Japhet In Search Of A Father Part 1 by Frederick Marryat (unputdownable books TXT) 📕

When The Music Ceased,  A Smart Parley Between Melchior And Me,  And

Philotas,  And Timothy,  As The Two Fools,  Would Take Place; And Melchior

Declared,  After The Performance Was Over,  That We Conducted Ourselves To

Admiration.

"Pray,  Mr Philotas,  Do Me The Favour To Tell Me How Many People You

Think Are Now Present?" Said Melchior To Num,  In an Imperative Voice.

"I Don'T Know," Said Num,  Looking Up With His Idiotical,  Melancholy

Face.

"Ha! Ha! Ha'" Roared The Crowd At Num'S Stupid Answer.

"The Fellow'S A Fool'" Said Melchior,  To The Gaping Audience.

"Well,  Then,  If He Can'T Tell,  Perhaps You May,  Mr Dionysius," Said I,

Addressing Tim.

"How Many,  Sir? Do You Want To Know Exactly And Directly?"

"Yes,  Sir,  Immediately."

"Without Counting,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  Without Counting."

"Well Then,  Sir,  I Will Tell,  And Make No Mistake; There'S _Exactly As

Many Again As Half_."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" From The Crowd.

"That Won'T Do,  Sir. How Many May Be The Half?"

"How Many May Be The Half? Do You Know Yourself,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  To Be Sure I Do."

"Then There'S No Occasion For Me To Tell You."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Well Then,  Sir," Continued Melchior To Philotas,  "Perhaps You'Ll Tell

How Many Ladies And Gentlemen We May Expect To Honour Us With Their

Company To-Night."

"How Many,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  How Many."

"I'M Sure I Don'T Know," Said Num,  After A Pause.

"Positively You Are The Greatest Fool I Ever Met With," Said Melchior.

"Well,  He Does Act The Fool As Natural As Life," Observed The Crowd.

"What A Stupid Face He Does Put On!"

"Perhaps You Will Be Able To Answer That Question,  Mr Dionysius," Said I

To Tim.

"Yes,  Sir,  I Know Exactly."

"Well,  Sir,  Let'S Hear."

"In The First Place,  All The Pretty Women Will Come,  And All The Ugly

Ones Stay Away; And As For The Men,  All Those Who Have Got Any Money

Will Be Certain To Come; Those Who Haven'T,  Poor Devils,  Must Stay

Outside."

"Suppose,  Sir,  You Make A Bow To The Ladies."

"A Very Low One,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Very Low Indeed."

Tim Bent His Body To The Ground,  And Threw A Somerset Forward. "There,

Sir; I Bowed So Low,  That I Came Up On The Other Side."

Ha! Ha! Capital!" From The Crowd.

"I'Ve Got A Round Turn In My Back,  Sir," Continued Tim,  Rubbing Himself.

"Hadn'T I Better Take It Out Again?"

"By All Means."

Tim Threw A Somerset Backwards. "There,  Sir,  All'S Right Now. One Good

Turn Deserves Another. Now I'Ll Be Off."

"Where Are You Going To,  Sir?"

"Going,  Sir!! Why,  I Left My Lollipop In The Tinder-Box,  And I'M Going

To Fetch It."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Strike Up,  Music!" And Master Jumbo Commenced Tumbling.

Such Was The Elegant Wit With Which We Amused And Attracted The

Audience. Perhaps,  Had We Been More Refined,  We Should Not Have Been So

Successful.

That Evening We Had The Room As Full As It Could Hold. Signor Velotti

_Alias_ Melchior Astonished Them. The Cards Appeared To Obey His

Commands--Rings Were Discovered In Lady'S Shoes--Watches Were Beat To A

Powder And Made Whole--Canary Birds Flew Out Of Eggs. The Audience Were

Delighted. The Entertainment Closed With Fleta'S Performance On The

Slack Wire; And Certainly Never Was There Anything More Beautiful And

Graceful. Balanced On The Wire In a Continual,  Waving Motion,  Her Eyes

Fixed Upon A Point To Enable Her To Maintain Her Position,  She Performed

Several Feats,  Such As The Playing With Five Oranges,  Balancing Swords,

&C. Her Extreme Beauty--Her Very Picturesque And Becoming Dress--Her

Mournful Expression And Downcast Eyes--Her Gentle Manner,  Appeared To

Win The Hearts Of The Audience; And When She Was Assisted Off From Her

Perilous Situation By Melchior And Me,  And Made Her Graceful Courtesy,

The Plaudits Were Unanimous.

When The Company Dispersed I Went To Her,  Intending To Praise Her,  But I

Found Her In Tears. "What Is The Matter,  My Dear Fleta?"

"O Nothing! Don'T Say I Have Been Crying--But I Cannot Bear It--So Many

People Looking At Me. Don'T Say A Word To Melchior--I Won'T Cry Any

More."

     It Is Very Easy To Humbug Those Who Are So Eager To Be Humbugged As

     People Are In This World Of Humbug--We Show Ourselves Excessively

     Disinterested,  Which Astonishes Everybody.

I Kissed And Consoled Her; She Threw Her Arm Round My Neck,  And Remained

There With Her Face Hid For Some Time. We Then Joined The Others At

Supper. Melchior Was Much Pleased With Our Success,  And Highly Praised

The Conduct Of Timothy And Myself,  Which He Pronounced Was,  For The

First Attempt,  Far Beyond His Expectations.

We Continued To Astonish All The Good People Of ---- For Five Days,  When

We Discovered The Indubitable Fact,  That There Was No More Money To Be

Extracted From Their Pockets,  Upon Which We Resumed Our Usual Clothes

And Smock Frocks,  And With Our Bundles In Our Hands,  Set Off For Another

Market Town,  About Fifteen Miles Distant. There We Were Equally

Successful,  And Melchior Was Delighted With Our Having Proved Such A

Powerful Acquisition To His Troop: But Not To Dwell Too Long Upon One

Subject,  I Shall Inform The Reader That,  After A Trip Of Six Weeks,

During Which We Were Very Well Received,  We Once More Returned To The

Camp,  Which Had Located Within Five Miles Of Our Last Scene Of Action.

Every One Was Content--We Were All Glad To Get Back And Rest From Our

Labours. Melchior Was Pleased With His Profits,  Poor Little Fleta

Overjoyed To Be Once More In The Seclusion Of Her Tent,  And Nattee Very

Glad To Hear Of Our Good Fortune,  And To See Her Husband. Timothy And I

Had Already Proved Ourselves So Useful,  That Melchior Treated Us With

The Greatest Friendship And Confidence--And He Made Us A Present Out Of

The Gains,  For Our Exertions; To Me He Gave Ten,  And To Timothy Five,

Pounds.

"There,  Japhet,  Had You Hired Yourself I Should Not Have Paid You More

Than Seven Shillings Per Week,  Finding You In Food; But You Must

Acknowledge That For Six Weeks That Is Not Bad Pay. However,  Your

Earnings Will Depend Upon Our Success,  And I Rather Think That We Shall

Make A Much Better Thing Of It When Next We Start,  Which Will Be In

About A Fortnight; But We Have Some Arrangements To Make. Has Timothy A

Good Memory?"

"I Think He Has."

"That Is Well. I Told You Before That We Are To Try The 'Wise Man,'--But

First We Must Have Nattee In Play. To-Morrow We Will Start For ----,"

Mentioning A Small Quiet Town About Four Miles Off.

We Did So,  Early The Next Morning,  And Arrived About Noon,  Pitching Our

Tents On The Common,  Not Far From The Town; But In This Instance We Left

All The Rest Of Our Gang Behind. Melchior'S Own Party And His Two Tents

Were All That Were Brought By The Donkeys.

Melchior And I,  Dressed As Countrymen,  Went Into The Town At Dusk,  And

Entered A Respectable Sort Of Inn,  Taking Our Seats At One Of The Tables

In The Tap-Room,  And,  As We Had Already Planned,  After We Had Called For

Beer,  Commenced A Conversation In The Hearing Of The Others Who Were

Sitting Drinking And Smoking.

"Well,  I Never Will Believe It--It'S All Cheat And Trickery," Said

Melchior,  "And They Only Do It To Pick Your Pocket. Tell Your Fortune,

Indeed! I Suppose She Promised You A Rich Wife And Half-A-Dozen

Children."

"No,  She Did Not," Replied I,  "For I Am Too Young To Marry; But She Told

Me What I Know Has Happened."

"Well,  What Was That?"

"Why,  She Told Me That My Mother Had Married Again,  And Turned Me Out Of

Doors To Work For My Bread."

"But She Might Have Heard That."

"How Could She? No,  That'S Not Possible; But She Told Me I Had A Mole On

My Knee,  Which Was A Sign Of Luck. Now How Could She Know That?"

"Well,  I Grant That Was Odd--And Pray What Else Did She Promise You?"

"Why,  She Said,  That I Should Meet With My Dearest Friend To-Night. Now

That Does Puzzle Me,  For I Have But One In The World,  And He Is A Long

Way Off."

"Well,  If You Do Meet Your Friend,  Then I'Ll Believe Her; But If Not,

It Has Been All Guess-Work; And Pray What Did You Pay For All This--Was

It A Shilling,  Or Did She Pick Your Pocket?"

"That'S What Puzzles Me,--She Refused To Take Anything. I Offered It

Again And Again,  And She Said,'No; That She Would Have No Money--That

Her Gift Was Not To Be Sold.'"

"Well,  That Is Odd. Do You Hear What This Young Man Says," Said

Melchior,  Addressing The Others,  Who Had Swallowed Every Word.

"Yes," Replied One; "But Who Is This Person?"

"The Queen Of The Gipsies,  I Am Told. I Never Saw Such A Wonderful Woman

In My Life--Her Eye Goes Right Through You. I Met Her On The Common,

And,  As She Passed,  She Dropped A Handkerchief. I Ran Back To Give It

Her,  And Then She Thanked Me,  And Said,  'Open Your Hand And Let Me See

The Palm. Here Are Great Lines,  And You Will Be Fortunate;' And Then She

Told Me A Great Deal More,  And Bid God Bless Me."

"Then If She Said That,  She Cannot Have Dealings With The _Devil_,"

Observed Melchior.