\"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。