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

She Was Gone,  "Her Avarice And That Of Her Husband Are As Notorious As

Their Anxiety For Children. Now,  If I Persuade Them To Be Liberal,  I Do

Service."

"But You Have Given Her Hopes."

"I Have,  And The Very Hope Will Do More To Further Their Wishes Than

Anything Else. It Is Despair Which Too Often Prevents Those Who Have No

Children,  From Having Any. How Often Do You See A Couple,  Who,  After

Years Waiting For Children,  Have At Last Given Up Their Hope,  And

Resigned Themselves To The Dispensations Of Providence,  And Then,  When

Their Anxiety Has Subsided,  Have Obtained A Family? Japhet,  I Am A

Shrewd Observer Of Human Nature."

"That I Believe," Replied I; "But I Do Not Believe Your Last Remark To

Be Correct--But Timothy Raps At The Door."

Another Lady Entered The Room,  And Then Started Back,  As If She Would

Retreat,  So Surprised Was She At The Appearance Of The Great

Aristodemus; But As Timothy Had Turned The Key,  Her Escape Was

Impossible. She Was Unknown To Us,  Which Was Rather Awkward; But

Melchior Raised His Eyes From His Book,  And Waved His Hand As Before,

That She Should Be Seated. With Some Trepidation She Stated,  That She

Was A Widow,  Whose Dependence Was Upon An Only Son Now At Sea; That She

Had Not Heard Of Him For A Long While,  And Was Afraid That Some Accident

Had Happened; That She Was In The Greatest Distress--"And," Continued

She,  "I Have Nothing To Offer But This Ring. Can You Tell Me If He Is

Yet Alive?" Cried She,  Bursting Into Tears; "But If You Have Not The Art

You Pretend To,  O Do Not Rob A Poor,  Friendless Creature,  But Let Me

Depart!"

"When Did You Receive Your Last Letter From Him?" Said Melchior.

"It Is Now Seven Months--Dated From Bahia," Replied She,  Pulling It Out

Of Her Reticule,  And Covering Her Face With Her Handkerchief.

Melchior Caught The Address,  And Then Turned The Letter Over On The

Other Side,  As It Lay On The Table. "Mrs Watson," Said He.

"Heavens! Do You Know My Name?" Cried The Woman.

"Mrs Watson,  I Do Not Require To Read Your Son'S Letter--I Know Its

Contents." He Then Turned Over His Book,  And Studied For A Few Seconds.

"Your Son Is Alive."

"Thank God!" Cried She,  Clasping Her Hands,  And Dropping Her Reticule.

"But You Must Not Expect His Return Too Soon--He Is Well Employed."

"Oh! I Care Not--He Is Alive--He Is Alive! God Bless You--God Bless

You!"

Melchior Made A Sign To Me,  Pointing To The Five Guineas And The

Reticule; And I Contrived To Slip Them Into Her Reticule,  While She

Sobbed In Her Handkerchief.

"Enough,  Madam; You Must Go,  For Others Require My Aid."

The Poor Woman Rose,  And Offered The Ring.

"Nay,  Nay,  I Want Not Thy Money; I Take From The Rich,  That I May

Distribute To The Poor--But Not From The Widow In affliction. Open Thy

Bag." The Widow Took Up Her Bag,  And Opened It. Melchior Dropped In The

Ring,  Taking His Wand From The Table,  Waved It,  And Touched The Bag. "As

Thou Art Honest,  So May Thy Present Wants Be Relieved. Seek,  And Thou

Shalt Find."

The Widow Left The Room With Tears Of Gratitude; And I Must Say,  That I

Was Affected With The Same. When She Had Gone,  I Observed To Melchior,

That Up To The Present He Had Toiled For Nothing.

"Very True,  Japhet; But Depend Upon It,  If I Assisted That Poor Woman

From No Other Feelings Than Interested Motives,  I Did Well; But I Tell

Thee Candidly,  I Did It From Compassion. We Are Odd Mixtures Of Good And

Evil. I Wage War With Fools And Knaves,  But Not With All The World. I

Gave That Money Freely--She Required It; And It May Be Put As A Set-Off

Against My Usual System Of Fraud,  Or It May Not--At All Events,  I

Pleased Myself."

"But You Told Her That Her Son Was Alive."

"Very True,  And He May Be Dead; But Is It Not Well To Comfort Her--Even

For A Short Time,  To Relieve That Suspense Which Is Worse Than The

Actual Knowledge Of His Death? Sufficient For The Day Is The Evil

Thereof."

It Would Almost Have Appeared That This Good Action Of Melchior Met With

Its Reward,  For The Astonishment Of The Widow At Finding The Gold In Her

Reticule--Her Narrative Of What Passed,  And Her Assertion (Which She

Firmly Believed To Be True),  That She Had Never Left Her Reticule Out Of

Her Hand,  And That Melchior Had Only Touched It With His Wand,  Raised

His Reputation To That Degree,  That Nothing Else Was Talked About

Throughout The Town,  And,  To Crown All,  The Next Day'S Post Brought Her

A Letter And Remittances From Her Son; And The Grateful Woman Returned,

And Laid Ten Guineas On The Black Cloth,  Showering A Thousand Blessings

Upon Melchior,  And Almost Worshipped Him As A Supernatural Being. This

Was A Most Fortunate Occurrence,  And As Melchior Prophesied,  The Harvest

Did Now Commence. In Four Days We Had Received Upwards Of L200,  And We

Then Thought It Time That We Should Depart. The Letters Arrived,  Which

Were Expected,  And When We Set Off In a Chaise And Four,  The Crowd To

See Us Was So Great,  That It Was With Difficulty We Could Pass Through

It.

     In Which Melchior Talks Very Much Like An Astrologer,  And Tim And I

     Return To Our Old Trade Of Making Up Innocent Prescriptions.

We Had Taken Our Horses For The Next Town; But As Soon As We Were Fairly

On The Road,  I Stopped The Boys,  And Told Them That The Great

Aristodemus Intended To Observe The Planets And Stars That Night,  And

That They Were To Proceed To A Common Which I Mentioned. The Post-Boys,

Who Were Well Aware Of His Fame,  And As Fully Persuaded Of It As

Everybody Else,  Drove To The Common; We Descended,  Took Off The Luggage,

And Received Directions From Melchior In Their Presence About The

Instruments,  To Which The Boys Listened With Open Mouths And Wonderment.

I Paid Them Well,  And Told Them They Might Return,  Which They Appeared

Very Glad To Do. They Reported What Had Occurred,  And This Simple Method

Of Regaining Our Camp,  Added To The Astonishment Of The Good Town

Of ----. When They Were Out Of Sight We Resumed Our Usual Clothes,  Packed

All Up,  Carried Away Most Of Our Effects,  And Hid The Others In The

Furze To Be Sent For The Next Night,  Not Being More Than Two Miles From

The Camp. We Soon Arrived,  And Were Joyfully Received By Fleta And

Nattee.

As We Walked Across The Common,  I Observed To Melchior,  "I Wonder If

These Stars Have Any Influence Upon Mortals,  As It Was Formerly

Supposed?"

"Most Assuredly They Have," Rejoined Melchior. "I Cannot Read Them,  But

I Firmly Believe In Them."

I Made The Above Remark,  As I Had Often Thought That Such Was Melchior'S

Idea.

"Yes," Continued He,  "Every Man Has His Destiny--Such Must Be The Case.

It Is Known Beforehand What Is To Happen To Us By An Omniscient Being,

And Being Known,  What Is It But Destiny Which Cannot Be Changed? It Is

_Fate_," Continued He,  Surveying The Stars With His Hand Raised Up,  "And

That Fate Is As Surely Written There As The Sun Shines Upon Us; But The

Great Book Is Sealed,  Because It Would Not Add To Our Happiness."

"If,  Then,  All Is Destiny,  Or Fate,  What Inducement Is There To Do Well

Or Ill?" Replied I. "We May Commit All Acts Of Evil,  And Say,  That As It

Was Predestined,  We Could Not Help It. Besides Would It Be Just That The

Omniscient Being Should Punish Us For Those Crimes Which We Cannot

Prevent,  And Which Are Allotted To Us By Destiny?"

"Japhet,  You Argue Well; But You Are In error,  Because,  Like Most Of

Those Of The Christian Church,  You Understand Not The Sacred Writings,

Nor Did I Until I Knew My Wife. Her Creed Is,  I Believe,  Correct; And

What Is More,  Adds Weight To The Truths Of The Bible."

"I Thought That Gipsies Had No Religion."

"You Are Not The Only One Who Supposes So. It Is True That The Majority

Of The Tribe Are Held By The Higher Castes As Serfs,  And Are Not

Instructed; But With--If I May Use The Expression--The Aristocracy Of

Them It Is Very Different,  And Their Creed I Have Adopted."

"I Should Wish To Hear Their Creed," Replied I.

"Hear It Then. Original Sin Commenced In Heaven--When The Angels

Rebelled Against Their God--Not On Earth."

"I Will Grant That Sin Originated First In Heaven."

"Do You Think That A Great,  A Good God,  Ever Created Any Being For Its

Destruction And Eternal Misery,  Much Less An Angel? Did He Not Foresee

Their Rebellion?"

"I Grant It."

"This World Was Not Peopled With The Image Of God Until After The Fall

Of The Angels: It Had Its Living Beings,  Its Monsters Perhaps,