"Morning,sir!"saidCaptainJorgan。"Howdoyoudo?"
"ThegentlemanIamgoingawaywith,"saidtheyoungfishermantoTregarthen。
"O!"returnedKitty’sfather,surveyingtheunfortunatecaptainwithalookofextremedisfavour。"IconfessthatIcan’tsayIamgladtoseeyou。"
"No,"saidthecaptain,"and,toadmitthetruth,thatseemstobethegeneralopinionintheseparts。Butdon’tbehasty;youmaythinkbetterofmeby—and—by。"
"Ihopeso,"observedTregarthen。
"Wa’al,Ihopeso,"observedthecaptain,quiteathisease;"morethanthat,Ibelieveso,——thoughyoudon’t。Now,Mr。Tregarthen,youdon’twanttoexchangewordsofmistrustwithme;andifyoudid,youcouldn’t,becauseIwouldn’t。YouandIareoldenoughtoknowbetterthantojudgeagainstexperiencefromsurfacesandappearances;andifyouhaven’tlivedtofindouttheevilandinjusticeofsuchjudgments,youarealuckyman。"
Theotherseemedtoshrinkunderthisremark,andreplied,"Sir,I
havelivedtofeelitdeeply。"
"Wa’al,"saidthecaptain,mollified,"thenI’vemadeagoodcastwithoutknowingit。Now,Tregarthen,therestandstheloverofyouronlychild,andherestandIwhoknowhissecret。Iwarrantitarighteoussecret,andnoneofhismaking,thoughboundtobeofhiskeeping。Iwanttohelphimoutwithit,andtewwardsthatendweaskyoutofavouruswiththenamesoftwoorthreeoldresidentsinthevillageofLanrean。AsIamtakingoutmypocket—bookandpenciltoputthenamesdown,Imayaswellobservetoyouthatthis,wroteatopofthefirstpagehere,ismynameandaddress:
’SilasJonasJorgan,Salem,Massachusetts,UnitedStates。’Ifeveryoutakeitinyourheadtorunoveranymorning,Ishallbegladtowelcomeyou。Now,whatmaybethespellingofthesesaidnames?"
"Therewasanelderlyman,"saidTregarthen,"namedDavidPolreath。
Hemaybedead。"
"Wa’al,"saidthecaptain,cheerfully,"ifPolreath’sdeadandburied,andcanbemadeofanyservicetous,Polreathwon’tobjecttoourdiggingofhimup。Polreath’sdown,anyhow。"
"TherewasanothernamedPenrewen。Idon’tknowhisChristianname。"
"NevermindhisChris’enname,"saidthecaptain;"Penrewen,forshort。"
"TherewasanothernamedJohnTredgear。"
"Andapleasant—soundingname,too,"saidthecaptain;"JohnTredgear’sbooked。"
"IcanrecallnootherexceptoldParvis。"
"OneofoldParvis’sfam’lyIreckon,"saidthecaptain,"keptadry—goodsstoreinNewYorkcity,andrealisedahandsomecompetencybyburninghishousetoashes。Samename,anyhow。DavidPolreath,Unchris’enPenrewen,JohnTredgear,andoldArsonParvis。"
"Icannotrecallanyothersatthemoment。"
"Thank’ee,"saidthecaptain。"Andso,Tregarthen,hopingforyourgoodopinionyet,andlikewiseforthefairDevonshireFlower’s,yourdaughter’s,Igiveyoumyhand,sir,andwishyougoodday。"
YoungRaybrockaccompaniedhimdisconsolately;fortherewasnoKittyatthewindowwhenhelookedup,noKittyinthegardenwhenheshutthegate,noKittygazingafterthemalongthestonywayswhentheybegintoclimbback。
"NowItellyouwhat,"saidthecaptain。"Notbeingatpresentcalculatedtopromoteharmonyinyourfamily,Iwon’tcomein。Yougoandgetyourdinnerathome,andI’llgetmineatthelittlehotel。Letourhourofmeetingbetwoo’clock,andyou’llfindmesmokingacigarinthesunaforethehoteldoor。TellTomPettifer,mysteward,toconsiderhimselfonduty,andtolookafteryourpeopletillwecomeback;you’llfindhe’llhavemadehimselfusefulto’emalready,andwillbequiteacceptable。"
AllwasdoneasCaptainJorgandirected。Punctuallyattwoo’clocktheyoungfishermanappearedwithhisknapsackathisback;andpunctuallyattwoo’clockthecaptainjerkedawaythelastfeather—
endofhiscigar。
"Letmecarryyourbaggage,CaptainJorgan;Icaneasilytakeitwithmine。"
"Thank’ee,"saidthecaptain。"I’llcarryitmyself。It’sonlyacomb。"
Theyclimbedoutofthevillage,andpausedamongthetreesandfernonthesummitofthehillabove,totakebreath,andtolookdownatthebeautifulsea。Suddenlythecaptaingavehislegaresoundingslap,andcried,"Neverknewsucharightthinginallmylife!"——
andranaway。
ThecauseofthisabruptretirementonthepartofthecaptainwaslittleKittyamongthetrees。Thecaptainwentoutofsightandwaited,andkeptoutofsightandwaited,untilitoccurredtohimtobeguilethetimewithanothercigar。Helightedit,andsmokeditout,andstillhewasoutofsightandwaiting。Hestolewithinsightatlast,andsawthelovers,withtheirarmsentwinedandtheirbentheadstouching,movingslowlyamongthetrees。Itwasthegoldentimeoftheafternoonthen,andthecaptainsaidtohimself,"Goldensun,goldensea,goldensails,goldenleaves,goldenlove,goldenyouth,——agoldenstateofthingsaltogether!"
Neverthelessthecaptainfounditnecessarytohailhisyoungcompanionbeforegoingoutofsightagain。Inafewmomentsmorehecameupandtheybegantheirjourney。
"Thatstillyoungwomanwiththefatherlesschild,"saidCaptainJorgan,astheyfellintostep,"didn’tthrowherwordsaway;butgoodhonestwordsareneverthrownaway。AndnowthatIamconveyingyouofffromthattenderlittlethingthatloves,andrelies,andhopes,IfeeljustasifIwasthesnarlingcritturinthepicters,withthetightlegs,thelongnose,andthefeatherinhiscap,thetipsofwhosemoustachesgetupnearertohiseyesthewickederhegets。"
TheyoungfishermanknewnothingofMephistopheles;buthesmiledwhenthecaptainstoppedtodoublehimselfupandslaphisleg,andtheywentalonginrightgoodfellowship。
CHAPTERV{1}——THERESTITUTION
CaptainJorgan,upandoutbetimes,hadputthewholevillageofLanreanunderanamicablecross—examination,andwasreturningtotheKingArthur’sArmstobreakfast,nonethewiserforhistrouble,whenhebeheldtheyoungfishermanadvancingtomeethim,accompaniedbyastranger。AglanceatthisstrangerassuredthecaptainthathecouldbenootherthantheSeafaringMan;andthecaptainwasabouttohailhimasafellow—craftsman,whenthetwostoodstillandsilentbeforethecaptain,andthecaptainstoodstill,silent,andwonderingbeforethem。
"Why,what’sthis?"criedthecaptain,whenatlasthebrokethesilence。"Youtwoarealike。Youtwoaremuchalike。What’sthis?"
Notawordwasansweredontheotherside,untilafterthesea—
faringbrotherhadgotholdofthecaptain’srighthand,andthefishermanbrotherhadgotholdofthecaptain’slefthand;andifeverthecaptainhadhadhisfillofhand—shaking,fromhisbirthtothathour,hehaditthen。Andpresentlyupandspokethetwobrothers,oneatatime,twoatatime,twodozenatatimeforthebewildermentintowhichtheyplungedthecaptain,untilhegraduallyhadHughRaybrock’sdeliverancemadecleartohim,andalsounravelledthefactthatthepersonreferredtointhehalf—
obliteratedpaperwasTregarthenhimself。
"Formerly,dearCaptainJorgan,"saidAlfred,"ofLanrean,yourecollect?KittyandherfathercametoliveatSteepwaysafterHughshippedonhislastvoyage。"
"Ay,ay!"criedthecaptain,fetchingabreath。"Nowyouhavemeintow。Thenyourbrotherheredon’tknowhissister—in—lawthatistobesomuchasbyname?"
"Neversawher;neverheardofher!"
"Ay,ay,ay!"criedthecaptain。"Whythenweeveryonegobacktogether——paper,writer,andall——andtakeTregarthenintothesecretwekeptfromhim?"
"Surely,"saidAlfred,"wecan’thelpitnow。Wemustgothroughwithourduty。"
"Notadoubt,"returnedthecaptain。"Givemeanarmapiece,andletussetthisship—shape。"
Sowalkingupanddownintheshrillwindonthewildmoor,whiletheneglectedbreakfastcooledwithin,thecaptainandthebrotherssettledtheircourseofaction。
ItwasthattheyshouldallproceedbythequickestmeanstheycouldsecuretoBarnstaple,andtherelookoverthefather’sbooksandpapersinthelawyer’skeeping;asHughhadproposedtohimselftodoifeverhereachedhome。That,enlightenedorunenlightened,theyshouldthenreturntoSteepwaysandgostraighttoMr。
Tregarthen,andtellhimalltheyknew,andseewhatcameofit,andactaccordingly。Lastly,thatwhentheygottheretheyshouldenterthevillagewithallprecautionsagainstHugh’sbeingrecognisedbyanychance;andthattothecaptainshouldbeconsignedthetaskofpreparinghiswifeandmotherforhisrestorationtothislife。
"Foryousee,"quothCaptainJorgan,touchingthelasthead,"itrequirescautionanyway,greatjoysbeingasdangerousasgreatgriefs,ifnotmoredangerous,asbeingmoreuncommon(andthereforelessprovidedagainst)inthisroundworldofours。Andbesides,I
shouldliketofreemynamewiththeladies,andtakeyouhomeagainatyourbrightestandluckiest;sodon’tlet’sthrowawayachanceofsuccess。"
Thecaptainwashighlylaudedbythebrothersforhiskindinterestandforesight。
"Andnowstop!"saidthecaptain,comingtoastandstill,andlookingfromonebrothertotheother,withquiteanewriggingofwrinklesabouteacheye;"youareofopinion,"totheelder,"thatyouarera’atherslow?"
"IassureyouIamveryslow,"saidthehonestHugh。
"Wa’al,"repliedthecaptain,"IassureyouthattothebestofmybeliefIamra’athersmart。Nowaslowmanain’tgoodatquickbusiness,ishe?"
Thatwascleartoboth。
"You,"saidthecaptain,turningtotheyoungerbrother,"arealittleinlove;ain’tyou?"
"Notalittle,CaptainJorgan。"
"Muchorlittle,you’resortpreoccupied;ain’tyou?"
Itwasimpossibletobedenied。
"Andasortpreoccupiedmanain’tgoodatquickbusiness,ishe?"
saidthecaptain。
Equallyclearonallsides。
"Now,"saidthecaptain,"Iain’tinlovemyself,andI’vemademanyasmartrunacrosstheocean,andIshouldliketocarryonandgoaheadwiththisaffairofyours,andmakearunslickthroughit。
ShallItry?Willyouhanditovertome?"
Theywerebothdelightedtodoso,andthankedhimheartily。
"Good,"saidthecaptain,takingouthiswatch。"Thisishalf—pasteighta。m。,Fridaymorning。I’lljotthatdown,andwe’llcomputehowmanyhourswe’vebeenoutwhenwerunintoyourmother’spost—
office。There!Theentry’smade,andnowwegoahead。"
TheywentaheadsowellthatbeforetheBarnstaplelawyer’sofficewasopennextmorning,thecaptainwassittingwhistlingonthestepofthedoor,waitingfortheclerktocomedownthestreetwithhiskeyandopenit。Butinsteadoftheclerktherecamethemaster,withwhomthecaptainfraternisedonthespottoanextentthatutterlyconfoundedhim。
AshepersonallyknewbothHughandAlfred,therewasnodifficultyinobtainingimmediateaccesstosuchofthefather’spapersaswereinhiskeeping。Thesewerechieflyoldlettersandcashaccounts;
fromwhichthecaptain,withashrewdnessanddespatchthatleftthelawyerfarbehind,establishedwithperfectclearness,bynoon,thefollowingparticulars:—
ThatoneLawrenceClissoldhadborrowedofthedeceased,atatimewhenhewasathrivingyoungtradesmaninthetownofBarnstaple,thesumoffivehundredpounds。Thathehadborroweditonthewrittenstatementthatitwastobelaidoutinfurtheranceofaspeculationwhichheexpectedwouldraisehimtoindependence;hebeing,atthetimeofwritingthatletter,nomorethanaclerkinthehouseofDringworthBrothers,AmericaSquare,London。Thatthemoneywasborrowedforastipulatedperiod;butthat,whenthetermwasout,theaforesaidspeculationfailed,andClissoldwaswithoutmeansofrepayment。That,hereupon,hehadwrittentohiscreditor,innoverypersuasiveterms,vaguelyrequestingfurthertime。Thatthecreditorhadrefusedthisconcession,declaringthathecouldnotafforddelay。ThatClissoldthenpaidthedebt,accompanyingtheremittanceofthemoneywithanangryletterdescribingitashavingbeenadvancedbyarelativetosavehimfromruin。That,inacknowlodgingthereceipt,RaybrockhadcautionedClissoldtoseektoborrowmoneyofhimnomore,ashewouldneversoriskmoneyagain。
Beforethelawyerthecaptainsaidneverawordinreferencetothesediscoveries。Butwhenthepapershadbeenputbackintheirbox,andheandhistwocompanionswerewelloutoftheoffice,hisrightlegsufferedforit,andhesaid,—
"Sofarthisrun’sbegunwithafairwindandaprosperous;fordon’tyouseethatallthisagreeswiththatdutifultrustinhisfathermaintainedbytheslowmemberoftheRaybrockfamily?"
Whetherthebrothershadseenitbeforeorno,theysawitnow。Notthatthecaptaingavethemmuchtimetocontemplatethestateofthingsattheirease,forheinstantlywhippedthemintoachaiseagain,andborethemofftoSteepways。Althoughtheafternoonwasbutjustbeginningtodeclinewhentheyreachedit,anditwasbroadday—light,stilltheyhadnodifficulty,bydintofmuffingthereturnedsailorup,andascendingthevillageratherthandescendingit,inreachingTregarthen’scottageunobserved。Kittywasnotvisible,andtheysurprisedTregarthensittingwritinginthesmallbay—windowofhislittleroom。
"Sir,"saidthecaptain,instantlyshakinghandswithhim,penandall,"I’mgladtoseeyou,sir。Howdoyoudo,sir?Itoldyouyou’dthinkbetterofmeby—and—by,andIcongratulateyouongoingtodoit。"
Herethecaptain’seyefellonTomPettiferHo,engagedinpreparingsomecookeryatthefire。
"Thatcritter,"saidthecaptain,smitinghisleg,"isabornsteward,andneveroughttohavebeeninanyotherwayoflife。
Stopwhereyouare,Tom,andmakeyourselfuseful。Now,Tregarthen,I’mgoingtotryachair。"
Accordinglythecaptaindrewoneclosetohim,andwenton:—
"ThislovingmemberoftheRaybrockfamilyyouknow,sir。Thisslowmemberofthesamefamilyyoudon’tknow,sir。Wa’al,thesetwoarebrothers,——fact!Hugh’scometolifeagain,andherehestands。
Nowseehere,myfriend!Youdon’twanttobetoldthathewascastaway,butyoudowanttobetold(forthere’sapurposeinit)thathewascastawaywithanotherman。ThatmanbynamewasLawrenceClissold。"
AtthementionofthisnameTregarthenstartedandchangedcolour。
"What’sthematter?"saidthecaptain。
"Hewasafellow—clerkofminethirty——five—and—thirty——yearsago。"
"True,"saidthecaptain,immediatelycatchingattheclew:
"DringworthBrothers,AmericaSquare,LondonCity。"
Theotherstartedagain,nodded,andsaid,"Thatwasthehouse。"
"Now,"pursuedthecaptain,"betweenthosetwomencastawaytherearoseamysteryconcerningtheroundsumoffivehundredpound。"
AgainTregarthenstarted,changingcolour。Againthecaptainsaid,"What’sthematter?"
AsTregarthenonlyanswered,"Pleasetogoon,"thecaptainrecounted,veryterselyandplainly,thenatureofClissold’swanderingsonthebarrenisland,ashehadcondensedtheminhismindfromtheseafaringman。Tregarthenbecamegreatlyagitatedduringthisrecital,andatlengthexclaimed,—
"Clissoldwasthemanwhoruinedme!Ihavesuspecteditformanyalongyear,andnowIknowit。"
"Andhow,"saidthecaptain,drawinghischairstillclosertoTregarthen,andclappinghishanduponhisshoulder,——"howmayyouknowit?"
"Whenwewerefellow—clerks,"repliedTregarthen,"inthatLondonhouse,itwasoneofmydutiestoenterdailyinacertainbookanaccountofthesumsreceivedthatdaybythefirm,andafterwardpaidintothebankers’。Onememorableday,——aWednesday,theblackdayofmylife,——amongthesumsIsoenteredwasoneoffivehundredpounds。"
"Ibegintomakeitout,"saidthecaptain。"Yes?"
"ItwasoneofClissold’sdutiestocopyfromthisentryamemorandumofthesumswhichtheclerkemployedtogotothebankers’paidinthere。ItwasmydutytohandthemoneytoClissold;itwasClissold’stohandittotheclerk,withthatmemorandumofhiswriting。OnthatWednesdayIenteredasumoffivehundredpoundsreceived。Ihandedthatsum,asIhandedtheothersumsintheday’sentry,toClissold。Iwasabsolutelycertainofitatthetime;Ihavebeenabsolutelycertainofiteversince。Asumoffivehundredpoundswasafterwardfoundbythehousetohavebeenthatdaywantingfromthebag,fromClissold’smemorandum,andfromtheentriesinmybook。Clissold,beingquestioned,stooduponhisperfectclearnessinthematter,andemphaticallydeclaredthatheaskednobetterthantobetestedby’Tregarthen’sbook。’Mybookwasexamined,andtheentryoffivehundredpoundswasnotthere。"
"Hownotthere,"saidthecaptain,"whenyoumadeityourself?"
Tregarthencontinued:—
"Iwasthenquestioned。HadImadetheentry?CertainlyIhad。
Thehouseproducedmybook,anditwasnotthere。Icouldnotdenymybook;Icouldnotdenymywriting。Iknewtheremustbeforgerybysomeone;butthewritingwaswonderfullylikemine,andIcouldimpeachnooneifthehousecouldnot。Iwasrequiredtopaythemoneyback。Ididso;andIleftthehouse,almostbroken—hearted,ratherthanremainthere,——evenifIcouldhavedoneso,——withadarkshadowofsuspicionalwaysonme。Ireturnedtomynativeplace,Lanrean,andremainedthere,clerktoamine,untilIwasappointedtomylittleposthere。"
"Iwellremember,"saidthecaptain,"thatItoldyouthatifyouhadnoexperienceofilljudgmentsondeceivingappearances,youwerealuckyman。Youwenthurtatthat,andIseewhy。I’msorry。"
"Thusitis,"saidTregarthen。"OfmyowninnocenceIhaveofcoursebeensure;ithasbeenatoncemycomfortandmytrial。OfClissoldIhavealwayshadsuspicionsalmostamountingtocertainty;
buttheyhaveneverbeenconfirmeduntilnow。Formydaughter’ssakeandformyownIhavecarriedthissubjectinmyownheart,astheonlysecretofmylife,andhavelongbelievedthatitwoulddiewithme。"
"Wa’al,mygoodsir,"saidthecaptaincordially,"thepresentquestionis,andwillbelong,Ihope,concerningliving,andnotdying。Now,hereareourtwohonestfriends,thelovingRaybrockandtheslow。Heretheystand,agreedononepoint,onwhichI’dback’emroundtheworld,andrightacrossitfromnorthtosouth,andthenagainfromeasttowest,andthroughit,fromyourdeepestCornishminetoChina。Itis,thattheywillneverusethissameso—often—mentionedsumofmoney,andthatrestitutionofitmustbemadetoyou。Thesetwo,thelovingmemberandtheslow,forthesakeoftherightandoftheirfather’smemory,willhaveitreadyforyouto—morrow。Takeit,andeasetheirmindsandmine,andendamostunfortunatetransaction。"
Tregarthentookthecaptainbythehand,andgavehishandtoeachoftheyoungmen,butpositivelyandfinallyansweredNo。Hesaid,theytrustedtohisword,andhewasgladofit,andatrestinhismind;buttherewasnoproof,andthemoneymustremainasitwas。
Allwereveryearnestoverthis;andearnestnessinmen,whentheyarerightandtrue,issoimpressive,thatMr。Pettiferdesertedhiscookeryandlookedonquitemoved。
"Andso,"saidthecaptain,"sowecome——asthatlawyer—critturoveryonderwherewewerethismorningmight——tomereproof;dowe?Wemusthaveit;mustwe?How?FromthisClissold’swanderings,andfromwhatyousay,itain’thardtomakeoutthattherewasaneatforgeryofyourwritingcommittedbythetoosmartrowdythatwasgreaseandasheswhenImadehisacquaintance,andasubstitutionofaforgedleafinyourbookforarealandtornleaftornout。Nowwasthatrealandtrueleafthenandtheredestroyed?No,——forsayshe,inhisdrunkenway,heslippeditintoacrackinhisowndesk,becauseyoucameintotheofficebeforetherewastimetoburnit,andcouldnevergetbacktoitarterwards。Waitabit。Whereisthatdesknow?DoyouconsideritlikelytobeinAmericaSquare,LondonCity?"
Tregarthenshookhishead。
"Thehousehasnot,foryears,transactedbusinessinthatplace。I
haveheardofit,andreadofit,asremoved,enlarged,everywayaltered。Thingsaltersofastinthesetimes。"
"Youthinkso,"returnedthecaptain,withcompassion;"butyoushouldcomeoverandseemeaforeyoutalkaboutthat。Wa’al,now。
Thisdesk,thispaper,——thispaper,thisdesk,"saidthecaptain,ruminatingandwalkingabout,andlooking,inhisuneasyabstraction,intoMr。Pettifer’shatonatable,amongotherthings。
"Thisdesk,thispaper,——thispaper,thisdesk,"thecaptaincontinued,musingandroamingabouttheroom,"I’dgive——"
However,hegavenothing,buttookuphissteward’shatinstead,andstoodlookingintoit,asifhehadjustcomeintochurch。Afterthatheroamedagain,andagainsaid,"Thisdesk,belongingtothishouseofDringworthBrothers,AmericaSquare,LondonCity——"
Mr。Pettifer,stillstrangelymoved,andnowmoremovedthanbefore,cutthecaptainoffashebackedacrosstheroom,andbespakehimthus:—
"CaptainJorgan,Ihavebeenwishfultoengageyourattention,butI
couldn’tdoit。IamunwillingtointerruptCaptainJorgan,butI
mustdoit。Iknewsomethingaboutthathouse。"
Thecaptainstoodstock—stillandlookedathim,——withhis(Mr。
Pettifer’s)hatunderhisarm。
"You’reaware,"pursuedhissteward,"thatIwasonceinthebrokingbusiness,CaptainJorgan?"
"Iwasaware,"saidthecaptain,"thatyouhadfailedinthatcalling,andinhalfthebusinessesgoing,Tom。"
"Notquiteso,CaptainJorgan;butIfailedinthebrokingbusiness。
Iwaspartnerswithmybrother,sir。TherewasasaleofoldofficefurnitureatDringworthBrothers’whenthehousewasmovedfromAmericaSquare,andmeandmybrothermadewhatwecallinthetradeaDealthere,sir。AndI’llmakeboldtosay,sir,thattheonlythingIeverhadfrommybrother,orfromanyrelation,——formyrelationshavemostlytakenpropertyfrommeinsteadofgivingmeany,——wasanolddeskweboughtatthatsamesale,withacrackinit。Mybrotherwouldn’thavegivenmeeventhat,whenwebrokepartnership,ifithadbeenworthanything。"
"Whereisthatdesknow?"saidthecaptain。
"Well,CaptainJorgan,"repliedthesteward,"Icouldn’tsayforcertainwhereitisnow;butwhenIsawitlast,——whichwaslasttimewewereoutwardbound,——itwasataverynicelady’satWapping,alongwithalittlechestofminewhichwasdetainedforasmallmatterofabillowing。"
Thecaptain,insteadofpayingthatraptattentiontohisstewardwhichwasrenderedbytheotherthreepersonspresent,wenttoChurchagain,inrespectofthesteward’shat。Andamostespeciallyagitatedandmemorablefacethecaptainproducedfromit,afterashortpause。
"Now,Tom,"saidthecaptain,"Ispoketoyou,whenwefirstcamehere,respectingyourconstitutionalweaknessonthesubjectofsunstroke。"
"Youdid,sir。"
"Willmyslowfriend,"saidthecaptain,"lendmehisarm,orI
shallsinkrightback’ardsintothisblessedsteward’scookery?
Now,Tom,"pursuedthecaptain,whentherequiredassistancewasgiven,"onyouroathasasteward,didn’tyoutakethatdesktopiecestomakeabetteroneofit,andputittogetherfresh,——orsomethingofthekind?"
"OnmyoathIdid,sir,"repliedthesteward。
"AndbytheblessingofHeaven,myfriends,oneandall,"criedthecaptain,radiantwithjoy,——"oftheHeaventhatputitintothisTomPettifer’sheadtotakesomuchcareofhisheadagainstthebrightsun,——helinedhishatwiththeoriginalleafinTregarthen’swriting,——andhereitis!"
Withthatthecaptain,totheutterdestructionofMr。Pettifer’sfavouritehat,producedthebook—leaf,verymuchworn,butstilllegible,andgavebothhislegssuchtremendousslapsthattheywereheardfaroffinthebay,andneveraccountedfor。
"Aquarterpastfivep。m。,"saidthecaptain,pullingouthiswatch,"andthat’sthirty—threehoursandaquarterinall,andaprittyrun!"
Howtheywerealloverpoweredwithdelightandtriumph;howthemoneywasrestored,thenandthere,toTregarthen;howTregarthen,thenandthere,gaveitalltohisdaughter;howthecaptainundertooktogotoDringworthBrothersandre—establishthereputationoftheirforgottenoldclerk;howKittycamein,andwasnearlytorntopieces,andthemarriagewasreappointed,needsnottobetold。Norhowsheandtheyoungfishermanwenthometothepost—officetopreparethewayforthecaptain’scoming,bydeclaringhimtobethemightiestofmen,whohadmadealltheirfortunes,——andthendutifullywithdrewtogether,inorderthathemighthavethedomesticcoastentirelytohimself。Howheavailedhimselfofitisallthatremainstotell。
Deeplydelightedwithhistrust,andputtinghisheartintoit,heraisedthelatchofthepost—officeparlourwhereMrs。Raybrockandtheyoungwidowsat,andsaid,—
"MayIcomein?"
"Sureyoumay,CaptainJorgan!"repliedtheoldlady。"Andgoodreasonyouhavetobefreeofthehouse,thoughyouhavenotbeentoowellusedinitbysomewhooughttohaveknownbetter。Iaskyourpardon。"
"Noyoudon’t,ma’am,"saidthecaptain,"forIwon’tletyou。
Wa’al,tobesure!"
Bythistimehehadtakenachaironthehearthbetweenthem。
"Neverfeltsuchanevilspiritinthewholecourseofmylife!
There!Itellyou!Icoulda’mosthavecutmyownconnection。
Likethedealerinmycountry,awayWest,whowhenhehadlethimselfbeoutdoneinabargain,saidtohimself,’NowItellyouwhat!I’llneverspeaktoyouagain。’Andheneverdid,butjoinedasettlementofoysters,andtranslatedthemultiplicationtableintotheirlanguage,——whichisafactthatcanbeproved。Ifyoudoubtit,mentionittoanyoysteryoucomeacross,andseeifhe’llhavethefacetocontradictit。"
Hetookthechildfromhermother’slapandsetitonhisknee。
"Notabitafraidofmenow,yousee。KnowsIamfondofsmallpeople。Ihaveachild,andshe’sagirl,andIsingtohersometimes。"
"Whatdoyousing?"askedMargaret。
"Notalongsong,mydear。
SilasJorganPlayedtheorgan。
That’saboutall。AndsometimesItellherstories,——storiesofsailorssupposedtobelost,andrecoveredafterallhopewasabandoned。"Herethecaptainmusinglywentbacktohissong,—
SilasJorganPlayedtheorgan;
repeatingitwithhiseyesonthefire,ashesoftlydancedthechildonhisknee。ForhefeltthatMargarethadstoppedworking。
"Yes,"saidthecaptain,stilllookingatthefire,"Imakeupstoriesandtell’emtothatchild。Storiesofshipwreckondesertislands,andlongdelayingettingbacktocivilisedlauds。Itistostoriesthelikeofthat,mostly,thatSilasJorganPlaystheorgan。"
Therewasnolightintheroombutthelightofthefire;fortheshadesofnightwereonthevillage,andthestarshadbeguntopeepoutoftheskyonebyone,asthehousesofthevillagepeepedoutfromamongthefoliagewhenthenightdeparted。ThecaptainfeltthatMargaret’seyeswereuponhim,andthoughtitdiscreetesttokeephisowneyesonthefire。
"Yes;Imake’emup,"saidthecaptain。"ImakeupstoriesofbrothersbroughttogetherbythegoodprovidenceofGOD,——ofsonsbroughtbacktomothers,husbandsbroughtbacktowives,fathersraisedfromthedeep,forlittlechildrenlikeherself。"
Margaret’stouchwasonhisarm,andhecouldnotchoosebutlookroundnow。Nextmomentherhandmovedimploringlytohisbreast,andshewasonherkneesbeforehim,——supportingthemother,whowasalsokneeling。
"What’sthematter?"saidthecaptain。"What’sthematter?
SilasJorganPlayedthe—
Theirlooksandtearsweretoomuchforhim,andhecouldnotfinishthesong,shortasitwas。
"MistressMargaret,youhaveborneillfortunewell。Couldyoubeargoodfortuneequallywell,ifitwastocome?"
"Ihopeso。Ithankfullyandhumblyandearnestlyhopeso!"
"Wa’al,mydear,"saidthecaptain,"p’rhapsithascome。He’s——
don’tbefrightened——shallIsaytheword——"
"Alive?"
"Yes!"
ThethankstheyferventlyaddressedtoHeavenwereagaintoomuchforthecaptain,whoopenlytookouthishandkerchiefanddriedhiseyes。
"He’snofurtheroff,"resumedthecaptain,"thanmycountry。
Indeed,he’snofurtheroffthanhisownnativecountry。Totellyouthetruth,he’snofurtheroffthanFalmouth。Indeed,Idoubtifhe’squitesofur。Indeed,ifyouwassureyoucouldbearitnicely,andIwastodonomorethanwhistleforhim——"
Thecaptain’strustwasdischarged。Arushcame,andtheywerealltogetheragain。
ThiswasafineopportunityforTomPettifertoappearwithatumblerofcoldwater,andhepresentlyappearedwithit,andadministeredittotheladies;atthesametimesoothingthem,andcomposingtheirdresses,exactlyasiftheyhadbeenpassengerscrossingtheChannel。Theextenttowhichthecaptainslappedhislegs,whenMr。Pettiferacquittedhimselfofthisactofstewardship,couldhavebeenthoroughlyappreciatedbynoonebuthimself;inasmuchashemusthaveslappedthemblackandblue,andtheymusthavesmartedtremendously。
Hecouldn’tstayforthewedding,havingafewappointmentstokeepattheirreconcilabledistanceofaboutfourthousandmiles。Sonextmorningallthevillagecheeredhimuptothelevelgroundabove,andthereheshookhandswithacompleteCensusofitspopulation,andinvitedthewhole,withoutexception,tocomeandstayseveralmonthswithhimatSalem,Mass。,U。S。Andthereashestoodonthespotwherehehadseenthatlittlegoldenpictureofloveandparting,andfromwhichhecouldthatmorningcontemplateanothergoldenpicturewithavistaofgoldenyearsinit,littleKittyputherarmsaroundhisneck,andkissedhimonbothhisbronzedcheeks,andlaidherprettyfaceuponhisstorm—beatenbreast,insightofall,——ashamedtohavecalledsuchanoblecaptainnames。Andtherethecaptainwavedhishatoverhisheadthreefinaltimes;andtherehewaslastseen,goingawayaccompaniedbyTomPettiferHo,andcarryinghishandsinhispockets。Andthere,beforethatgroundwassoftenedwiththefallenleavesofthreemoresummers,arosylittleboytookhisfirstunsteadyruntoafairyoungmother’sbreast,andthenameofthatinfantfishermanwasJorganRaybrock。
Footnotes:
{1}Dicken’sdidn’twritechaptersthreeandfourandtheyareomittedinthisedition。ThestorycontinueswithCaptainJorganandAlfredatLanrean。