Arthur Morrison's "A Burgling Incident" is a short story about a young man named Tom who is caught burgling a house. Tom is a poor, uneducated man who has been driven to crime by his desperate circumstances. He is caught in the act by the homeowner, who is a kindly old man. The old man is sympathetic to Tom's plight and decides to let him go without calling the police. Tom is so grateful for the old man's mercy that he decides to turn his life around and make something of himself. The story ends with Tom determined to make something of his life and to never resort to crime again.
By Arthur Morrison · First published 1905 · Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction