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

Stay No Longer,  And Then Left Us,  After The First Half Hour,  To Carry On

The Business For Him. After Six Weeks Of Uninterrupted Success,  We

Returned To The Camp,  Which,  As Usual,  Was Not Very Far Off.

     Important News,  But Not Communicated--A Dissolution Of Partnership

     Takes Place.

Melchior'S Profits Had Been Much More Than He Anticipated,  And He Was

Very Liberal To Timothy And Myself; Indeed,  He Looked Upon Me As His

Right Hand,  And Became More Intimate And Attached Every Day. We Were,  Of

Course,  Delighted To Return To The Camp,  After Our Excursion. There Was

So Much Continued Bustle And Excitement In Our Peculiar Profession,  That

A Little Quiet Was Delightful; And I Never Felt More Happy Than When

Fleta Threw Herself Into My Arms,  And Nattee Came Forward With Her Usual

Dignity And Grace,  But With More Than Usual Condescendence And Kindness,

Bidding Me Welcome _Home_. Home--Alas! It Was Never Meant For My Home,

Or Poor Fleta'S--And That I Felt. It Was Our Sojourn For A Time,  And No

More.

We Had Been More Than A Year Exercising Our Talents In This Lucrative

Manner,  When One Day,  As I Was Sitting At The Entrance To The Tent,  With

A Book In My Hand,  Out Of Which Fleta Was Reading To Me,  A Gipsy Not

Belonging To Our Gang Made His Appearance. He Was Covered With Dust,  And

The Dew Drops Hanging On His Dark Forehead,  Proved That He Had Travelled

Fast. He Addressed Nattee,  Who Was Standing By,  In Their Own Language,

Which I Did Not Understand; But I Perceived That He Asked For Melchior.

After An Exchange Of A Few Sentences,  Nattee Expressed Astonishment And

Alarm,  Put Her Hands Over Her Face,  And Removed Them As Quickly,  As If

Derogatory In Her To Show Emotion,  And Then Remained In deep Thought.

Perceiving Melchior Approaching,  The Gipsy Hastened To Him,  And They

Were Soon In animated Conversation. In Ten Minutes It Was Over: The

Gipsy Went To The Running Brook,  Washed His Face,  Took A Large Draught

Of Water,  And Then Hastened Away And Was Soon Out Of Sight.

Melchior,  Who Had Watched The Departure Of The Gipsy,  Slowly Approached

Us. I Observed Him And Nattee,  As They Met,  As I Was Certain That

Something Important Had Taken Place. Melchior Fixed His Eyes Upon

Nattee--She Looked At Him Mournfully--Folded Her Arms,  And Made A Slight

Bow As If In Submission,  And In a Low Voice,  Quoted From The Scriptures,

"Whither Thou Goest,  I Will Go--Thy People Shall Be My People,  And Thy

God My God." He Then Walked Away With Her: They Sat Down Apart,  And Were

In Earnest Conversation For More Than An Hour.

"Japhet," Said Melchior To Me,  After He Had Quitted His Wife,  "What I Am

About To Tell You Will Surprise You. I Have Trusted You With All I Dare

Trust Any One,  But There Are Some Secrets In every Man'S Life Which Had

Better Be Reserved For Himself And Her Who Is Bound To Him By Solemn

Ties. We Must Now Part. In a Few Days This Camp Will Be Broken Up,  And

These People Will Join Some Other Division Of The Tribe. For Me,  You

Will See Me No More. Ask Me Not To Explain,  For I Cannot."

"And Nattee," Said I.

"Will Follow My Fortunes,  Whatever They May Be--You Will See Her No

More."

"For Myself I Care Not,  Melchior; The World Is Before Me,  And Remain

With The Gipsies Without You I Will Not; But Answer Me One

Question--What Is To Become Of Little Fleta? Is She To Remain With The

Tribe,  To Which She Does Not Belong,  Or Does She Go With You?"

Melchior Hesitated. "I Hardly Can Answer,  But What Consequence Can The

Welfare Of A Soldier'S Brat Be To You?"

"Allowing Her To Be What You Assert,  Melchior,  I Am Devotedly Attached

To That Child,  And Could Not Bear That She Should Remain Here. I Am Sure

That You Deceived Me In What You Stated,  For The Child Remembers,  And

Has Told Me,  Anecdotes Of Her Infancy,  Which Proves That She Is Of No

Mean Family,  And That She Has Been Stolen From Her Friends."

"Indeed,  Is Her Memory So Good?" Replied Melchior,  Firmly Closing His

Teeth. "To Nattee Or To Me She Has Never Hinted So Much."

"That Is Very Probable; But A Stolen Child She Is,  Melchior,  And She

Must Not Remain Here."

"Must Not."

"Yes; Must Not,  Melchior; When You Quit The Tribe,  You Will No Longer

Have Any Power,  Nor Can You Have Any Interest About Her. She Shall Then

Choose--If She Will Come With Me,  I _Will_ Take Her,  And Nothing Shall

Prevent Me; And In So Doing I Do You No Injustice,  Nor Do I Swerve In My

Fidelity."

"How Do You Know That? I May Have My Secret Reasons Against It."

"Surely You Can Have No Interest In a Soldier'S Brat,  Melchior?"

Melchior Appeared Confused And Annoyed. "She Is No Soldier'S Brat; I

Acknowledge,  Japhet,  That The Child Was Stolen; But You Must Not,

Therefore,  Imply That The Child Was Stolen By Me Or By My Wife."

"I Never Accused You,  Or Thought You Capable Of It; And That Is The

Reason Why I Am Now Surprised At The Interest You Take In Her. If She

Prefers To Go With You,  I Have No More To Say,  But If Not,  I Claim Her;

And If She Consents,  Will Resist Your Interference."

"Japhet," Replied Melchior,  After A Pause,  "We Must Not Quarrel Now That

We Are About To Part. I Will Give You An Answer In Half An Hour."

Melchior Returned To Nattee,  And Re-Commenced A Conversation With Her,

While I Hastened To Fleta.

"Fleta,  Do You Know That The Camp Is To Be Broken Up,  And Melchior And

Nattee Leave It Together?"

"Indeed!" Replied She,  With Surprise. "Then What Is To Become Of You And

Timothy?"

"We Must Of Course Seek Our Fortunes Where We Can."

"And Of Me?" Continued She,  Looking Me Earnestly In The Face With Her

Large Blue Eyes. "Am I To Stay Here?" Continued She,  With Alarm In Her

Countenance.

"Not If You Do Not Wish It,  Fleta; As Long As I Can Support You I

Will--That Is,  If You Would Like To Live With Me In Preference To

Melchior."

"If I Would Like,  Japhet; You Must Know I Would Like--Who Has Been So

Kind To Me As You? Don'T Leave Me,  Japhet."

"I Will Not,  Fleta; But On Condition That You Promise To Be Guided By

Me,  And To Do All I Wish."

"To Do What You Wish Is The Greatest Pleasure That I Have,  Japhet--So I

May Safely Promise That. What Has Happened?"

"That I Do Not Know More Than Yourself; But Melchior Tells Me That He

And Nattee Quit The Gipsy Tents For Ever."

Fleta Looked Round To Ascertain If Any One Was Near Us,  And Then In a

Low Tone Said,  "I Understand Their Language,  Japhet,  That Is,  A Great

Deal Of It,  Although They Do Not Think So,  And I Overheard What The

Gipsy Said In Part,  Although He Was At Some Distance. He Asked For

Melchior; And When Nattee Wanted To Know What He Wanted,  He Answered

That,  '_He_ Was Dead;' Then Nattee Covered Up Her Face. I Could Not Hear

All The Rest,  But There Was Something About A _Horse_."

_He_ Was _Dead_. Had Then Melchior Committed Murder,  And Was Obliged To

Fly The Country? This Appeared To Me To Be The Most Probable,  When I

Collected The Facts In My Possession; And Yet I Could Not Believe It,

For Except That System Of Deceit Necessary To Carry On His Various

Professions,  I Never Found Anything In Melchior'S Conduct Which Could Be

Considered As Criminal. On The Contrary,  He Was Kind,  Generous,  And

Upright In His Private Dealings,  And In Many Points,  Proved That He Had

A Good Heart. He Was A Riddle Of Inconsistency It Was Certain;

Professionally He Would Cheat Anybody,  And Disregard All Truth And

Honesty; But,  In His Private Character,  He Was Scrupulously Honest,  And,

With The Exception Of The Assertion Relative To Fleta'S Birth And

Parentage,  He Had Never Told Me A Lie,  That I Could Discover. I Was

Summing Up All These Reflections In My Mind,  When Melchior Again Came Up

To Me,  And Desiring The Little Girl To Go Away,  He Said,  "Japhet,  I Have

Resolved To Grant Your Request With Respect To Fleta,  But It Must Be On

Conditions."

"Let Me Hear Them."

"First,  Then,  Japhet,  As You Always Have Been Honest And Confiding With

Me,  Tell Me Now What Are Your Intentions. Do You Mean To Follow Up The

Profession Which You Learnt Under Me,  Or What Do You Intend To Do?"

"Honestly,  Then,  Melchior,  I Do Not Intend To Follow Up That Profession,

Unless Driven To It By Necessity. I Intend To Seek My Father."

"And If Driven To It By Necessity,  Do You Intend That Fleta Shall Aid

You By Her Acquirements? In Short,  Do You Mean To Take Her With You As A

Speculation,  To Make The Most Of Her,  To Let Her Sink,  When She Arrives

At The Age Of Woman,  Into Vice And Misery?"

"I Wonder At Your Asking Me That Question,  Melchior; It Is The First Act

Of Injustice I Have Received At Your Hands. No; If Obliged To Follow Up

The Profession,  I Will Not Allow Fleta So To Do. I Would Sooner That She

Were In Her Grave. It Is To Rescue Her From That Very Vice And Misery,

To Take Her Out Of A Society In Which She