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

Very Marvellous Indeed. Timothy Had Hardly Time To Secure The Best

Rooms In The Hotel,  When Melchior,  Dressed In a Long Flowing Silk Gown,

With A Wig Of Long White Hair,  A Square Cap,  And Two Or Three Gold

Chains Hanging From His Neck,  Certainly Most Admirably Disguised,  And

Attended By Me In The Dress Of A German Student,  A Wig Of Long Brown

Locks Hanging Down My Shoulders,  Made Our Appearance In a Post-Chaise

And Four,  And Drove Up To The Door Of The Inn,  At A Pace Which Shook

Every House In The Street,  And Occasioned Every Window To Be Tenanted

With One Or More Heads To Ascertain The Cause Of This Unusual

Occurrence,  For It Was Not A Very Great Town,  Although Once Of

Importance; But The Manufactures Had Been Removed,  And It Was Occupied

By Those Who Had Become Independent By Their Own Exertions,  Or By Those

Of Their Forefathers.

The Door Of The Chaise Was Opened By The Obsequious Timothy,  Who Pushed

Away The Ostlers And Waiters,  As If Unworthy To Approach His Master,  And

The Great Aristodemus Made His Appearance. As He Ascended The Steps Of

The Door,  His Passage Was For A Moment Barred By One Whose Profession

Melchior Well Knew. "Stand Aside,  Exciseman!" Said He,  In a Commanding

Voice. "No One Crosses My Path With Impunity." Astonished At Hearing His

Profession Thus Mentioned,  The Exciseman,  Who Was The Greatest Bully In

The Town,  Slipped On One Side With Consternation,  And All Those Present

Lifted Up Their Eyes And Hands With Astonishment. The Great Aristodemus

Gained His Room,  And Shut His Door; And I Went Out To Pay For The Chaise

And Order Supper,  While Timothy And The Porters Were Busy With Our

Luggage,  Which Was Very Considerable.

"My Master Will Not See Any One," Said I To The Landlord; "He Quits This

Town To-Morrow,  If The Letters Arrive Which He Expects By The Post;

Therefore,  Pray Get Rid Of This Crowd,  And Let Him Be Quiet,  For He Is

Very Tired,  Having Travelled One Hundred And Fifty Miles Since The Dawn

Of Day."

When Tim And I Had Performed This Duty,  We Joined Melchior In His Room,

Leaving The News To Be Circulated. "This Promises Well," Observed

Melchior; "Up To The Present We Have Expended Much Time And Money; Now

We Must See If We Cannot Recover It Tenfold. Japhet,  You Must Take An

Opportunity Of Going Out Again After Supper,  And Make Inquiries Of The

Landlord What Poor People They Have In The Town,  As I Am Very Generous,

And Like To Relieve Them; You May Observe,  That All The Money Offered To

Me For Practising My Art,  I Give Away To The Poor,  Having No Occasion

For It." This I Did,  And We Then Sat Down To Supper,  And Having Unpacked

Our Baggage,  Went To Bed,  After Locking The Door Of The Room,  And Taking

Out The Key.

The Next Morning We Had Every Thing In Readiness,  And As The Letters,  As

The Reader May Suppose,  Did Not Arrive By The Post,  We Were Obliged To

Remain,  And The Landlord Ventured To Hint To Me,  That Several People

Were Anxious To Consult My Master. I Replied,  That I Would Speak To Him,

But It Was Necessary To Caution Those Who Came,  That They Must Either

Offer Gold--Or Nothing At All. I Brought His Consent To See One Or Two,

But No More. Now,  Although We Had Various Apparatus To Use When

Required,  It Was Thought That The Effect Would Be Greater,  If,  In The

First Instance,  Every Thing Was Simple. Melchior,  Therefore,  Remained

Sitting At The Table,  Which Was Covered With A Black Cloth,  Worked With

Curious Devices,  And A Book Of Hieroglyphics Before Him,  And An Ivory

Wand,  Tipped With Gold,  Lying By The Book. Timothy Standing At The Door,

With A Short Roman Sword Buckled Round His Belt,  And I,  In a Respectful

Attitude,  Behind The Great Aristodemus.

The First Person Who Was Admitted Was The Lady Of The Mayor Of The Town;

Nothing Could Be More Fortunate,  As We Had Every Information Relative To

Her And Her Spouse,  For People In High Places Are Always Talked Of.

Aristodemus Waved His Hand,  And I Brought Forward A Chair In Silence,

And Motioned That She Should Be Seated. Aristodemus Looked Her In Her

Face,  And Then Turned Over Several Leaves,  Until He Fixed Upon A Page,

Which He Considered Attentively. "Mayoress Of ----,  What Wouldst Thou

With Me?"

She Started,  And Turned Pale. "I Would Ask--"

"I Know; Thou Wouldst Ask Many Things,  Perhaps,  Had I Time To Listen.

Amongst Others Thou Wouldst Ask If There Is Any Chance Of Thy Giving An

Heir To Thy Husband. Is It Not So?"

"Yes,  It Is," Replied The Lady,  Fetching Her Breath.

"So Do I Perceive By This Book; But Let Me Put One Question To Thee.

Wouldst Thou Have Blessings Showered On Thee,  Yet Do No Good? Thou Art

Wealthy--Yet What Dost Thou And Thy Husband Do With These Riches? Are Ye

Liberal? No. Give,  And It Shall Be Given. I Have Said."

Aristodemus Waved His Hand,  And The Lady Rose To Withdraw. A Guinea Was

In Her Fingers,  And Her Purse In Her Hand; She Took Out Four More,  And

Added Them To The Other,  And Laid Them On The Table.

"'Tis Well,  Lady; Charity Shall Plead For Thee. Artolphe,  Let That Money

Be Distributed Among The Poor."

I Bowed In Silence,  And The Lady Retired.

"Who Will Say That I Do No Good," Observed Melchior,  Smiling,  As Soon As

She Was Gone,  "Her Avarice And That Of Her Husband Are As Notorious As

Their Anxiety For Children. Now,  If I Persuade Them To Be Liberal,  I Do

Service."

"But You Have Given Her Hopes."

"I Have,  And The Very Hope Will Do More To Further Their Wishes Than

Anything Else. It Is Despair Which Too Often Prevents Those Who Have No

Children,  From Having Any. How Often Do You See A Couple,  Who,  After

Years Waiting For Children,  Have At Last Given Up Their Hope,  And

Resigned Themselves To The Dispensations Of Providence,  And Then,  When

Their Anxiety Has Subsided,  Have Obtained A Family? Japhet,  I Am A

Shrewd Observer Of Human Nature."

"That I Believe," Replied I; "But I Do Not Believe Your Last Remark To

Be Correct--But Timothy Raps At The Door."

Another Lady Entered The Room,  And Then Started Back,  As If She Would

Retreat,  So Surprised Was She At The Appearance Of The Great

Aristodemus; But As Timothy Had Turned The Key,  Her Escape Was

Impossible. She Was Unknown To Us,  Which Was Rather Awkward; But

Melchior Raised His Eyes From His Book,  And Waved His Hand As Before,

That She Should Be Seated. With Some Trepidation She Stated,  That She

Was A Widow,  Whose Dependence Was Upon An Only Son Now At Sea; That She

Had Not Heard Of Him For A Long While,  And Was Afraid That Some Accident

Had Happened; That She Was In The Greatest Distress--"And," Continued

She,  "I Have Nothing To Offer But This Ring. Can You Tell Me If He Is

Yet Alive?" Cried She,  Bursting Into Tears; "But If You Have Not The Art

You Pretend To,  O Do Not Rob A Poor,  Friendless Creature,  But Let Me

Depart!"

"When Did You Receive Your Last Letter From Him?" Said Melchior.

"It Is Now Seven Months--Dated From Bahia," Replied She,  Pulling It Out

Of Her Reticule,  And Covering Her Face With Her Handkerchief.

Melchior Caught The Address,  And Then Turned The Letter Over On The

Other Side,  As It Lay On The Table. "Mrs Watson," Said He.

"Heavens! Do You Know My Name?" Cried The Woman.

"Mrs Watson,  I Do Not Require To Read Your Son'S Letter--I Know Its

Contents." He Then Turned Over His Book,  And Studied For A Few Seconds.

"Your Son Is Alive."

"Thank God!" Cried She,  Clasping Her Hands,  And Dropping Her Reticule.

"But You Must Not Expect His Return Too Soon--He Is Well Employed."

"Oh! I Care Not--He Is Alive--He Is Alive! God Bless You--God Bless

You!"

Melchior Made A Sign To Me,  Pointing To The Five Guineas And The

Reticule; And I Contrived To Slip Them Into Her Reticule,  While She

Sobbed In Her Handkerchief.

"Enough,  Madam; You Must Go,  For Others Require My Aid."

The Poor Woman Rose,  And Offered The Ring.

"Nay,  Nay,  I Want Not Thy Money; I Take From The Rich,  That I May

Distribute To The Poor--But Not From The Widow In affliction. Open Thy

Bag." The Widow Took Up Her Bag,  And Opened It. Melchior Dropped In The

Ring,  Taking His Wand From The Table,  Waved It,  And Touched The Bag. "As

Thou Art Honest,  So May Thy Present Wants Be Relieved. Seek,  And Thou

Shalt Find."

The Widow Left The Room With Tears Of Gratitude; And I Must Say,  That I

Was Affected With The Same. When She Had Gone,  I Observed To Melchior,

That Up To The Present He Had Toiled For Nothing.

"Very True,  Japhet; But Depend Upon It,  If I Assisted That Poor Woman

From No Other Feelings Than Interested Motives,  I Did Well; But I Tell

Thee Candidly,  I Did It From Compassion. We Are Odd Mixtures Of Good And

Evil. I Wage War With Fools And Knaves,  But Not With All The World. I

Gave That Money Freely--She Required It; And It May Be Put As A Set-Off

Against My Usual System Of Fraud,  Or It May Not--At All Events,  I

Pleased Myself."

"But You Told Her That Her Son Was Alive."

"Very True,  And He May Be Dead; But Is It Not Well To Comfort Her--Even

For A Short Time,  To Relieve That Suspense Which Is Worse Than The

Actual Knowledge Of His Death? Sufficient For The Day Is The Evil

Thereof."

It Would Almost Have Appeared That This Good Action Of Melchior Met With

Its Reward,  For The Astonishment Of The Widow At Finding The Gold In Her

Reticule--Her Narrative Of What Passed,  And Her Assertion (Which She

Firmly Believed To Be True),  That She Had Never Left Her Reticule Out Of

Her Hand,  And That Melchior Had Only Touched It With His Wand,  Raised

His Reputation To That Degree,  That Nothing Else Was Talked About

Throughout The Town,  And,  To Crown All,  The Next Day'S Post Brought Her

A Letter And Remittances From Her Son; And The Grateful Woman Returned,

And Laid Ten Guineas On The Black Cloth,  Showering A Thousand Blessings

Upon Melchior,  And Almost