Samuel the Seeker by Upton Sinclair

Author:Upton Sinclair
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Upton Sinclair, muckraking, satire, injustice, investigative journalism, American, political, social, justice, corruption, capitalism, socialism, society, historical, American classic
Publisher: Sovereign Classic
Published: 2016-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XV

Samuel walked the streets all that night. For he fully meant to do what he had promised the child, and he did not care to go back to Charlie Swift, and face the latter’s protests and ridicule.

At eight the next morning, tired but happy, he rang the bell of Dr. Vince’s house. Ethel herself opened the door; and at the sight of him her face lighted up with joy, and she turned, crying out, “Here he is!”

And she ran halfway down the hall, exclaiming: “He’s come! I told you he’d come! Papa!”

A man appeared at the dining room door, and stood staring at Samuel. “There he is, papa!” cried Ethel beside herself with delight. “There’s my burglar!”

Dr. Vince came down the hall. He was a stockily built gentleman with a rather florid complexion and bushy beard. “Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning, sir,” said Samuel.

“And are you really the young man who was here last night?”

“Yes, sir,” said Samuel.

The worthy doctor was obviously disconcerted. “This is quite extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “Won’t you come in?”

They sat down in the library. “I don’t want you to think, sir,” said Samuel quickly, “that I come to beg. Your little girl asked me—-”

“Don’t mention that,” said the other. “If the story you told Ethel is really true, I should be only too glad to do anything that I could.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Samuel.

“And so you really broke into my house last night!” exclaimed the other. “Well! well! And it is the first time you have ever done anything of the sort in your life?”

“The very first,” said the boy.

“But what could have put it into your head?”

“There was another person with me,” said Samuel—”you will understand that I would rather not talk about him.”

“I see,” said the other. “He led you to it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you have never done anything dishonest before?”

“No, sir.”

“You have never even been a thief?”

“No!” exclaimed Samuel indignantly.

The other noticed the tone of his voice. “But why did you begin now?” he asked.

“I was persuaded that it was right,” said Samuel.

“But how could that be? Had you never been taught about stealing?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the boy—”but it’s not as simple as it seems. I had met Professor Stewart—”

“Professor Stewart!” echoed the other.

“Yes, sir—the professor at the college.”

“But what did he have to do with it?”

“Why, sir, he told me about the survival of the fittest, and how I had to starve to death because I was one of the failures. And then you see, sir, I met Master Albert—”

“Master Albert?”

“Albert Lockman, sir. And the professor had said that he was one of the fit; and I saw that he got drunk, sir, and did other things that were very wicked, and so it did not seem just right that I should starve. I can see now that it was very foolish of me; but I thought that I ought to fight, and try to survive if I possibly could. And then I met Char—that is, a bad man who offered to show me how to be a burglar.

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