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

Table. If They Won'T Believe Me,  It'S Not My Fault. But What'S The Hour?

Come,  I Must Make A Few Calls,  And Will Introduce You."

We Sauntered On To Grosvenor Square,  Knocked,  And Were Admitted Into A

Large,  Elegantly-Furnished Mansion. The Footman Announced Us--"My Dear

Lady Maelstrom,  Allow Me The Honour Of Introducing To You My Very

Particular Friend,  Mr Newland,  Consigned To My Charge By My Lord

Windermear During His Absence. He Has Just Arrived From The Continent,

Where He Has Been Making The Grand Tour."

Her Ladyship Honoured Me With A Smile. "By-The-Bye,  Major,  That Reminds

Me--Do Me The Favour To Come To The Window. Excuse Us One Moment,  Mr

Newland."

The Major And Lady Maelstrom Walked To The Window,  And Exchanged A Few

Sentences,  And Then Returned. Her Ladyship Holding Up Her Finger,  And

Saying To Him As They Came Towards Me,  "Promise Me Now That You Won'T

Forget."

"Your Ladyship'S Slightest Wishes Are To Me Imperative Commands,"

Replied The Major,  With A Graceful Bow.

In A Quarter Of An Hour,  During Which The Conversation Was Animated,  We

Rose To Take Our Leave,  When Her Ladyship Came Up To Me,  And Offering

Her Hand,  Said,  "Mr Newland,  The Friendship Of Lord Windermear,  And The

Introduction Of Major Carbonnell,  Are More Than Sufficient To Induce Me

To Put Your Name Down On My Visiting List. I Trust I Shall See A Great

Deal Of You,  And That We Shall Be Great Friends."

I Bowed To This Handsome Announcement,  And We Retired. As Soon As We

Were Out In The Square,  The Major Observed,  "You Saw Her Take Me On One

Side--It Was To _Pump_. She Has No Daughters,  But About Fifty Nieces,

And Match-Making Is Her Delight. I Told Her That I Would Stake My Honour

Upon Your Possessing Ten Thousand A Year; How Much More I Could Not Say.

I Was Not Far Wrong,  Was I?"

I Laughed. "What I May Be Worth,  Major,  I Really Cannot Say; But I Trust

That The Event Will Prove That You Are Not Far Wrong. Say No More,  My

Dear Fellow."

"I Understand--You Are Not Yet Of Age--Of Course,  Have Not Yet Come Into

Possession Of Your Fortune."

"That Is Exactly The Case,  Major. I Am Now But Little More Than

Nineteen."

"You Look Older; But There Is No Getting Over Baptismal Registries With

The Executors. Newland,  You Must Content Yourself For The Two Next Years

In Playing Moses,  And Only Peep At The Promised Land."

We Made Two Or Three More Calls,  And Then Returned To St James'S Street.

"Where Shall We Go Now? By-The-Bye,  Don'T You Want To Go To Your

Banker'S?"

"I Will Just Stroll Down With You,  And See If They Have Paid Any Money

In," Replied I,  Carelessly.

We Called At Drummond'S,  And I Asked Them If There Was Any Money Paid In

To The Credit Of Mr Newland.

"Yes,  Sir," Replied One Of The Clerks: "There Is One Thousand Pounds

Paid In Yesterday."

"Very Good," Replied I.

"How Much Do You Wish To Draw For?" Inquired The Major.

"I Don'T Want Any," Replied I. "I Have More Money Than I Ought To Have

In My Desk At This Moment."

"Well,  Then,  Let Us Go And Order Dinner; Or Perhaps You Would Like To

Stroll About A Little More; If So,  I Will Go And Order The Dinner.

Here'S Harcourt,  That'S Lucky. Harcourt My Dear Fellow,  Know Mr Newland,

My Very Particular Friend. I Must Leave You Now; Take His Arm,

Harcourt,  For Half An Hour,  And Then Join Us At Dinner At The Piazza."

Mr Harcourt Was An Elegant Young Man Of About Five-And-Twenty. Equally

Pleased With Each Other'S Externals,  We Were Soon Familiar: He Was

Witty,  Sarcastic,  And Wellbred. After Half An Hour'S Conversation He

Asked Me What I Thought Of The Major. I Looked Him In The Face And

Smiled. "That Look Tells Me That You Will Not Be His Dupe,  Otherwise I

Had Warned You: He Is A Strange Character: But If You Have Money Enough

To Afford To _Keep Him_,  You Cannot Do Better,  As He Is Acquainted With,

And Received By,  Everybody. His Connections Are Good; And He Once Had A

Very Handsome Fortune,  But It Was Soon Run Out,  And He Was Obliged To

Sell His Commission In The Guards. Now He Lives Upon The World; Which As

Shakespeare Says,  Is His Oyster; And He Has Wit And Sharpness Enough To

Open It. Moreover,  He Has Some Chance Of Falling Into A Peerage; That

Prospect,  And His Amusing Qualities,  Added To His Being The Most

Fashionable Man About Town,  Keeps His Head Above Water. I Believe Lord

Windermear,  Who Is His Cousin,  Very Often Helps Him."

"It Was Lord Windermear Who Introduced Me To Him," Observed I.

"Then He Will Not Venture To Play Any Tricks Upon You,  Further Than

Eating Your Dinners,  Borrowing Your Money,  And Forgetting To Pay It."

"You Must Acknowledge," Said I,  "He Always Tells You Beforehand That He

Never Will Pay You."

"And That Is The Only Point In Which He Adheres To His Word," Replied

Harcourt,  Laughing; "But,  Tell Me,  Am I To Be _Your_ Guest To-Day?"

"If You Will Do Me That Honour."

"I Assure You I Am Delighted To Come,  As I Shall Have A Further

Opportunity Of Cultivating Your Acquaintance."

"Then We Had Better Bend Our Steps Towards The Hotel,  For It Is Late,"

Replied I; And We Did So Accordingly.

     The Real Simon Pure Proves The Worse Of The Two--I Am Found Guilty,

     But Not Condemned; Convicted,  Yet Convince; And After Having

     Behaved The Very Contrary To,  Prove That I Am,  A Gentleman.

On Our Arrival,  We Found The Table Spread,  Champagne In Ice Under The

Sideboard,  And Apparently Everything Prepared For A Sumptuous Dinner,

The Major On The Sofa Giving Directions To The Waiter,  And Timothy

Looking All Astonishment.

"Major," Said I,  "I Cannot Tell You How Much I Am Obliged To You For

Your Kindness In Taking All This Trouble Off My Hands,  That I Might

Follow Up The Agreeable Introduction You Have Given Me To Mr Harcourt."

"My Dear Newland,  Say No More; You Will,  I Dare Say,  Do The Same For Me

If I Require It,  When I Give A Dinner. (Harcourt Caught My Eye,  As If To

Say,  "You May Safely Promise That.") But,  Newland,  Do You Know That The

Nephew Of Lord Windermear Has Just Arrived? Did You Meet Abroad?"

"No," Replied I,  Somewhat Confused; But I Soon Recovered Myself. As For

Tim,  He Bolted Out Of The Room. "What Sort Of A Person Is He?"

"That You May Judge For Yourself,  My Dear Fellow,  For I Asked Him To

Join Us,  I Must Say,  More Out Of Compliment To Lord Windermear Than

Anything Else; For I Am Afraid That,  Even I Could Never Make A Gentleman

Of Him. But Take Harcourt With You To Your Room,  And By The Time You

Have Washed Your Hands,  I Will Have Dinner On The Table. I Took The

Liberty Of Desiring Your Valet To Show Me In about Ten Minutes Ago. He'S

A Shrewd Fellow That Of Your'S--Where Did You Pick Him Up?"

"By Mere Accident," Replied I; "Come,  Mr Harcourt."

On Our Return,  We Found The Real Simon Pure,  Mr Estcourt,  Sitting With

The Major,  Who Introduced Us,  And Dinner Being Served,  We Sat Down To

Table.

Mr Estcourt Was A Young Man,  About My Own Age,  But Not So Tall By Two

Or Three Inches. His Features Were Prominent,  But Harsh; And When I Saw

Him,  I Was Not At All Surprised At Lord Windermear'S Expressions Of

Satisfaction,  When He Suppossd That I Was His Nephew. His Countenance

Was Dogged And Sullen,  And He Spoke Little; He Appeared To Place An

Immense Value Upon Birth,  And Hardly Deigned To Listen,  Except The

Aristocracy Were The Subject Of Discourse. I Treated Him With Marked

Deference,  That I Might Form An Acquaintance,  And Found Before We Parted

That Night,  That I Had Succeeded. Our Dinner Was Excellent,  And We Were

All,  Except Mr Estcourt,  In High Good Humour. We Sat Late--Too Late To

Go To The Theatre,  And Promising To Meet The Next Day At Noon,  Harcourt

And The Major Took Their Leave.

Mr Estcourt Had Indulged Rather Too Much,  And,  After Their Departure,

Became Communicative. I Plied The Bottle And We Sat Up For More Than An

Hour; He Talked Of Nothing But His Family And His Expectations. I Took

This Opportunity Of Discovering What His Feelings Were Likely To Be When

He Was Made Acquainted With The Important Secret Which Was In My

Possession. I Put A Case Somewhat Similar,  And Asked Him Whether In Such

Circumstances He Would Waive His Right For A Time,  To Save The Honour Of

His Family.

"No,  By G--D!" Replied He,  "I Never Would. What! Give Up Even For A Day

My Right--Conceal My True Rank For The Sake Of Relatives? Never--Nothing

Would Induce Me."

I Was Satisfied,  And Then Casually Asked Him If He Had Written To Lord

Windermear To Inform Him Of His Arrival.

"No," Replied He; "I Shall Write To-Morrow." He Soon After Retired To

His Own Apartment,  And I Rang For Timothy.

"Good Heavens,  Sir!" Cried Timothy,  "What Is All This--And What Are You

About? I Am Frightened