When Tom, the blacksmith's bright eldest son, is offered a place in his Uncle George's London warehouse, his family sees a rare chance for advancement. The village celebrates his prospects, but the excitement is shadowed by strain, especially for Polly, who fears Tom's good fortune will come at Dick's expense. Carefully outfitted and sent off amid pride and sacrifice, Tom enters a city far larger and harsher than he imagined. There, the noise, crowds, and relentless pace quickly unsettle him, and his loneliness leaves him open to the flattery of smooth-talking boys who promise easy money, racing excitement, and a more glamorous life. Drawn toward betting and "sharp" behavior, Tom is pulled into a moral struggle between the honest values of home and the temptations of London. His growing friendship with Jack leads him into shady schemes, guilt, and sleepless fear, while a horse-race wager exposes the selfishness and damage hidden beneath the thrill of gambling. When Bob Ronan loses his savings and must confess to his widowed mother, the novel's warning becomes painfully clear. Through remorse, repentance, and a mother's stern Christian counsel, the story traces the cost of bad companionship and the hard lesson that true success cannot be built on chance, deceit, or another person's loss. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Leslie, Emma

Emma Leslie was a prolific English novelist and children’s writer of the Victorian era, remembered for her lively storytelling, moral seriousness, and deep sympathy for young readers. Writing in a period when books for children were often expected to instruct as well as entertain, she built a substantial career producing novels, stories, and religiously informed fiction that reflected the values and anxieties of her time. Her work often centers on perseverance, faith, family duty, and the struggle to do what is right in difficult circumstances, while also showing a keen interest in social class, hardship, and the emotional lives of girls and young women. What makes Leslie still relevant today is the clarity with which she treats questions of conscience, identity, and resilience; beneath the Victorian setting, her stories speak to readers who are navigating pressure, exclusion, or the desire to define themselves honestly. Her legacy lies in her ability to combine accessible storytelling with moral and emotional depth, making her an important figure in the history of popular children’s literature. Readers who enjoy classic fiction with strong values, earnest character development, and a distinctly Victorian atmosphere are likely to find her work especially rewarding.