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

Had Been More Than Three Years With Him When My Confinement Became

Insupportable. I Had But One Idea,  Which Performed An Everlasting Cycle

In My Brain--Who Was My Father? And I Should Have Abandoned The

Profession To Search The World In The Hope Of Finding My Progenitor,  Had

It Not Been That I Was Without The Means. Latterly,  I Had Hoarded Up All

I Could Collect; But The Sum Was Small,  Much Too Small For The Proposed

Expedition. I Became Melancholy,  Indifferent To The Business,  And

Slovenly In My Appearance,  When A Circumstance Occurred Which Put An End

To My Further Dispensing Medicines,  And Left Me A Free Agent.

     Looking Out For Business Not Exactly Minding Your Own Business--The

     Loss Of The Scales Occasions The Loss Of Place To Timothy And Me,

     Who When Weighed In Other Scales Were Found Wanting--We Bundle Off

     With Our Bundles On.

It Happened One Market-Day That There Was An Overdriven,  Infuriated

Beast,  Which Was Making Sad Havoc. Crowds Of People Were Running Past

Our Shop In One Direction,  And The Cries Of "Mad Bull!" Were Re-Echoed

In Every Quarter. Mr Cophagus,  Who Was In The Shop,  And To Whom,  As I

Have Before Observed,  A Mad Bull Was A Source Of Great Profit,  Very

Naturally Looked Out Of The Shop To Ascertain Whether The Animal Was

Near To Us. In Most Other Countries,  When People Hear Of Any Danger,

They Generally Avoid It By Increasing Their Distance; But In england,  It

Is Too Often The Case,  That They Are So Fond Of Indulging Their

Curiosity,  That They Run To The Danger. Mr Cophagus,  Who Perceived The

People Running One Way,  Naturally Supposed,  Not Being Aware Of The

Extreme Proximity Of The Animal,  That The People Were Running To See

What Was The Matter,  And Turned His Eyes In That Direction,  Walking Out

On The Pavement That He Might Have A Fairer View. He Was Just Observing,

"Can'T Say--Fear--Um--Rascal Pleggit--Close To Him--Get All The

Custom--Wounds--Contusions--And"--When The Animal Came Suddenly Round

The Corner Upon Mr Cophagus,  Who Had His Eyes The Other Way,  And Before

He Could Escape,  Tossed Him Through His Own Shop Windows,  And Landed Him

On The Counter. Not Satisfied With This,  The Beast Followed Him Into The

Shop. Timothy And I Pulled Mr Cophagus Over Towards Us,  And He Dropped

Inside The Counter,  Where We Also Crouched,  Frightened Out Of Our Wits.

To Our Great Horror The Bull Made One Or Two Attempts To Leap The

Counter; But Not Succeeding,  And Being Now Attacked By The Dogs And

Butcher Boys,  He Charged At Them Through The Door,  Carrying Away Our

Best Scales On His Horns As A Trophy,  As He Galloped Out Of The Shop In

Pursuit Of His Persecutors. When The Shouts And Hallooes Were At Some

Little Distance,  Timothy And I Raised Our Heads And Looked Round Us; And

Perceiving That All Was Safe,  We Proceeded To Help Mr Cophagus,  Who

Remained On The Floor Bleeding,  And In a State Of Insensibility. We

Carried Him Into The Back Parlour And Laid Him On The Sofa. I Desired

Timothy To Run For Surgical Aid As Fast As He Could,  While I Opened A

Vein; And In a Few Minutes He Returned With Our Opponent,  Mr Ebenezer

Pleggit. We Stripped Mr Cophagus,  And Proceeded To Examine Him. "Bad

Case This--Very Bad Case Indeed,  Mr Newland--Dislocation Of The Os

Humeri--Severe Contusion On The Os Frontis--And I'M Very Much Afraid

There Is Some Intercostal Injury. Very Sorry,  Very Sorry,  Indeed,  For My

Brother Cophagus." But Mr Pleggit Did Not Appear To Be Sorry; On The

Contrary,  He Appeared To Perform His Surgical Duties With The Greatest

Glee.

We Reduced The Dislocation,  And Then Carried Mr Cophagus Up To His Bed.

In An Hour He Was Sensible,  And Mr Pleggit Took His Departure,  Shaking

Hands With Mr Cophagus,  And Wishing Him Joy Of His Providential Escape.

"Bad Job,  Japhet," Said Mr Cophagus To Me.

"Very Bad Indeed,  Sir; But It Might Have Been Worse."

"Worse--Um--No,  Nothing Worse--Not Possible."

"Why,  Sir,  You Might Have Been Killed."

"Pooh!--Didn'T Mean That--Mean Pleggit--Rascal--Um--Kill Me If He

Can--Sha'N'T Though--Soon Get Rid Of Him--And So On."

"You Will Not Require His Further Attendance Now That Your Shoulder Is

Reduced. I Can Very Well Attend Upon You."

"Very True,  Japhet;--But Won'T Go--Sure Of That--Damned Rascal--Quite

Pleased--I Saw It--Um--Eyes Twinkled--Smile Checked--And So On."

That Evening Mr Pleggit Called In as Mr Cophagus Said That He Would,

And The Latter Showed A Great Deal Of Impatience; But Mr Pleggit

Repeated His Visits Over And Over Again,  And I Observed That Mr Cophagus

No Longer Made Any Objection; On The Contrary,  Seemed Anxious For His

Coming,  And Still More So,  After He Was Convalescent,  And Able To Sit At

His Table. But The Mystery Was Soon Divulged. It Appeared That Mr

Cophagus,  Although He Was Very Glad That Other People Should Suffer From

Mad Bulls,  And Come To Be Cured,  Viewed The Case In a Very Different

Light When The Bull Thought Proper To Toss Him,  And Having Now Realised

A Comfortable Independence,  He Had Resolved To Retire From Business,  And

From A Site Attended With So Much Danger. A Hint Of This Escaping Him

When Mr Pleggit Was Attending Him On The Third Day After His Accident,

The Latter,  Who Knew The Value Of The _Locale_,  Also Hinted That If Mr

Cophagus Was Inclined So To Do,  That He Would Be Most Happy To Enter

Into An Arrangement With Him. Self-Interest Will Not Only Change

Friendship Into Enmity,  In This Rascally World,  But Also Turn Enmity

Into Friendship. All Mr Pleggit'S Enormities,  And All Mr Cophagus'

Shameful Conduct,  Were Mutually Forgotten. In Less Than Ten Minutes It

Was,  "_My Dear Mr Pleggit_,  And So On," And "_My Dear Brother

Cophagus_."

In Three Weeks Every Thing Had Been Arranged Between Them,  And The Shop,

Fixtures,  Stock In Trade,  And Good Will,  Were All The Property Of Our

Ancient Antagonist. But Although Mr Pleggit Could Shake Hands With Mr

Cophagus For His Fixtures And _Good Will_,  Yet As Timothy And I Were Not

Included In The _Good Will_,  Neither Were We Included Among The

_Fixtures_,  And Mr Cophagus Could Not,  Of Course,  Interfere With Mr

Pleggit'S Private Arrangements. He Did All He Could Do In The Way Of

Recommendation,  But Mr Pleggit Had Not Forgotten My Occasional

Impertinences Or The Battle Of The Bottles. I Really Believe That His

_Ill Will_ Against Timothy Was One Reason For Purchasing The _Good Will_

Of Mr Cophagus,  And We Were Very Gently Told By Mr Pleggit That He Would

Have No Occasion For Our Services.

Mr Cophagus Offered To Procure Me Another Situation As Soon As He Could,

And At The Same Time Presented Me With Twenty Guineas,  As A Proof Of

His Regard And Appreciation Of My Conduct--But This Sum Put In My Hand

Decided Me: I Thanked Him,  And Told Him I Had Other Views At Present,

But Hoped He Would Let Me Know Where I Might Find Him Hereafter,  As I

Should Be Glad To See Him Again. He Told Me He Would Leave His Address

For Me At The Foundling Hospital,  And Shaking Me Heartily By The Hand,

We Parted. Timothy Was Then Summoned. Mr Cophagus Gave Him Five Guineas,

And Wished Him Good Fortune.

"And Now,  Japhet,  What Are You About To Do?" Said Timothy,  As He

Descended Into The Shop.

"To Do," Replied I; "I Am About To Leave You,  Which Is The Only Thing I

Am Sorry For. I Am Going,  Timothy,  In Search Of My Father."

"Well," Replied Timothy,  "I Feel As You Do,  Japhet,  That It Will Be Hard

To Part; And There Is Another Thing On My Mind--Which Is,  I Am Very

Sorry That The Bull Did Not Break The Rudimans (Pointing To The Iron

Mortar And Pestle); Had He Had But Half The Spite I Have Against It,  He

Would Not Have Left A Piece As Big As A Thimble. I'Ve A Great Mind To

Have A Smack At It Before I Go."

"You Will Only Injure Mr Cophagus,  For The Mortar Will Not Then Be Paid

For."

"Very True; And As He Has Just Given Me Five Guineas,  I Will Refrain

From My Just Indignation. But Now,  Japhet,  Let Me Speak To You. I Don'T

Know How You Feel,  But I Feel As If I Could Not Part With You. I Do Not

Want To Go In Search Of My Father Particularly. They Say It'S A Wise

Child That Knows Its Own Father--But As There Can Be No Doubt Of My

Other Parent--If I Can Only Hit Upon Her,  I Have A Strong Inclination To

Go In Search Of My Mother,  And If You Like My Company,  Why I Will Go

With You--Always,  My Dear Japhet," Continued Tim,  "Keeping In My Mind

The Great Difference Between A Person Who Has Been Feed As An M.D.,  And

A Lad Who Only Carries Out His Prescriptions."

"Do You Really Mean To Say,  Tim,  That You Will Go With Me?"

"Yes,  To The End Of The World,  Japhet,  As Your Companion,  Your Friend,

And Your Servant,  If You Require It. I Love You,  Japhet,  And I Will

Serve You Faithfully."

"My Dear Tim,  I Am Delighted; Now I Am Really Happy: We Will Have But

One Purse,  And But One Interest; If I Find Good Fortune,  You Shall Share

It."

"And If You Meet With Ill Luck,  I Will Share That Too--So The