Jeffrey Hartmann

Harold Armytage is entertaining a party of sporting and race-course associates when Squire Armytage returns and orders his son's companions out of the house and bids Harold choose between them and him. Father and son part in anger, and Harold prepares to go to London after an interview with Bess Marks, his sweetheart. Bess refuses to be parted from Harold and they plan to go away together. They are married in London and soon after, when looking for work, Harold meets one of his old racing friends, who persuades him to go to the races. There his friends, in collusion with a bookmaker, put Harold on to a "wrong un" and Harold, ruined, goes home to Bess and confesses the truth. The pinch of poverty comes and the landlady turns them out. They tramp back to his father's home in the hope that his father will forgive him, or at least help Bess. In the meantime Clifford Armytage, Harold's cousin, who is looked upon as the heir, has been making love to Hetty Preene, a frivolous girl, daughter to Seth Preene, one of the Squire's gamekeepers. Seth Preene sees Harold and Bess, and tells Clifford of Harold's arrival in the neighborhood. Clifford is terribly alarmed as the old squire has been mourning the absence of his son, and Clifford fears he will forgive him. Clifford and Seth plot to rob the old squire and put the blame on Harold. When Squire Armytage sees his boy he nearly relents, but a fresh quarrel ensues and Harold goes, leaving his wife to the care of her old father. The robbery takes place. The squire, who has surprised Preene, is struck down by Seth and dies before he can exonerate Harold, who has been arrested and accused of the crime. Seth gives Clifford the family jewels he has stolen, but he retains the will he found with them, which leaves the estates to Harold, thinking he can hold it over Clifford if Clifford tries to play him false. Harold is sentenced to seven years, and Clifford orders Bess to leave the place. She goes to London and takes a room in the house of a family of show-people named Jarvis and nurses the boy, Shakespeare Jarvis when the old people go on tour. Meanwhile Clifford has induced Hetty Preene to leave her father, and takes a house for her in St. John's Wood under the promise that he will marry her. He gives her the Armytage jewels. Some time after Harold has been a convict he learns that Bess is ill and the thought tortures him and he determines to escape. Just as he is about to fall into the hands of the warders in search of him, he meets with Joe Jarvis, who shelters him in his London home, where to his joy, Harold and Bess are reunited. Seth Preene, now a well-to-do inn-keeper on the money paid him by Clifford, is sorrowing for his daughter and is half suspicious that Clifford has had a hand in her leaving home. Clifford denies this, but drops a registered letter receipt giving Hetty's address in London. Seth thinks Clifford is paying money to Bess, and determines to pay a trip to London to find out why, if possible. Just as this happens, while Clifford is down in the country, Hetty, who is very vain, has gone to the theater wearing the Armytage jewels, and in leaving drops a diamond bracelet which is taken by a coster to the police. Clifford, alarmed for the safety of the bracelet and fearing that someone will discover that it is part of the jewelry reported as stolen from Armytage Hall, gets the police to issue a reward and comes to the police station to identify it. There he sees a reward bill announcing the escape of Harold, and having kept himself informed of the whereabouts of Bess, he instantly jumps to the conclusion that Harold may come to the house where she is living. He offers to point her out to a detective and takes him to the address, at which Harold arrives with the old showman and his wife. Shakespeare Jarvis. who is devoted to Bess, sees the detective and instantly rushes home with the news. The police enter and Harold after a desperate struggle makes his escape. Seth Preene comes to London and goes to Hetty's address, arriving just after Clifford has got the bracelet and warned Hetty about wearing them in public. When he has gone to his club, Hetty puts all the jewels on and is admiring herself when her father is shown in. Seth, expecting to see Bess, is overwhelmed to find Hetty, and realizes her shame. He goes off in a fury to find Clifford and meets the betrayer of his daughter on a bridge over the canal in Regent's Park, near which Harold and Bess are resting in their flight. Seth Preene fiercely tells Clifford that if he does not make Hetty his wife within a week he will tell the whole truth and send Clifford to prison in place of Harold. Clifford turns on him and after a fierce fight throws Seth over the bridge into the canal. Harold hears Seth's cries for help, throws off his coat and rescues Seth, who is astonished to see in the man who has saved his life the young master his evidence sent to prison. In gratitude he tells Harold to go back to the Jarvis' house and wait till he comes. He will pay his debt. Harold and Bess return to the showman's home but are discovered by Clifford and the police, and after Harold has thrashed Clifford he escapes by the window only to be arrested and taken by the police. But just as Clifford has denounced Harold, Seth Preene, who has telegraphed for the will to his lawyer, in whose custody he has placed it for safety, arrives, and denounces Clifford and gives Harold the will which makes him master of his old home. A King's pardon is soon obtained for Harold, who returns with Bess to Armytage Hall amid the acclamation and rejoicing of the tenants.