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

Intend To Order His Liveries Until I Could Appear In My Own Clothes,

Which Were Promised On The Afternoon Of The Next Day. There Were,

However,  Several Other Articles To Be Purchased,  Such As A Trunk,

Portmanteau,  Hat,  Gloves,  &C.,  All Which We Procured,  And Then Went Back

To The Inn. On My Return I Ordered Dinner. Fleta Was Certainly Clad In

Her Best Frock,  But Bad Was The Best; And The Landlady,  Who Could

Extract Little From The Child,  Could Not Imagine Who We Could Be. I Had,

However,  Allowed Her To See More Than Sufficient Money To Warrant Our

Expenses; And So Far Her Scruples Were,  Although Her Curiosity Was Not,

Removed.

That Evening I Had A Long Conversation With Fleta. I Told Her That We

Were To Part,  That She Must Go To School,  And That I Would Very Often

Come Down To See Her. At First,  She Was Inconsolable At The Idea; But I

Reasoned With Her,  And The Gentle,  Intelligent Creature Acknowledged

That It Was Right. The Next Day My Clothes Came Home,  And I Dressed

Myself. "Without Flattery,  Japhet," Said Timothy,  "You Do Look Very Much

Like A Gentleman." Fleta Smiled,  And Said The Same. I Thought So Too,

But Said Nothing. Putting On My Hat And Gloves,  And Accompanied By

Timothy,  I Descended To Go Out And Order Tim'S Liveries,  As Well As A

Fit-Out For Fleta.

After I Was Out In The Street I Discovered That I Had Left My

Handkerchief,  And Returned To Fetch It. The Landlady,  Seeing A Gentleman

About To Enter The Inn,  Made A Very Low Courtesy,  And It Was Not Until I

Looked Hard At Her That She Recognised Me. Then I Was Satisfied; It Was

An Involuntary Tribute To My Appearance,  Worth All The Flattering

Assertions In The World. We Now Proceeded To The Other Tailor'S In The

Main Street. I Entered The Shop With A Flourishing,  Important Air,  And

Was Received With Many Bows. "I Wish," Said I,  "To Have A Suit Of Livery

Made For This Young Man,  Who Is About To Enter Into My Service. I Cannot

Take Him Up To Town This Figure." The Livery Was Chosen,  And As I

Expressed My Wish To Be Off The Next Evening,  It Was Promised To Be

Ready By An Hour Appointed.

I Then Went To A Milliner'S,  And Desired That She Would Call At The Inn

To Fit Out A Little Girl For School,  Whose Wardrobe Had Been Left Behind

By Mistake. On The Fourth Day All Was Ready. I Had Made Inquiries,  And

Found Out A Very Respectable School,  Kept By A Widow Lady. I Asked For

References,  Which Were Given,  And I Was Satisfied. The Terms Were

Low--Twenty Pounds Per Annum. I Paid The First Half Year In advance,  And

Lodged Fifty Guineas More In The Hands Of A Banker,  Taking A Receipt For

It,  And Giving Directions That It Was To Be Paid To The Schoolmistress

As It Became Due. I Took This Precaution,  That Should I Be In Poverty

Myself,  At All Events Fleta Might Be Provided In clothes And Schooling

For Three Years At Least. The Poor Child Wept Bitterly At The

Separation,  And I Could With Difficulty Detach Her Little Arms From My

Neck,  And I Felt When I Left Her As If I Had Parted With The Only

Valuable Object To Me On Earth.

All Was Now Ready; But Timothy Did Not,  As Yet,  Assume His New Clothes.

It Would Have Appeared Strange That One Who Sat At My Table Should

Afterwards Put On My Livery; And As,  In a Small Town There Is Always

Plenty Of Scandal,  For Fleta'S Sake,  If For No Other Reason,  It Was

Deferred Until Our Arrival In London. Wishing The Landlady Good-Bye,  Who

I Really Believed Would Have Given Up Her Bill To Have Known Who We

Could Possibly Be,  We Got On The Outside Of The Stage-Coach,  And In The

Evening Arrived In The Metropolis. I Have Been Particular In describing

All These Little Circumstances,  As It Proves How Very Awkward It Is To

Jump,  Without Observation,  From One Station In Society To Another.

     I Receive A Letter From My Uncle By Which I Naturally Expect To

     Find Out Who Is My Father--Like Other Outcasts,  I Am Warned By A

     Dream.

But I Have Omitted To Mention A Circumstance Of Great Importance,  Which

Occurred At The Inn The Night Before I Placed Fleta At The

Boarding-School. In Looking Over My Portmanteau,  I Perceived The Present

Of Nattee To Fleta,  Which I Had Quite Forgotten. I Took It To Fleta,  And

Told Her From Whom It Came. On Opening The Paper,  It Proved To Contain A

Long Chain Of Round Coral And Gold Beads,  Strung Alternately; The Gold

Beads Were Not So Large As The Coral,  But Still The Number Of Them,  And

The Purity Of The Metal,  Made Them Of Considerable Value. Fleta Passed

The Beads Through Her Fingers,  And Then Threw It Round Her Neck,  And Sat

In Deep Thought For Some Minutes. "Japhet," Said She At Last,  "I Have

Seen This--I Have Worn This Before--I Recollect That I Have; It Rushes

Into My Memory As An Old Friend,  And I Think That Before Morning It Will

Bring To My Mind Something That I Shall Recollect About It."

"Try All You Can,  Fleta,  And Let Me Know To-Morrow."

"It'S No Use Trying; If I Try,  I Never Can Recollect Anything. I Must

Wear It To-Night,  And Then I Shall Have Something Come Into My Mind All

Of A Sudden; Or Perhaps I May Dream Something. Good-Night."

It Immediately Occurred To Me That It Was Most Probable That The Chain

Had Been On Fleta'S Neck At The Time That She Was Stolen From Her

Parents,  And Might Prove The Means Of Her Being Identified. It Was No

Common Chain--Apparently Had Been Wrought By People In a State Of

Semi-Refinement. There Was Too Little Show For Its Value--Too Much

Sterling Gold For The Simple Effect Produced; And I Very Much Doubted

Whether Another Like It Could Be Found.

The Next Morning Fleta Was Too Much Affected At Parting With Me,  To

Enter Into Much Conversation. I Asked Whether She Had Recollected

Anything,  And She Replied,  "No; That She Had Cried All Night At The

Thoughts Of Our Separation." I Cautioned Her To Be Very Careful Of The

Chain,  And I Gave The Same Caution To The Schoolmistress; And After I

Had Left The Town,  I Regretted That I Had Not Taken It Away,  And

Deposited It In Some Place Of Security. I Resolved To Do So When I Next

Saw Fleta; In The Meantime,  She Would Be Able,  Perhaps,  By Association,

To Call Up Some Passage Of Her Infancy Connected With It.

I Had Inquired Of A Gentleman Who Sat Near Me On The Coach,  Which Was

The Best Hotel For A Young Man Of Fashion. He Recommended The Piazza,  In

Covent Garden,  And To That We Accordingly Repaired. I Selected Handsome

Apartments,  And Ordered A Light Supper. When The Table Was Laid,  Timothy

Made His Appearance,  In His Livery,  And Cut A Very Smart,  Dashing

Figure. I Dismissed The Waiter,  And As Soon As We Were Alone,  I Burst

Into A Fit Of Laughter. "Really,  Timothy,  This Is A Good Farce; Come,

Sit Down,  And Help Me To Finish This Bottle Of Wine."

"No,  Sir," Replied Timothy; "With Your Permission,  I Prefer Doing As The

Rest Of My Fraternity. You Only Leave The Bottle On The Sideboard,  And I

Will Steal As Much As I Want; But As For Sitting Down,  That Will Be

Making Too Free,  And If We Were Seen,  Would Be,  Moreover,  Very

Dangerous. We Must Both Keep Up Our Characters. They Have Been Plying Me

With All Manner Of Questions Below,  As To Who You Were--Your Name,  &C. I

Resolved That I Would Give You A Lift In The World,  And I Stated That

You Had Just Arrived From Making A Grand Tour--Which Is Not A Fib,  After

All--And As For Your Name,  I Said That You Were At Present _Incog_."

"But Why Did You Make Me _Incog._?"

"Because It May Suit You So To Be; And It Certainly Is The Truth,  For

You Don'T Know Your Real Name."

We Were Here Interrupted By The Waiter Bringing In a Letter Upon A

Salver. "Here Is A Letter Addressed To 'I,  Or J.N.,  On His Return From

His Tour,' Sir," Said He; "I Presume It Is For You?"

"You May Leave It," Said I,  With Nonchalance.

The Waiter Laid The Letter On The Table,  And Retired.

"How Very Odd,  Timothy--This Letter Cannot Be For Me; And Yet They Are

My Initials. It Is As Much Like A J As An I. Depend Upon It,  It Is Some

Fellow Who Has Just Gained This Intelligence Below,  And Has Written To

Ask For A Subscription To His Charity List,  Imagining That I Am Flush Of

Money,  And Liberal."

"I Suppose So," Replied Tim; "However,  You May Just As Well See What He

Says."

"But If I Open It He Will Expect Something. I Had Better Refuse It."

"O No,  Leave That To Me; I Know How To Put People Off."

"After All,  It Is A Fine Thing To Be A Gentleman,  And Be Petitioned."

I Broke Open The Seal,  And Found That The Letter Contained An Inclosure

Addressed To Another Person. The Letter Was As Follows:--

     "My Dear Nephew,--['Bravo,  Sir,' Said Timothy; 'You'Ve Found An

     Uncle Already--You'Ll Soon Find A Father.'] From The Great

     Uncertainty Of The Post,  I Have Not Ventured