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

"Try It."

Hereupon Dionysius Threw Two Somersets Forward,  Two Backward,  Walked

Across The Stage On His Hands,  And Tumbled In every Direction.

"You See,  Gentlemen,  I'M Quite Well Now,  And What I Have Said,  I Assure

You,  _On My Honour_,  To Be A Fact."

"I Hope You'Ll Allow That To Be A Very Pretty Cure," Said The Doctor,

Appealing To The Audience; "And I Hardly Need Say,  That For Sprains,

Bruises,  Contusions,  Wrenches,  And Dislocations,  This Plaister Is

Infallible; And I Will Surprise You More By Telling You,  That I Can Sell

It For Eight-Pence A Sheet."

The Plaister Went Off Rapidly,  And Was Soon Expended. The Doctor Went On

Describing His Other Valuable Articles,  And When He Came To His

Cosmetics,  &C.,  For Women,  We Could Not Hand Them Out Fast Enough. "And

Now," Said The Doctor,  "I Must Bid You Farewell For This Evening."

"I'M Glad Of That," Said Timothy,  "For Now I Mean To Sell My Own

Medicine."

"Your Medicine,  Mr Dionysius! What Do You Mean By That?"

"Mean,  Sir; I Mean To Say That I'Ve Got A Powder Of My Own Contriving,

Which Is A Sovereign Remedy."

"Remedy,  Sir,  For What?"

"Why,  It'S A Powder To Kill Fleas,  And What'S More,  It'S Just As

Infallible As Your Own."

"Have You,  Indeed; And Pray,  Sir,  How Did You Hit Upon The Invention?"

"Sir,  I Discovered It In My Sleep By Accident; But I Have Proved It,  And

I Will Say,  If Properly Administered,  It Is Quite As Infallible As Any

Of Yours. Ladies And Gentlemen,  I Pledge You My Honour That It Will Have

The Effect Desired,  And All I Ask Is Sixpence A Powder."

"But How Is It To Be Used,  Sir?"

"Used--Why,  Like All Other Powders; But I Won'T Give The Directions Till

I Have Sold Some; Promising,  However,  If My Method Does Not Succeed,  To

Return The Money."

"Well,  That Is Fair,  Mr Dionysius; And I Will Take Care That You Keep

Your Bargain. Will Anybody Purchase The Fool'S Powder For Killing

Fleas."

"Yes,  I Will," Replied A Man On The Broad Grin,  "Here'S Sixpence. Now,

Then,  Fool,  How Am I To Use It?"

"Use It," Said Timothy,  Putting The Sixpence In His Pocket; "I'Ll

Explain To You. You Must First Catch The Flea,  Hold Him So Tight Between

The Forefinger And Thumb As To Force Him To Open His Mouth; When His

Mouth Is Open You Must Put A Very Little Of This Powder Into It,  And It

Will Kill Him Directly."

"Why,  When I Have The Flea As Tight As You State,  I May As Well Kill Him

Myself."

"Very True,  So You May,  If You Prefer It; But If You Do Not,  You May Use

This Powder,  Which Upon My Honour Is Infallible."

This Occasioned A Great Deal Of Mirth Among The Bystanders. Timothy Kept

His Sixpence,  And Our Exhibition For This Day Ended,  Very Much To The

Satisfaction Of Melchior,  Who Declared He Had Taken More Than Ever He

Had Done Before In a Whole Week. Indeed,  The Whole Sum Amounted To L17,

10S.,  All Taken In Shillings And Sixpences,  For Articles Hardly Worth

The Odd Shillings In The Account; So We Sat Down To Supper With

Anticipations Of A Good Harvest,  And So It Proved. We Stayed Four Days

At This Town,  And Then Proceeded Onwards,  When The Like Success Attended

Us,  Timothy And I Being Obliged To Sit Up Nearly The Whole Night To

Label And Roll Up Pills,  And Mix Medicines,  Which We Did In a Very

Scientific Manner. Nor Was It Always That Melchior Presided; He Would

Very Often Tell His Audience That Business Required His Attendance

Elsewhere,  To Visit The Sick,  And That He Left The Explanation Of His

Medicines And Their Properties To His Pupil,  Who Was Far Advanced In

Knowledge. With My Prepossessing Appearance,  I Made A Great Effect,  More

Especially Among The Ladies,  And Timothy Exerted Himself So Much When

With Me,  That We Never Failed To Bring Home To Melchior A Great Addition

To His Earnings--So Much So,  That At Last He Only Showed Himself,

Pretended That He Was So Importuned To Visit Sick Persons,  That He Could

Stay No Longer,  And Then Left Us,  After The First Half Hour,  To Carry On

The Business For Him. After Six Weeks Of Uninterrupted Success,  We

Returned To The Camp,  Which,  As Usual,  Was Not Very Far Off.

     Important News,  But Not Communicated--A Dissolution Of Partnership

     Takes Place.

Melchior'S Profits Had Been Much More Than He Anticipated,  And He Was

Very Liberal To Timothy And Myself; Indeed,  He Looked Upon Me As His

Right Hand,  And Became More Intimate And Attached Every Day. We Were,  Of

Course,  Delighted To Return To The Camp,  After Our Excursion. There Was

So Much Continued Bustle And Excitement In Our Peculiar Profession,  That

A Little Quiet Was Delightful; And I Never Felt More Happy Than When

Fleta Threw Herself Into My Arms,  And Nattee Came Forward With Her Usual

Dignity And Grace,  But With More Than Usual Condescendence And Kindness,

Bidding Me Welcome _Home_. Home--Alas! It Was Never Meant For My Home,

Or Poor Fleta'S--And That I Felt. It Was Our Sojourn For A Time,  And No

More.

We Had Been More Than A Year Exercising Our Talents In This Lucrative

Manner,  When One Day,  As I Was Sitting At The Entrance To The Tent,  With

A Book In My Hand,  Out Of Which Fleta Was Reading To Me,  A Gipsy Not

Belonging To Our Gang Made His Appearance. He Was Covered With Dust,  And

The Dew Drops Hanging On His Dark Forehead,  Proved That He Had Travelled

Fast. He Addressed Nattee,  Who Was Standing By,  In Their Own Language,

Which I Did Not Understand; But I Perceived That He Asked For Melchior.

After An Exchange Of A Few Sentences,  Nattee Expressed Astonishment And

Alarm,  Put Her Hands Over Her Face,  And Removed Them As Quickly,  As If

Derogatory In Her To Show Emotion,  And Then Remained In deep Thought.

Perceiving Melchior Approaching,  The Gipsy Hastened To Him,  And They

Were Soon In animated Conversation. In Ten Minutes It Was Over: The

Gipsy Went To The Running Brook,  Washed His Face,  Took A Large Draught

Of Water,  And Then Hastened Away And Was Soon Out Of Sight.

Melchior,  Who Had Watched The Departure Of The Gipsy,  Slowly Approached

Us. I Observed Him And Nattee,  As They Met,  As I Was Certain That

Something Important Had Taken Place. Melchior Fixed His Eyes Upon

Nattee--She Looked At Him Mournfully--Folded Her Arms,  And Made A Slight

Bow As If In Submission,  And In a Low Voice,  Quoted From The Scriptures,

"Whither Thou Goest,  I Will Go--Thy People Shall Be My People,  And Thy

God My God." He Then Walked Away With Her: They Sat Down Apart,  And Were

In Earnest Conversation For More Than An Hour.

"Japhet," Said Melchior To Me,  After He Had Quitted His Wife,  "What I Am

About To Tell You Will Surprise You. I Have Trusted You With All I Dare

Trust Any One,  But There Are Some Secrets In every Man'S Life Which Had

Better Be Reserved For Himself And Her Who Is Bound To Him By Solemn

Ties. We Must Now Part. In a Few Days This Camp Will Be Broken Up,  And

These People Will Join Some Other Division Of The Tribe. For Me,  You

Will See Me No More. Ask Me Not To Explain,  For I Cannot."

"And Nattee," Said I.

"Will Follow My Fortunes,  Whatever They May Be--You Will See Her No

More."

"For Myself I Care Not,  Melchior; The World Is Before Me,  And Remain

With The Gipsies Without You I Will Not; But Answer Me One

Question--What Is To Become Of Little Fleta? Is She To Remain With The

Tribe,  To Which She Does Not Belong,  Or Does She Go With You?"

Melchior Hesitated. "I Hardly Can Answer,  But What Consequence Can The

Welfare Of A Soldier'S Brat Be To You?"

"Allowing Her To Be What You Assert,  Melchior,  I Am Devotedly Attached

To That Child,  And Could Not Bear That She Should Remain Here. I Am Sure

That You Deceived Me In What You Stated,  For The Child Remembers,  And

Has Told Me,  Anecdotes Of Her Infancy,  Which Proves That She Is Of No

Mean Family,  And That She Has Been Stolen From Her Friends."

"Indeed,  Is Her Memory So Good?" Replied Melchior,  Firmly Closing His

Teeth. "To Nattee Or To Me She Has Never Hinted So Much."

"That Is Very Probable; But A Stolen Child She Is,  Melchior,  And She

Must Not Remain Here."

"Must Not."

"Yes; Must Not,  Melchior; When You Quit The Tribe,  You Will No Longer

Have Any Power,  Nor Can You Have Any Interest About Her. She Shall Then

Choose--If She Will Come With Me,  I _Will_ Take Her,  And Nothing Shall

Prevent Me; And In So Doing I Do You