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

     The Major Pays The Only Debt Of Consequence He Ever Did Pay,  And I

     Find Myself A Man Of Property.

I Hastened Back To The Major,  To Examine His Wound,  And,  With The

Assistance Of Timothy,  I Stripped Him Sufficiently To Ascertain That The

Ball Had Entered His Hip,  And Probing The Wound With My Finger,  It

Appeared That It Had Glanced Off In The Direction Of The Intestines; The

Suffusion Of Blood Was Very Trifling,  Which Alarmed Me Still More.

"Could You Bear Removal,  Major,  In The Coach?"

"I Cannot Tell,  But We Must Try; The Sooner I Am Home The Better,

Japhet," Replied He Faintly.

With The Assistance Of Timothy,  I Put Him Into The Hackney-Coach,  And We

Drove Off,  After I Had Taken Off My Hat And Made My Obeisance To Mr

Osborn,  An Effort Of Politeness Which I Certainly Should Have Neglected,

Had I Not Been Reminded Of It By My Principal. We Set Off,  And The

Major Bore His Journey Very Well,  Making No Complaint,  But,  On Our

Arrival He Fainted As We Lifted Him Out. As Soon As He Was On The Bed,  I

Despatched Timothy For A Surgeon. On His Arrival He Examined The Wound,

And Shook His Head. Taking Me Into The Next Room,  He Declared His

Opinion,  That The Ball Had Passed Into The Intestines,  Which Were

Severed,  And That There Was No Hope. I Sat Down And Covered Up My

Face--The Tears Rolled Down And Trickled Through My Fingers--It Was The

First Heavy Blow I Had Yet Received. Without Kindred Or Connections,  I

Felt That I Was About To Lose One Who Was Dear To Me. To Another,  Not In

My Situation,  It Might Have Only Produced A Temporary Grief At The Near

Loss Of A Friend; But To Me,  Who Was Almost Alone In The World,  The Loss

Was Heavy In The Extreme. Whom Had I To Fly To For Solace?--There Were

Timothy And Fleta--One Who Performed The Duty Of A Servant To Me,  And A

Child. I Felt That They Were Not Sufficient,  And My Heart Was Chilled.

The Surgeon Had,  In The Meantime,  Returned To The Major,  And Dressed The

Wound. The Major,  Who Had Recovered From His Weakness,  Asked Him His

Candid Opinion. "We Must Hope For The Best,  Sir," Replied The Surgeon.

"That Is To Say,  There Is No Hope," Replied The Major; "And I Feel That

You Are Right. How Long Do You Think That I May Live?"

"If The Wound Does Not Take A Favourable Turn,  About Forty-Eight Hours,

Sir," Replied The Surgeon; "But We Must Hope For A More Fortunate

Issue."

"In A Death-Bed Case You Medical Men Are Like Lawyers," Replied The

Major,  "There Is No Getting A Straightforward Answer From You. Where Is

Mr Newland?"

"Here I Am,  Carbonnell," Said I,  Taking His Hand.

"My Dear Fellow,  I Know It Is All Over With Me,  And You,  Of Course,  Know

It As Well As I Do. Do Not Think That It Is A Source Of Much Regret To

Me To Leave This Rascally World--Indeed It Is Not; But I Do Feel Sorry,

Very Sorry,  To Leave You. The Doctor Tells Me I Shall Live Forty-Eight

Hours; But I Have An Idea That I Shall Not Live So Many Minutes. I Feel

My Strength Gradually Failing Me. Depend Upon It,  My Dear Newland,  There

Is An Internal Hemorrhage. My Dear Fellow,  I Shall Not Be Able To Speak

Soon. I Have Left You My Executor And Sole Heir. I Wish There Was More

For You--It Will Last You,  However,  Till You Come Of Age. That Was A

Lucky Hit Last Night,  But A Very Unlucky One This Morning. Bury Me Like

A Gentleman."

"My Dear Carbonnell," Said I,  "Would You Not Like To See Somebody--A

Clergyman?"

"Newland,  Excuse Me. I Do Not Refuse It Out Of Disrespect,  Or Because I

Do Not Believe In The Tenets Of Christianity; But I Cannot Believe That

My Repentance At This Late Hour Can Be Of Any Avail. If I Have Not Been

Sorry For The Life I Have Lived--If I Have Not Had My Moments Of

Remorse--If I Have Not Promised To Amend,  And Intended To Have So Done,

And I Trust I Have--What Avails My Repentance Now? No,  No,  Japhet,  As I

Have Sown So Must I Reap,  And Trust To The Mercy Of Heaven. God Only

Knows All Our Hearts,  And I Would Fain Believe That I May Find More

Favour In The Eyes Of The Almighty,  Than I Have In This World From Those

Who--But We Must Not Judge. Give Me To Drink,  Japhet--I Am Sinking Fast.

God Bless You,  My Dear Fellow."

The Major Sank On His Pillow,  After He Had Moistened His Lips,  And Spoke

No More. With His Hand Clasped In Mine He Gradually Sank,  And In a

Quarter Of An Hour His Eyes Were Fixed,  And All Was Over. He Was Right

In His Conjectures--An Artery Had Been Divided,  And He Had Bled To

Death. The Surgeon Came Again Just Before He Was Dead,  For I Had Sent

For Him. "It Is Better As It Is," Said He To Me. "Had He Not Bled To

Death,  He Would Have Suffered Forty-Eight Hours Of Extreme Agony From

The Mortification Which Must Have Ensued." He Closed The Major'S Eyes

And Took His Leave,  And I Hastened Into The Drawing-Room And Sent For

Timothy,  With Whom I Sate In a Long Conversation On This Unfortunate

Occurrence,  And My Future Prospects.

My Grief For The Death Of The Major Was Sincere; Much May Indeed Be

Ascribed To Habit,  From Our Long Residence And Companionship; But More

To The Knowledge That The Major,  With All His Faults,  Had Redeeming

Qualities,  And That The World Had Driven Him To Become What He Had Been.

I Had The Further Conviction,  That He Was Attached To Me,  And,  In My

Situation,  Anything Like Affection Was Most Precious. His Funeral Was

Handsome,  Without Being Ostentatious,  And I Paid Every Demand Upon Him

Which I Knew To Be Just--Many,  Indeed,  That Were Not Sent In,  From A

Supposition That Any Claim Made Would Be Useless. His Debts Were Not

Much Above L200,  And These Debts Had Never Been Expected To Be

Liquidated By Those Who Had Given Him Credit. The Paper He Had Written,

And Had Been Witnessed By Timothy And Another,  Was A Short Will,  In

Which He Left Me His Sole Heir And Executor. The Whole Of His Property

Consisted Of His House In St James'S Street,  The Contents Of His

Pocket-Book Entrusted To My Care,  And His Personal Effects,  Which,

Especially In bijouterie,  Were Valuable. The House Was Worth About

L4000,  As He Had Told Me. In His Pocket-Book Were Notes To The Amount Of

L3500,  And His Other Effects Might Be Valued At L400. With All His Debts

And Funeral Expenses Liquidated,  And With My Own Money,  I Found Myself

In Possession Of About L8000,--A Sum Which Never Could Have Been

Credited,  For It Was Generally Supposed That He Died Worth Less Than

Nothing,  Having Lived For A Long While Upon A Capital Of A Similar

Value.

"I Cannot But Say," Observed Timothy,  "But That This Is Very Fortunate.

Had The Major Not Persuaded You To Borrow Money,  He Never Would Have Won

So Large A Sum. Had He Lived He Would Have Squandered It Away; But Just

In The Nick Of Time He Is Killed,  And Makes You His Heir."

"There Is Truth In Your Observation,  Timothy; But Now You Must Go To Mr

Emmanuel,  That I May Pay Him Off. I Will Repay The L1000 Lent Me By Lord

Windermear Into His Banker'S,  And Then I Must Execute One Part Of The

Poor Major'S Will. He Left His Diamond Solitaire As A Memento To His

Lordship. Bring It To Me,  And I Will Call And Present It."

     A Chapter Full Of Morality,  Which Ends In a Jew Refusing Upwards Of

     L1000,  Proving The Millenium To Be Nearly At Hand.

This Conversation Took Place The Day After The Funeral,  And,  Attired In

Deep Mourning,  I Called Upon His Lordship,  And Was Admitted. His

Lordship Had Sent His Carriage To Attend The Funeral,  And Was Also In

Mourning When He Received Me. I Executed My Commission,  And After A Long

Conversation With His Lordship,  In Which I Confided To Him The Contents

Of The Will,  And The Amount Of Property Of The Deceased,  I Rose To Take

My Leave.

"Excuse Me,  Mr Newland," Said He,  "But What Do You Now Propose To Do? I

Confess I Feel A Strong Interest About You,  And Had Wished That You Had

Come To Me Oftener Without An Invitation. I Perceive That You Never

Will. Have You No Intention Of Following Up Any Pursuit?"

"Yes,  My