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

Believed,  And I Was Also Requested To Take A Hand. "I'Ll Not Play With

The Major," Observed I,  "For He Plays Badly,  And Has Bad Luck Into The

Bargain; I Might As Well Lay My Money Down On The Table."

This Was Agreed To By The Other Parties,  And We Sat Down. The First

Rubber Of Short Whist Was Won By The Major And His Partner; With The

Bets It Amounted To Eighteen Pounds. I Pulled Out My Purse To Pay The

Major; But He Refused,  Saying,  "No,  Newland,  Pay My Partner; And With

You,  Sir," Said He,  Addressing My Partner,  "I Will Allow The Debt To

Remain Until We Rise From The Table. Newland,  We Are Not Going To Let

You Off Yet,  I Can Tell You."

I Paid My Eighteen Pounds,  And We Recommenced. Although His Partner Did

Not Perhaps Observe It,  For He Was But An Indifferent Player,  Or If He

Did Observe It,  Had The Politeness Not To Say Anything,  The Major Now

Played Very Badly. He Lost Three Rubbers One After Another,  And,  With

Bets And Stakes,  They Amounted To One Hundred And Forty Pounds. At The

End Of The Last Rubber He Threw Up The Cards,  Exclaiming Against His

Luck,  And Declaring That He Would Play No More. "How Are We Now,  Sir?"

Said He To My Partner.

"You Owed Me,  I Think,  Eighteen Pounds."

"Eighteen From One Hundred And Forty,  Leaves One Hundred And Twenty-Two

Pounds,  Which I Now Owe You. You Must,  I'M Afraid,  Allow Me To Be Your

Debtor," Continued The Major,  In a Most Insinuating Manner. "I Did Not

Come Here With The Intention Of Playing. I Presume I Shall Find You Here

To-Morrow Night."

The Gentleman Bowed,  And Appeared Quite Satisfied. Major Carbonnell'S

Partner Paid Me One Hundred And Forty Pounds,  Which I Put In My

Pocket-Book,  And We Quitted The Club.

     We Fund Our Winnings,  And Consider To Refund,  A Work Of

     Supererogation--In Looking After My Father,  I Obey The Old Adage,

     "Follow Your Nose."

As Soon As We Were In The Street,  I Commenced An Inquiry As To The

Major'S Motives. "Not One Word,  My Dear Fellow,  Until We Are At Home,"

Replied He. As Soon As We Arrived,  He Threw Himself In a Chair,  And

Crossing His Legs,  Commenced: "You Observe,  Newland,  That I Am Very

Careful That You Should Do Nothing To Injure Your Character. As For My

Own,  All The Honesty In The World Will Not Redeem It; Nothing But A

Peerage Will Ever Set Me Right Again In This World,  And A Coronet Will

Cover A Multitude Of Sins. I Have Thought It My Duty To Add Something To

Our Finances,  And Intend To Add Very Considerably To Them Before We

Leave Cheltenham. You Have Won One Hundred And Twenty-Eight Pounds."

"Yes," Replied I; "But You Have Lost It."

"Granted; But,  As In Most Cases,  I Never Mean _To Pay_ My Losses,  You

See That It Must Be A Winning Speculation As Long As We Play Against

Each Other."

"I Perceive," Replied I; "But Am Not I A Confederate?"

"No; You Paid When You Lost,  And Took Your Money When You Won. Leave Me

To Settle My Own Debts Of Honour."

"But You Will Meet Him Again To-Morrow Night."

"Yes,  And I Will Tell You Why. I Never Thought It Possible That We Could

Have Met Two Such Bad Players At The Club. We Must Now Play Against

Them,  And We Must Win In The Long Run: By Which Means I Shall Pay Off

The Debt I Owe Him,  And You Will Win And Pocket Money."

"Ah," Replied I,  "If You Mean To Allow Him A Chance For His Money,  I

Have No Objection--That Will Be All Fair."

"Depend Upon It,  Newland,  When I Know That People Play As Badly As They

Do,  I Will Not Refuse Them; But When We Sit Down With Others,  It Must Be

As It Was Before--We Must Play Against Each Other,  And I Shall Owe The

Money. I Told The Fellow That I Never Would Pay Him."

"Yes; But He Thought You Were Only Joking."

"That Is His Fault--I Was In earnest. I Could Not Have Managed This Had

It Not Been That You Are Known To Be A Young Man Of Ten Thousand Pounds

Per Annum,  And Supposed To Be My Dupe. I Tell You So Candidly; And Now

Good-Night."

I Turned The Affair Over In My Mind As I Undressed--It Was Not

Honest--But I Paid When I Lost,  And I Only Took The Money When I

Won,--Still I Did Not Like It; But The Bank Notes Caught My Eye As They

Lay On The Table,  And--I Was Satisfied. Alas! How Easy Are Scruples

Removed When We Want Money! How Many Are There Who,  When In a State Of

Prosperity And Affluence,  When Not Tried By Temptation,  Would Have

Blushed At The Bare Idea Of A Dishonest Action,  Have Raised And Held Up

Their Hands In abhorrence,  When They Have Heard That Others Have Been

Found Guilty; And Yet,  When In adversity,  Have Themselves Committed The

Very Acts Which Before They So Loudly Condemned! How Many Of The Other

Sex,  Who Have Expressed Their Indignation And Contempt At Those Who Have

Fallen,  When Tempted,  Have Fallen Themselves! Let Us Therefore Be

Charitable; None Of Us Can Tell To What We May Be Reduced By

Circumstances; And When We Acknowledge That The Error Is Great,  Let Us

Feel Sorrow And Pity Rather Than Indignation,  And Pray That We Also May

Not Be "_Led Into Temptation_"

As Agreed Upon,  The Next Evening We Repaired To The Club,  And Found The

Two Gentlemen Ready To Receive Us. This Time The Major Refused To Play

Unless It Was With Me,  As I Had Such Good Fortune,  And No Difficulty Was

Made By Our Opponents. We Sat Down And Played Till Four O'Clock In The

Morning. At First,  Notwithstanding Our Good Play,  Fortune Favoured Our

Adversaries; But The Luck Soon Changed,  And The Result Of The Evening

Was,  That The Major Had A Balance In His Favour Of Forty Pounds,  And I

Rose A Winner Of One Hundred And Seventy-One Pounds,  So That In Two

Nights We Had Won Three Hundred And Forty-Two Pounds. For Nearly Three

Weeks This Continued,  The Major Not Paying When Not Convenient,  And We

Quitted Cheltenham With About Eight Hundred Pounds In Our Pockets; The

Major Having Paid About One Hundred And Twenty Pounds To Different

People Who Frequented The Club; But They Were Irishmen,  Who Were Not To

Be Trifled With. I Proposed To The Major That We Should Pay Those Debts,

As There Still Would Be A Large Surplus: He Replied,  "Give Me The

Money." I Did So. "Now," Continued He,  "So Far Your Scruples Are

Removed,  As You Will Have Been Strictly Honest; But,  My Dear Fellow,  If

You Know How Many Debts Of This Sort Are Due To Me,  Of Which I Never Did

Touch One Farthing,  You Would Feel As I Do--That It Is Excessively

Foolish To _Part With Money_. I Have Them All Booked Here,  And May Some

Day Pay--When Convenient; But,  At Present,  Most Decidedly It Is Not So."

The Major Put The Notes Into His Pocket,  And The Conversation Was

Dropped.

The Next Morning We Had Ordered Our Horses,  When Timothy Came Up To Me,

And Made A Sign,  As We Were At Breakfast,  For Me To Come Out. I Followed

Him.

"Oh! Sir,  I Could Not Help Telling You,  But There Is A Gentleman With--"

"With What?" Replied I,  Hastily.

"With Your Nose,  Sir,  Exactly--And In Other Respects Very Like You--Just

About The Age Your Father Should Be."

"Where Is He,  Timothy?" Replied I,  All My Feelings In 'Search Of My

Father,' Rushing Into My Mind.

"Down Below,  Sir,  About To Set Off In a Post-Chaise And Four,  Now Waiting

At The Door."

I Ran Down With My Breakfast Napkin In My Hand,  And Hastened To The

Portico Of The Hotel--He Was In His Carriage,  And The Porter Was Then

Shutting The Door. I Looked At Him. He Was,  As Timothy Said,  _Very Like_

Me Indeed,  The _Nose_ Exact. I Was Breathless,  And I Continued To Gaze.

"All Right," Cried The Ostler.

"I Beg Your Pardon,  Sir,--" Said I,  Addressing The Gentleman In The

Carriage,  Who Perceiving A Napkin In My Hand,  Probably Took Me For One

Of The Waiters,  For He Replied Very Abruptly,  'I Have Remembered You;'

And Pulling Up The Glass,  Away Whirled The Chariot,  The Nave Of The Hind

Wheel Striking Me A Blow On The Thigh Which Numbed It So,  That It Was

With Difficulty I Could Limp Up To Our Apartments,  When I Threw Myself

On The Sofa In a State Of Madness And Despair.

"Good Heavens,  Newland,  What Is The Matter?" Cried The Major.

"Matter," Replied I,  Faintly. "I Have Seen My Father."

"Your Father,  Newland? You Must Be Mad. He Was Dead Before You Could

Recollect Him--At Least So You Told Me. How Then,  Even If It Were His

Ghost,  Could You Have Recognised Him?"

The Major'S Remarks Reminded Me Of The Imprudence I Had Been Guilty Of.

"Major," Replied I,  "I Believe I Am Very Absurd; But He Was So Like Me,

And I Have So Often Longed After My Father,  So Long Wished To See Him

Face To Face--That--That--I'M A Great Fool,  That'S The Fact."

"You Must Go To The Next World,  My Good Fellow,  To Meet Him Face To

Face,  That'S Clear; And I Presume,  Upon A Little Consideration,  You Will

Feel Inclined To Postpone Your Journey. Very Often In Your Sleep I Have

Heard