really yourself? Yes, I see you are, only double as big, and a naval officer to boot. Well, it will put new life into the old man, for he grieved sorely for you. Well, I am glad, that I am.”
Here Mr Tarwig wrung Owen’s hand in a way very unwonted with him when greeting a fellow-mortal.
“Mr Fluke will be pleased,” he continued; “but he went home to-day an hour earlier than usual. He did not feel quite well, and he wanted Kezia Crump to give him something to do him good.” ”

“ The next voyage he brought me over a number of bulbs. I wanted something to engage my thoughts, and from that day forward I became fonder and fonder of tulips.”
The evening was passed more pleasantly than Owen had anticipated. Mr Fluke, indeed, appeared to be an altogether different person to what he had seemed at his first interview with his young relative.
“Boys want more sleep than old men,” said Mr Fluke, pulling out his turnip-like watch.
“Here, Kezia!” he shouted, “come and take him off to bed. She will look after you,” he added, nodding to Owen; “you must do as she bids you though.” ”

“ What do you think Owen did?’
‘Fought him, I suppose,’ said Mr. Parsons, judging by the peculiar delight ladies take in such exploits. ‘Besides, he has sufficiently the air of a hero to make it incumbent on him to “kill some giant.”’
‘We may be content with something short of his killing the giant,’ said Honor, ‘but he really did gain the victory. That lad, under nineteen, positively beat this great monster of a man, and made him ask the girl’s pardon, knocked him down, and thoroughly mastered him! ”

“ Mr Tarwig, the head clerk, got off his stool to speak to him, and had Owen put a proper value on this piece of condescension, he would have considered it a good sign.
“Sit down, my boy, the master will be out soon, and he has something to say to you,” said Mr Tarwig, pointing to a bench, and nodding to Owen, he returned to his seat. In a few minutes the door opened, and a fine-looking seafaring man, evidently the master of a ship, came out. As he passed by he gave a glance at Owen, who heard him addressed by Mr Tarwig as Captain Aggett. “What a pleasant look he has,” thought Owen ”

“ Nat harried forward. As soon as he could find Owen, without saying what he had done, he told him that Mr Leigh wished to speak with him. Owen went aft, not knowing what the lieutenant could have to say.
“Hartley,” said Mr Leigh, “you appear to be superior to the other boys. In what capacity were you serving on board the ship in which you were cast away?” ”

“ The World.
“The best of the satirists on the other side is Mr. Owen Seaman, who has touched off some of the weaknesses of the late government with very happy and caustic humour.”––The Spectator.
“Mr. Seaman is own brother to Calverley, and in modern times there has been nothing so good of its sort as ‘Tillers of the Sand.’... Mr. Seaman proves himself so brilliant a jester that it needs must be he takes the jester’s privilege of offending no one.”––The Speaker.
“One of the most accomplished writers of occasional verse to-day.”––Bookman. ”

“ However, it becomes the more necessary that we should exert ourselves, and use the sense God has given us.”
“It seems strange that Mr Grey and the other officers should have been lost, and this one have been saved,” observed Nat.
“We do not understand God’s ways; all we know is that He orders everything for the best,” answered Owen. “He may have allowed them to be drowned to save them from greater suffering.”
They spoke in low whispers so that the mate could not hear them. By this time the sun had risen above the horizon. ”

“ He passed me on his bike before I got half-way, so I suppose he told his tale before I came. Anyway, when I started to speak to Mr Rushton he wouldn’t listen. Said he couldn’t interfere between Mr Hunter and the men.”
“Ah! They’re a bad lot, them two,” said the old woman, shaking her head sagely. “But it’ll all come ’ome to ’em, you’ll see. They’ll never prosper. The Lord will punish them.”
Owen did not feel very confident of that. Most of the people he knew who had prospered were very similar in character to the two worthies in question. ”