第2章
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  \"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。

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