Japhet, In Search Of A Father Part 1 by Frederick Marryat (read people like a book .TXT) 📕

"Well,  Timothy," Said I,  As Soon As We Were In bed,  "How Do You Like Our

New Life And Prospects?"

"I Like It Better Than Mr Cophagus'S _Rudimans_,  And Carrying Out

Physic,  At All Events. But How Does Your Dignity Like Turning Merry

Andrew,  Japhet?"

"To Tell You The Truth,  I Do Not Dislike It. There Is A Wildness And A

Devil-May-Care Feeling Connected With It Which Is Grateful To Me At

Present. How Long It May Last I Cannot Tell; But For A Year Or Two It

Appears To Me That We May Be Very Happy. At All Events,  We Shall See The

World,  And Have More Than One Profession To Fall Back Upon."

"That Is True; But There Is One Thing That Annoys Me,  Japhet,  Which Is,

We May Have Difficulty In Leaving These People When We Wish. Besides,

You Forget That You Are Losing Sight Of The Principal Object You Had In

View,  That Is,  Of 'Finding Out Your Father.'"

"I Certainly Never Expect To Find Him Among The Gipsies," Replied I,

"For Children Are At A Premium With Them. They Steal From Others,  And

Are Not Very Likely Therefore To Leave Them At The Foundling. But I Do

Not Know Whether I Have Not As Good A Chance In Our Present Employment

As In any Other. I Have Often Been Thinking That As Fortune-Tellers,  We

May Get Hold Of Many Strange Secrets; However,  We Shall See. Melchior

Says,  That He Intends To Appear In That Character As Soon As He Has Made

A Harvest In His Present One."

"What Do You Think Of Melchior,  Now That You Have Been So Much With

Him?"

"I Think Him An Unprincipled Man,  But Still With Many Good Qualities.

He Appears To Have A Pleasure In deceit,  And To Have Waged War With The

World In General. Still He Is Generous,  And,  To A Certain Degree,

Confiding; Kind In His Disposition,  And Apparently A Very Good Husband.

There Is Something On His Mind Which Weighs Him Down Occasionally,  And

Checks Him In The Height Of His Mirth. It Comes Over Him Like A Dark

Cloud Over A Bright Summer Sun; And He Is All Gloom For A Few Minutes. I

Do Not Think That He Would Now Commit Any Great Crime; But I Have A

Suspicion That He Has Done Something Which Is A Constant Cause Of

Remorse."

"You Are A Very Good Judge Of Character,  Japhet. But What A Dear Little

Child Is That Fleta! She May Exclaim With You--'Who Is My Father?'"

"Yes,  We Are Both In Much The Same Predicament,  And That It Is Which I

Believe Has So Much Increased My Attachment To Her. We Are Brother And

Sister In Misfortune,  And A Sister She Ever Shall Be To Me,  If Such Is

The Will Of Heaven. But We Must Rise Early To-Morrow,  Tim; So

Good-Night."

"Yes,  To-Morrow It Will Be Juggle And Tumble--Eat Fire--Um--And So On,

As Mr Cophagus Would Have Said; So Good-Night,  Japhet."

The Next Morning We Arrayed Ourselves In Our New Habiliments; Mine Were

Silk Stockings,  Shoes,  And White Kerseymere Kneed Breeches,  A Blue Silk

Waistcoat Loaded With Tinsel,  And A Short Jacket To Correspond Of Blue

Velvet,  A Sash Round My Waist,  A Hat And A Plume Of Feathers. Timothy

Declared I Looked Very Handsome,  And As The Glass Said The Same As Plain

As It Could Speak,  I Believed Him. Timothy'S Dress Was A Pair Of Wide

Turkish Trousers And Red Jacket,  With Spangles. The Others Were Much The

Same. Fleta Was Attired In Small,  White Satin,  Turkish Trousers,  Blue

Muslin And Silver Embroidered Frock,  Worked Sandals,  And Her Hair

Braided And Plaited In Long Tails Behind,  And She Looked Like A Little

Sylph. Melchior'S Dress Was Precisely The Same As Mine,  And A More

Respectable Company Was Seldom Seen. Some Musicians Had Been Hired,  And

Handbills Were Now Circulated All Over The Town,  Stating That Signor

Eugenio Velotti,  With His Company,  Would Have The Honour Of Performing

Before The Nobility And Gentry. The Bill Contained The Fare Which Was To

Be Provided,  And Intimated The Hour Of The Performance,  And The Prices

To Be Paid For The Seats. The Performance Was To Take Place In a Very

Large Room Attached To The Inn,  Which,  Previous To The Decadence Of The

Town,  Had Been Used As An Assembly-Room. A Platform Was Erected On The

Outside,  On Which Were Placed The Musicians,  And Where We All

Occasionally Made Our Appearance In Our Splendid Dresses To Attract The

Wonder Of The People. There We Strutted Up And Down,  All But Poor Little

Fleta,  Who Appeared To Shrink At The Display From Intuitive Modesty.

When The Music Ceased,  A Smart Parley Between Melchior And Me,  And

Philotas,  And Timothy,  As The Two Fools,  Would Take Place; And Melchior

Declared,  After The Performance Was Over,  That We Conducted Ourselves To

Admiration.

"Pray,  Mr Philotas,  Do Me The Favour To Tell Me How Many People You

Think Are Now Present?" Said Melchior To Num,  In an Imperative Voice.

"I Don'T Know," Said Num,  Looking Up With His Idiotical,  Melancholy

Face.

"Ha! Ha! Ha'" Roared The Crowd At Num'S Stupid Answer.

"The Fellow'S A Fool'" Said Melchior,  To The Gaping Audience.

"Well,  Then,  If He Can'T Tell,  Perhaps You May,  Mr Dionysius," Said I,

Addressing Tim.

"How Many,  Sir? Do You Want To Know Exactly And Directly?"

"Yes,  Sir,  Immediately."

"Without Counting,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  Without Counting."

"Well Then,  Sir,  I Will Tell,  And Make No Mistake; There'S _Exactly As

Many Again As Half_."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" From The Crowd.

"That Won'T Do,  Sir. How Many May Be The Half?"

"How Many May Be The Half? Do You Know Yourself,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  To Be Sure I Do."

"Then There'S No Occasion For Me To Tell You."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Well Then,  Sir," Continued Melchior To Philotas,  "Perhaps You'Ll Tell

How Many Ladies And Gentlemen We May Expect To Honour Us With Their

Company To-Night."

"How Many,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Sir,  How Many."

"I'M Sure I Don'T Know," Said Num,  After A Pause.

"Positively You Are The Greatest Fool I Ever Met With," Said Melchior.

"Well,  He Does Act The Fool As Natural As Life," Observed The Crowd.

"What A Stupid Face He Does Put On!"

"Perhaps You Will Be Able To Answer That Question,  Mr Dionysius," Said I

To Tim.

"Yes,  Sir,  I Know Exactly."

"Well,  Sir,  Let'S Hear."

"In The First Place,  All The Pretty Women Will Come,  And All The Ugly

Ones Stay Away; And As For The Men,  All Those Who Have Got Any Money

Will Be Certain To Come; Those Who Haven'T,  Poor Devils,  Must Stay

Outside."

"Suppose,  Sir,  You Make A Bow To The Ladies."

"A Very Low One,  Sir?"

"Yes,  Very Low Indeed."

Tim Bent His Body To The Ground,  And Threw A Somerset Forward. "There,

Sir; I Bowed So Low,  That I Came Up On The Other Side."

"Ha! Ha! Capital!" From The Crowd.

"I'Ve Got A Round Turn In My Back,  Sir," Continued Tim,  Rubbing Himself.

"Hadn'T I Better Take It Out Again?"

"By All Means."

Tim Threw A Somerset Backwards. "There,  Sir,  All'S Right Now. One Good

Turn Deserves Another. Now I'Ll Be Off."

"Where Are You Going To,  Sir?"

"Going,  Sir!! Why,  I Left My Lollipop In The Tinder-Box,  And I'M Going

To Fetch It."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Strike Up,  Music!" And Master Jumbo Commenced Tumbling.

Such Was The Elegant Wit With Which We Amused And Attracted The

Audience. Perhaps,  Had We Been More Refined,  We Should Not Have Been So

Successful.

That Evening We Had The Room As Full As It Could Hold. Signor Velotti

_Alias_ Melchior Astonished Them. The Cards Appeared To Obey His

Commands--Rings Were Discovered In Lady'S Shoes--Watches Were Beat To A

Powder And Made Whole--Canary Birds Flew Out Of Eggs. The Audience Were

Delighted. The Entertainment Closed With Fleta'S Performance On The

Slack Wire; And Certainly Never Was There Anything More Beautiful And

Graceful. Balanced On The Wire In a Continual,  Waving Motion,  Her Eyes

Fixed Upon A Point To Enable Her To Maintain Her Position,  She Performed

Several Feats,  Such As The Playing With Five Oranges,  Balancing Swords,

&C. Her Extreme Beauty--Her Very Picturesque And Becoming Dress--Her

Mournful Expression And Downcast Eyes--Her Gentle Manner,  Appeared To

Win The Hearts Of The Audience; And When She Was Assisted Off From Her

Perilous Situation By Melchior And Me,  And Made Her Graceful Courtesy,

The Plaudits Were Unanimous.

When The Company Dispersed I Went To Her,  Intending To Praise Her,  But I

Found Her In Tears. "What Is The Matter,  My Dear Fleta?"

"O Nothing! Don'T Say I Have Been Crying--But I Cannot Bear It--So Many

People Looking At Me. Don'T Say A Word To Melchior--I Won'T Cry Any

More."

     It Is Very Easy To Humbug Those Who Are So Eager To Be Humbugged As

     People Are In This World Of Humbug--We Show Ourselves Excessively