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It Is Never Too Late to Mend

“It is Never Too Late to Mend, a Matter-of-Fact Romance,” published in 1856, is, like “Hard Cash,” a story with a purpose, the object in this instance being to illustrate the abuses of prison discipline in England and Australia.  Many of the passages describing Australian life are exceptionally vivid and imaginative, and exhibit Charles Reade, if not in the front rank of novelists of his day, at least occupying a high position.

I.—­In Berkshire

George Fielding, assisted by his brother William, tilled The Grove—­as nasty a little farm as any in Berkshire.  It was four hundred acres, all arable, and most of it poor, sour land.  A bad bargain, and the farmer being sober, intelligent, proud, sensitive, and unlucky, is the more to be pitied.

Susanna Merton was beautiful and good; George Fielding and she were acknowledged lovers, but latterly old Merton had seemed cool whenever his daughter mentioned the young man’s name.

William Fielding, George’s brother, was in love with his brother’s sweetheart, but he never looked at her except by stealth; he knew he had no business to love her.

While George Fielding had been going steadily down-hill, till even the bank declined to give him credit, Mr. Meadows, who had been a carter, was, at forty years of age, a rich corn-factor and land surveyor.

This John Meadows was not a common man.  He had a cool head, and an iron will; and he had the soul of business—­method.

Meadows was generally respected; by none more than by old Merton.  In fact, it seemed to Merton that John Meadows would make a better son-in-law than George Fielding.

The day came when a distress was issued against Fielding’s farm for the rent, and as it happened on that very day Susan and her father had come to dinner at The Grove.  Old Merton, knowing how things stood, spoke his mind to George.

“You are too much of a man, I hope, to eat a woman’s bread; and if you are not, I am man enough to keep the girl from it.  If Susan marries you she will have to keep you instead of you her.”

“Is this from Susanna, as well as you?” said George, with a trembling lip.

“Susan is an obedient daughter.  What I say she’ll stand to.”

This was blow number two for George Fielding.  The third stroke on that day was the arrest of Mr. Robinson who had been staying at The Grove as a lodger.  Mr. Robinson dressed well, too well, perhaps, but somehow the rustics wouldn’t accept him for a gentleman.  George had taken a great liking to his lodger, and Mr. Robinson was equally sincere in his friendship for Fielding.  And now it turned out that the fools who had disparaged Robinson were right, and he, George Fielding, wrong.  Before his eyes, and amidst the grins of a score of gaping yokels, Thomas Robinson, alias Scott, a professional thief, was handcuffed and carried off to the county gaol.