The Prodigal Apprentice

Tom Worboise, the prodigal apprentice, is indecisive, frivolous, and ambitious for the "good life." He works as a clerk to Mr. Boxall, a wealthy businessman in London's Guild Court. He alternates between two girls who love him, Lucy Burton and Mary Boxall.

Tom's father, a shrewd lawyer, amends a will for the Boxall family, who soon afterwards are all lost in a shipwreck. Tom's father, who had been named beneficiary in such an eventuality, then seeks the money.

Tom is influenced by his crafty father and enters a series of misadventures that involve gambling and theft. Finally, he reforms, returns to London, and finds love and a more noble way of life.