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

     Pardon) An Impostor,  As He Has Since Seen Mr Estcourt. The Letter

     Enclosed Is For Him,  And With That In Your Hand You May Face Him

     Boldly,  And I Have No Doubt But That He Will Assist You All In His

     Power,  And Put You To No Expense. Narrate Your Whole History To

     Him,  And Then You Will Hear What He May Propose. He Has Many

     Secrets,  Much More Important Than Yours. Wishing You Every Success

     That Your Perseverance Deserves,

     "Believe Me,

     "Yours Very Truly,

     "Windermear."

"I Believe The Advice To Be Good," Said I,  After Reading The Letter. "I

Am Myself At Fault,  And Hardly Know How To Proceed. I Think I Will Go At

Once To The Old Gentleman,  Timothy."

"It Can Do No Harm,  If It Does No Good. Two Heads Are Better Than One,"

Replied Timothy. "Some Secrets Are Too Well Kept,  And Deserting A Child

Is One Of Those Which Is Confided But To Few."

"By-The-Bye,  Timothy,  Here Have I Been,  More Than So Many Years Out Of

The Foundling Hospital,  And Have Never Yet Inquired If Any One Has Ever

Been To Reclaim Me."

"Very True; And I Think I'Ll Step Myself To The Workhouse,  At St

Bridget'S,  And Ask Whether Any One Has Asked About Me," Replied Timothy,

With A Grin.

"There Is Another Thing That I Have Neglected," Observed I,  "Which Is,

To Inquire At The Address In coleman Street,  If There Is Any Letter From

Melchior."

"I Have Often Thought Of Him," Replied Timothy. "I Wonder Who He Can

Be--There Is Another Mystery There. I Wonder Whether We Shall Ever Fall

In With Him Again--And Nattee,  Too?"

"There'S No Saying,  Timothy. I Wonder Where That Poor Fool,  Philotas,

And Our Friend Jumbo,  Are Now?"

The Remembrance Of The Two Last Personages Made Us Both Burst Out A

Laughing.

"Timothy,  I'Ve Been Reflecting That My Intimacy With Poor Carbonnell Has

Rather Hindered Than Assisted Me In My Search. He Found Me With A Good

Appearance,  And He Has Moulded Me Into A Gentleman,  So Far As Manners

And Appearance Are Concerned; But The Constant Vortex In Which I Have

Been Whirled In His Company,  Has Prevented Me From Doing Anything. His

Melancholy Death Has Perhaps Been Fortunate For Me. It Has Left Me More

Independent In circumstances,  And More Free. I Must Now Really Set To In

Earnest."

"I Beg Your Pardon,  Japhet,  But Did Not You Say The Same When We First

Set Off On Our Travels,  And Yet Remain More Than A Year With The

Gipsies? Did Not You Make The Same Resolution When We Arrived In Town,

With Our Pockets Full Of Money,  And Yet,  Once Into Fashionable Society,

Think But Little,  And Occasionally,  Of It? Now You Make The Same

Resolution,  And How Long Will You Keep It?"

"Nay,  Timothy,  That Remark Is Hardly Fair; You Know That The Subject Is

Ever In My Thoughts."

"In Your Thoughts,  I Grant,  Very Frequently; But You Have Still Been Led

Away From The Search."

"I Grant It,  But I Presume That Arises From Not Knowing How To Proceed.

I Have A Skein To Unravel,  And Cannot Find Out An End To Commence With."

"I Always Thought People Commenced With The Beginning," Replied Tim,

Laughing.

"At All Events,  I Will Now Try Back,  And Face The Old Lawyer. Do You

Call At Coleman Street,  Tim,  And At St Bridget'S Also,  If You Please."

"As For St Bridget'S,  I'M In No Particular Hurry About My Mother; If I

Stumble Upon Her I May Pick Her Up,  But I Never Make Diligent Search

After What,  In every Probability,  Will Not Be Worth The Finding."

Leaving Timothy To Go His Way,  I Walked To The House At Lincoln'S Inn,

Which I Had Before Entered Upon The Memorable Occasion Of The Papers Of

Estcourt. As Before,  I Rang The Bell,  The Door Swang Open,  And I Was

Once More In The Presence Of Mr Masterton.

"I Have A Letter,  Sir," Said I,  Bowing,  And Presenting The Letter From

Lord Windermear.

The Old Gentleman Peered At Me Through His Spectacles. "Why! We Have Met

Before--Bless Me--Why You'Re The Rogue That--"

"You Are Perfectly Right,  Sir," Interrupted I. "I Am The Rogue Who

Presented The Letter From Lord Windermear,  And Who Presents You With

Another From The Same Person; Do Me The Favour To Read It,  While I Take

A Chair."

"Upon My Soul--You Impudent--Handsome Dog,  I Must Say--Great Pity--Come

For Money,  I Suppose. Well,  It'S A Sad World," Muttered The Lawyer As He

Broke Open The Letter Of Lord Windermear.

I Made No Reply,  But Watched His Countenance,  Which Changed To That Of

An Expression Of Surprise. "Had His Lordship Sent Me A Request To Have

You Hanged If Possible," Said Mr Masterton,  "I Should Have Felt No

Surprise,  But In This Letter He Praises You,  And Desires Me To Render

You All The Service In My Power. I Can'T Understand It."

"No,  Sir; But If You Have Leisure To Listen To Me,  You Will Then Find

That,  In This World,  We May Be Deceived By Appearances."

"Well,  And So I Was,  When I First Saw You; I Never Could Have Believed

You To Be--But Never Mind."

"Perhaps,  Sir,  In an Hour Or Two You Will Again Alter Your Opinion. Are

You At Leisure,  Or Will You Make An Appointment For Some Future Day?"

"Mr Newland,  I Am Not At Leisure--I Never Was More Busy; And If You Had

Come On Any Legal Business,  I Should Have Put You Off For Three Or Four

Days,  At Least; But My Curiosity Is So Raised,  That I Am Determined That

I Will Indulge It At The Expense Of My Interest. I Will Turn The Key,

And Then You Will Oblige Me By Unravelling,  What,  At Present,  Is To Me

As Curious As It Is Wholly Incomprehensible."

     I Attempt To Profit By Intelligence I Receive,  And Throw A Lady

     Into Hysterics.

In About Three Hours I Had Narrated The History Of My Life,  Up To The

Very Day,  Almost As Much Detailed As It Has Been To The Reader. "And

Now,  Mr Masterton," Said I,  As I Wound Up My Narrative,  "Do You Think

That I Deserve The Title Of Rogue,  Which You Applied To Me When I Came

In?"

"Upon My Word,  Mr Newland,  I Hardly Know What To Say; But I Like To Tell

The Truth. To Say That You Have Been Quite Honest,  Would Not Be

Correct--A Rogue,  To A Certain Degree,  You Have Been,  But You Have Been

The Rogue Of Circumstances. I Can Only Say This,  That There Are Greater

Rogues Than You,  Whose Characters Are Unblemished In The World--That

Most People In Your Peculiar Situation Would Have Been Much Greater

Rogues; And Lastly,  That Rogue Or Not Rogue,  I Have Great Pleasure In

Taking You By The Hand,  And Will Do All I Possibly Can To Serve You--And

That For Your Own Sake. Your Search After Your Parents I Consider Almost

Tantamount To A Wild-Goose Chase; But Still,  As Your Happiness Depends

Upon It,  I Suppose It Must Be Carried On; But You Must Allow Me Time For

Reflection. I Will Consider What May Be The Most Judicious Method Of

Proceeding. Can You Dine _Tete-A-Tete_ With Me Here On Friday,  And We

Then Will Talk Over The Matter?"

"On Friday,  Sir; I Am Afraid That I Am Engaged To Lady Maelstrom; But

That Is Of No Consequence--I Will Write An Excuse To Her Ladyship."

"Lady Maelstrom! How Very Odd That You Should Bring Up Her Name After

Our Conversation."

"Why So,  My Dear Sir?"

"Why!" Replied Mr Masterton,  Chuckling; "Because--Recollect,  It Is A

Secret,  Mr Newland--I Remember Some Twenty Years Ago,  When She Was A

Girl Of Eighteen,  Before She Married,  She Had A Little _Faux Pas_,  And I

Was Called In about A Settlement,  For The Maintenance Of The Child."

"Is It Possible,  Sir?" Replied I,  Anxiously.

"Yes,  She Was Violently Attached To A Young Officer,  Without Money,  But

Of Good Family; Some Say It Was A Private Marriage,  Others,  That He

Was--A _Rascal_. It Was All Hushed Up,  But He Was Obliged By The

Friends,  Before He Left For The West Indies,  To Sign A Deed Of

Maintenance,  And I Was The Party Called In. I Never Heard Any More

About It. The Officer'S Name Was Warrender; He Died Of The Yellow

Fever,  I Believe,  And After His Death She Married Lord Maelstrom."

"He Is Dead,  Then?" Replied I Mournfully.

"Well,  That Cannot Affect You,  My Good Fellow. On Friday,  Then,  At Six

O'Clock Precisely. Good Afternoon,  Mr Newland."

I Shook Hands With The Old Gentleman,  And Returned Home,  But My Brain

Whirled With The Fear Of A Confirmation,  Of That Which Mr Masterton Had

So Carelessly Conveyed. Anything Like A Possibility,  Immediately Was

Swelled To A Certainty In My Imagination,  So Ardent And Heated On The

One Subject; And As Soon As I Regained My Room,  I Threw Myself On The

Sofa,  And Fell Into A Deep Reverie. I Tried To Approximate The Features

Of Lady Maelstrom To Mine,  But All The Ingenuity In The World Could Not

Effect That; But Still,  I Might Be Like My Father--But My Father Was

Dead,  And That Threw A Chill Over The Whole Glowing Picture Which I Had,

As Usual,  Conjured Up; Besides,  It Was Asserted That I Was Born In

Wedlock,  And There Was A Doubt Relative To The Marriage Of Her Ladyship.

After A Long Cogitation I Jumped Up,  Seized My Hat,  And Set Off For

Grosvenor Square,  Determining To Ask A Private Interview With Her

Ladyship,  And At Once End My