The Project Gutenberg EBook of Reginald Cruden, by Talbot Baines Reed

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Title: Reginald Cruden
A Tale of City Life

Author: Talbot Baines Reed

Release Date: April 12, 2007 [EBook #21043]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REGINALD CRUDEN ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Reginald Cruden
A Tale of City Life

By Talbot Baines Reed
________________________________________________________________________
I suppose this book is not so much aimed at schoolboys as most of this
author's books are, as at the young adult starting out in life. For
the story here is one almost of warning about the mistakes a young man
of good will might make in trying to find employment in a hard time.

The first job he takes is interesting because it is in a typesetting
office, which the author knew a great deal about, having inherited a
similar business from his father.

The second job is, quite unknown to the young hero, rather a shady one.
It is obvious to us, the readers, because we are allowed certain
information that Reginald could not have.

You would enjoy hearing it, or reading it if you must. NH.
________________________________________________________________________
REGINALD CRUDEN
A TALE OF CITY LIFE

BY TALBOT BAINES REED

CHAPTER ONE.

AN INTERRUPTED BATHE.

It was a desperately hot day. There had been no day like it all the
summer. Indeed, Squires, the head gardener at Garden Vale, positively
asserted that there had been none like it since he had been employed on
the place, which was fourteen years last March. Squires, by the way,
never lost an opportunity of reminding himself and the world generally
of the length of his services to the family at Garden Vale; and on the
strength of those fourteen years he gave himself airs as if the place
belonged not to Mr Cruden at all, but to himself. He was the terror of
his mistress, who scarcely dared to peep into a greenhouse without his
leave, and although he could never exactly obtain from the two young
gentlemen the respect to which he considered himself entitled, he still
flattered himself in secret "they couldn't d