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

This Behaviour Was Put Up With From One Of Her Commanding Presence,  Who

Refused Money,  And Treated Those Who Accosted Her,  As If She Was Their

Superior. Many Came Again And Again,  Telling Her All They Knew,  And

Acquainting Her With Every Transaction Of Their Life,  To Induce Her To

Prophesy,  For Such,  She Informed Them,  Was The Surest Way To Call The

Spirit Upon Her. By These Means We Obtained The Secret History Of The

Major Part,  That Is,  The Wealthier Part Of The Town Of ----; And Although

The Predictions Of Nattee Were Seldom Given,  Yet When Given,  They Were

Given With Such Perfect And Apparent Knowledge Of The Parties,  That When

She Left,  Which She Did About Six Weeks After Her First Appearance,  The

Whole Town Rang With Accounts Of Her Wonderful Powers.

It Will Appear Strange That Melchior Would Not Permit Nattee To Reap A

Harvest,  Which Might Have Been Great; But The Fact Was,  That He Only

Allowed The Seed To Be Sown That A Greater Harvest Might Be Gathered

Hereafter. Nattee Disappeared,  The Gipsie'S Tent Was No Longer On The

Common,  And The Grass,  Which Had Been Beaten Down Into A Road By The

Feet Of The Frequent Applicants To Her,  Was Again Permitted To Spring

Up. We Also Took Our Departure,  And Rejoined The Camp With Nattee,  Where

We Remained For A Fortnight,  To Permit The Remembrance Of Her To Subside

A Little--Knowing That The Appetite Was Alive,  And Would Not Be

Satisfied Until It Was Appeased.

After That Time,  Melchior,  Timothy,  And I,  Again Set Off For The Town

Of ----,  And Stopping At A Superior Inn In another Part Of The Town,

Dressed As Travellers,  That Is,  People Who Go About The Country For

Orders From The Manufacturers,  Ordered Our Beds And Supper In The

Coffee-Room. The Conversation Was Soon Turned Upon The Wonderful Powers

Of Nattee,  The Gipsy. "Nonsense," Said Melchior,  "She Knows Nothing. I

Have Heard Of Her. But There Is A Man Coming This Way (Should He Happen

To Pass Through This Town) Who Will Surprise And Frighten You. No One

Knows Who He Is. He Is Named The Great Aristodemus. He Knows The Past,

The Present,  And The Future. He Never Looks At People'S Hands--He Only

Looks You In The Face,  And _Woe Be To Them Who Tell Him A Lie_.

Otherwise,  He Is Good-Tempered And Obliging,  And Will Tell What Will

Come To Pass,  And His Predictions Never Have Been Known To Fail. They

Say That He Is Hundreds Of Years Old,  And His Hair Is White As Silver."

At This Information Many Expressed Their Doubts,  And Many Others Vaunted

The Powers Of The Gipsy. Melchior Replied,  "That All He Knew Was,  That

For The Sum Of Two Guineas Paid Down,  He Had Told Him Of A Legacy Left

Him Of Six Hundred Pounds,  Which Otherwise He Would Never Have Known Of

Or Received." All The Town Of ---- Being Quite Alive For Fortune-Telling,

This New Report Gained Wind,  And After A Week'S Sojourn,  Melchior

Thought That The Attempt Should Be Made.

     The Seed Having Been Carefully Sown,  We Now Reap A Golden

     Harvest--We Tell Every Body What They Knew Before,  And We Are

     Looked Upon As Most Marvellous By Most Marvellous Fools.

We Accordingly Packed Up,  And Departed To Another Market Town. Timothy,

Dressed In a Sombre Suit Of Black,  Very Much Like An Undertaker,  Was

Provided With A Horse,  With The Following Directions: To Proceed

Leisurely Until He Was Within Half A Mile Of The Town Of ----,  And Then

To Gallop In as Fast As He Could,  Stop At The Best Inn In The Place,  And

Order Apartments For The Great Aristodemus,  Who Might Be Expected In

Half An Hour. Every Thing In This World Depends Upon Appearances,  That

Is,  When You Intend To Gull It; And As Every One In The Town Had Heard

Of The Great Aristodemus,  So Every One Was Anxious To Know Something

About Him,  And Timothy Was Pestered With All Manner Of Questions; But He

Declared That He Was Only His Courier,  And Could Only Tell What Other

People Said; But Then What Other People Said,  By Timothy'S Account,  Was

Very Marvellous Indeed. Timothy Had Hardly Time To Secure The Best

Rooms In The Hotel,  When Melchior,  Dressed In a Long Flowing Silk Gown,

With A Wig Of Long White Hair,  A Square Cap,  And Two Or Three Gold

Chains Hanging From His Neck,  Certainly Most Admirably Disguised,  And

Attended By Me In The Dress Of A German Student,  A Wig Of Long Brown

Locks Hanging Down My Shoulders,  Made Our Appearance In a Post-Chaise

And Four,  And Drove Up To The Door Of The Inn,  At A Pace Which Shook

Every House In The Street,  And Occasioned Every Window To Be Tenanted

With One Or More Heads To Ascertain The Cause Of This Unusual

Occurrence,  For It Was Not A Very Great Town,  Although Once Of

Importance; But The Manufactures Had Been Removed,  And It Was Occupied

By Those Who Had Become Independent By Their Own Exertions,  Or By Those

Of Their Forefathers.

The Door Of The Chaise Was Opened By The Obsequious Timothy,  Who Pushed

Away The Ostlers And Waiters,  As If Unworthy To Approach His Master,  And

The Great Aristodemus Made His Appearance. As He Ascended The Steps Of

The Door,  His Passage Was For A Moment Barred By One Whose Profession

Melchior Well Knew. "Stand Aside,  Exciseman!" Said He,  In a Commanding

Voice. "No One Crosses My Path With Impunity." Astonished At Hearing His

Profession Thus Mentioned,  The Exciseman,  Who Was The Greatest Bully In

The Town,  Slipped On One Side With Consternation,  And All Those Present

Lifted Up Their Eyes And Hands With Astonishment. The Great Aristodemus

Gained His Room,  And Shut His Door; And I Went Out To Pay For The Chaise

And Order Supper,  While Timothy And The Porters Were Busy With Our

Luggage,  Which Was Very Considerable.

"My Master Will Not See Any One," Said I To The Landlord; "He Quits This

Town To-Morrow,  If The Letters Arrive Which He Expects By The Post;

Therefore,  Pray Get Rid Of This Crowd,  And Let Him Be Quiet,  For He Is

Very Tired,  Having Travelled One Hundred And Fifty Miles Since The Dawn

Of Day."

When Tim And I Had Performed This Duty,  We Joined Melchior In His Room,

Leaving The News To Be Circulated. "This Promises Well," Observed

Melchior; "Up To The Present We Have Expended Much Time And Money; Now

We Must See If We Cannot Recover It Tenfold. Japhet,  You Must Take An

Opportunity Of Going Out Again After Supper,  And Make Inquiries Of The

Landlord What Poor People They Have In The Town,  As I Am Very Generous,

And Like To Relieve Them; You May Observe,  That All The Money Offered To

Me For Practising My Art,  I Give Away To The Poor,  Having No Occasion

For It." This I Did,  And We Then Sat Down To Supper,  And Having Unpacked

Our Baggage,  Went To Bed,  After Locking The Door Of The Room,  And Taking

Out The Key.

The Next Morning We Had Every Thing In Readiness,  And As The Letters,  As

The Reader May Suppose,  Did Not Arrive By The Post,  We Were Obliged To

Remain,  And The Landlord Ventured To Hint To Me,  That Several People

Were Anxious To Consult My Master. I Replied,  That I Would Speak To Him,

But It Was Necessary To Caution Those Who Came,  That They Must Either

Offer Gold--Or Nothing At All. I Brought His Consent To See One Or Two,

But No More. Now,  Although We Had Various Apparatus To Use When

Required,  It Was Thought That The Effect Would Be Greater,  If,  In The

First Instance,  Every Thing Was Simple. Melchior,  Therefore,  Remained

Sitting At The Table,  Which Was Covered With A Black Cloth,  Worked With

Curious Devices,  And A Book Of Hieroglyphics Before Him,  And An Ivory

Wand,  Tipped With Gold,  Lying By The Book. Timothy Standing At The Door,

With A Short Roman Sword Buckled Round His Belt,  And I,  In a Respectful

Attitude,  Behind The Great Aristodemus.

The First Person Who Was Admitted Was The Lady Of The Mayor Of The Town;

Nothing Could Be More Fortunate,  As We Had Every Information Relative To

Her And Her Spouse,  For People In High Places Are Always Talked Of.

Aristodemus Waved His Hand,  And I Brought Forward A Chair In Silence,

And Motioned That She Should Be Seated. Aristodemus Looked Her In Her

Face,  And Then Turned Over Several Leaves,  Until He Fixed Upon A Page,

Which He Considered Attentively. "Mayoress Of ----,  What Wouldst Thou

With Me?"

She Started,  And Turned Pale. "I Would Ask--"

"I Know; Thou Wouldst Ask Many Things,  Perhaps,  Had I Time To Listen.

Amongst Others Thou Wouldst Ask If There Is Any Chance Of Thy Giving An

Heir To Thy Husband. Is It Not So?"

"Yes,  It Is," Replied The Lady,  Fetching Her Breath.

"So Do I Perceive By This Book; But Let Me Put One Question To Thee.

Wouldst Thou Have Blessings Showered On Thee,  Yet Do No Good? Thou Art

Wealthy--Yet What Dost Thou And Thy Husband Do With These Riches? Are Ye

Liberal? No. Give,  And It Shall Be Given. I Have Said."

Aristodemus Waved His Hand,  And The Lady Rose To Withdraw. A Guinea Was

In Her Fingers,  And Her Purse In Her Hand; She Took Out Four More,  And

Added Them To The Other,  And Laid Them On The Table.

"'Tis Well,  Lady; Charity Shall Plead For Thee. Artolphe,  Let That Money

Be Distributed Among The Poor."

I Bowed In Silence,  And The Lady Retired.

"Who Will Say That I Do No Good," Observed Melchior,  Smiling,  As Soon