Japhet In Search Of A Father Part 1 - Frederick Marryat (best summer reads of all time .txt) 📗
- Author: Frederick Marryat
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At What Has Come To Light During This Last Year, But As It Is
Necessary That You Should Be Acquainted With The Whole Transaction;
And As You Had Not Decided When You Last Wrote, Whether You Would
Prosecute Your Intended Three Months Trip To Sicily, Or Return From
Milan, You May Probably Arrive When I Am Out Of Town; I Therefore
Enclose You A Letter To Mr Masterton, Directing Him To Surrender To
You A Sealed Packet, Lodged In His Hands, Containing All The
Particulars, The Letters Which Bear Upon Them, And What Has Been
Proposed To Avoid Exposure; Which You May Peruse At Your Leisure,
Should You Arrive Before My Return To Town. There Is No Doubt But
That The Affair May Be Hushed Up, And We Trust That You Will See
The Prudence Of The Measure; As, Once Known, It Will Be Very
Discreditable To The Family Escutcheon. ('I Always Had An Idea You
Were Of Good Family,' Interrupted Tim.) I Wish You Had Followed My
Advice, And Had Not Returned; But As You Were Positive On That
Point, I Beg You Will Now Consider The Propriety Of Remaining
Incognito, As Reports Are Already Abroad, And Your Sudden Return
Will Cause A Great Deal Of Surmise. Your Long Absence At The
Gottingen University, And Your Subsequent Completion Of Your Grand
Tour, Will Have Effaced All Remembrance Of Your Person, And You Can
Easily Be Passed Off As A Particular Friend Of Mine, And I Can
Introduce You Everywhere As Such. Take, Then, Any Name You May
Please, Provided It Be Not Smith Or Brown, Or Such Vulgarisms; And
On The Receipt Of This Letter, Write A Note, And Send It To My
House In Portman Square, Just Saying, '_So And So_ Is Arrived.'
This Will Prevent The Servants From Obtaining Any Information By
Part 1 Chapter 18 Pg 96Their Prying Curiosity; And As I Have Directed All My Letters To Be
Forwarded To My Seat In Worcestershire, I Shall Come Up Immediately
That I Receive It, And By Your Putting The Name Which You Mean To
Assume, I Shall Know Whom To Ask For When I Call At The Hotel.
"Your Affectionate Uncle,
"Windermear."
"One Thing Is Very Clear, Timothy," Said I, Laying The Letter On The
Table, "That It Cannot Be Intended For Me."
"How Do You Know, Sir, That This Lord Is Not Your Uncle? At All Events,
You Must Do As He Bids You."
"What--Go For The Papers! Most Certainly I Shall Not."
"Then How In The Name Of Fortune Do You Expect To Find Your Father, When
You Will Not Take Advantage Of Such An Opportunity Of Getting Into
Society? It Is By Getting Possession Of Other People'S Secrets, That
You Will Worm Out Your Own."
"But It Is Dishonest, Timothy."
"A Letter Is Addressed To You, In Which You Have Certain Directions; You
Break The Seal With Confidence, And You Read What You Find Is Possibly
Not For You; But, Depend Upon It, Japhet, That A Secret Obtained Is One
Of The Surest Roads To Promotion. Recollect Your Position; Cut Off From
The World, You Have To Re-Unite Yourself With It, To Recover Your
Footing, And Create An Interest. You Have Not Those Who Love You To Help
You--You Must Not Scruple To Obtain Your Object By Fear."
"That Is A Melancholy Truth, Tim," Replied I; "And I Believe I Must Put
My Strict Morality In My Pocket."
"Do, Sir, Pray, Until You Can Afford To Be Moral; It'S A Very Expensive
Virtue That; A Deficiency Of It Made You An Outcast From The World, You
Must Not Scruple At A Slight Deficiency On Your Own Part, To Regain Your
Position."
There Was So Much Shrewdness, So Much Of The Wisdom Of The Serpent In
The Remarks Of Timothy, That, Added To My Ardent Desire To Discover My
Father, Which Since My Quitting The Gipsy Camp Had Returned Upon Me With
Two-Fold Force, My Scruples Were Overcome, And I Resolved That I Would
Not Lose Such An Opportunity. Still I Hesitated, And Went Up Into My
Room, That I Might Reflect Upon What I Should Do. I Went To Bed,
Revolving The Matter In My Mind, And Turning Over From One Position To
The Other, At One Time Deciding That I Would Not Take Advantage Of The
Mistake, At Another Quite As Resolved That I Would Not Throw Away Such
An Opening For The Prosecution Of My Search; At Last I Fell Into An
Uneasy Slumber, And Had A Strange Dream. I Thought That I Was Standing
Upon An Isolated Rock, With The Waters Raging Around Me; The Tide Was
Part 1 Chapter 18 Pg 97Rising, And At Last The Waves Were Roaring At My Feet. I Was In a State
Of Agony, And Expected That, In a Short Time, I Should Be Swallowed Up.
The Main Land Was Not Far Off, And I Perceived Well-Dressed People In
Crowds, Who Were Enjoying Themselves, Feasting, Dancing, And Laughing
In Merry Peals. I Held Out My Hands--I Shouted To Them--They Saw, And
Heard Me, But Heeded Me Not. My Horror At Being Swept Away By The Tide
Was Dreadful. I Shrieked As The Water Rose. At Last I Perceived
Something Unroll Itself From The Main Land, And Gradually Advancing To
The Inland, Form A Bridge By Which I Could Walk Over And Be Saved. I Was
About To Hasten Over, When "Private, And No Thoroughfare," Appeared At
The End Nearest Me, In Large Letters Of Fire. I Started Back With
Amazement, And Would Not, Dared Not Pass Them. When All Of A Sudden, A
Figure In White Appeared By My Side, And Said To Me, Pointing To The
Bridge, "Self-Preservation Is The First Law Of Nature."
I Looked At The Person Who Addressed Me; Gradually The Figure Became
Darker And Darker, Until It Changed To Mr Cophagus, With His Stick Up To
His Nose. "Japhet, All Nonsense--Very Good Bridge--Um--Walk Over--Find
Father--And So On." I Dashed Over The Bridge, Which Appeared To Float On
The Water, And To Be Composed Of Paper, Gained The Other Side, And Was
Received With Shouts Of Congratulation, And The Embraces Of The Crowd. I
Perceived An Elderly Gentleman Come Forward; I Knew It Was My Father,
And I Threw Myself Into His Arms. I Awoke, And Found Myself Rolling On
The Floor, Embracing The Bolster With All My Might. Such Was The Vivid
Impression Of This Dream, That I Could Not Turn My Thoughts Away From
It, And At Last I Considered That It Was A Divine Interposition. All My
Scruples Vanished, And Before The Day Had Dawned I Determined That I
Would Follow The Advice Of Timothy. An Enthusiast Is Easily Led To
Believe What He Wishes, And He Mistakes His Own Feelings For Warnings;
The Dreams Arising From His Daily Contemplations For The Interference Of
Heaven. He Thinks Himself Armed By Supernatural Assistance, And
Warranted By The Almighty To Pursue His Course, Even If That Course
Should Be Contrary To The Almighty'S Precepts. Thus Was I Led Away By My
Own Imaginings, And Thus Was My _Monomania_ Increased To An Impetus
Which Forced Before It All Consideration Of What Was Right Or Wrong.
Part 1 Chapter 19 Pg 98
_An Important Chapter--I Make Some Important Acquaintances, Obtain
Some Important Papers Which I Am Importunate To Read Through._
The Next Morning I Told My Dream To Timothy, Who Laughed Very Heartily
At My Idea Of The Finger Of Providence. At Last, Perceiving That I Was
Angry With Him, He Pretended To Be Convinced. When I Had Finished My
Part 1 Chapter 19 Pg 99Breakfast, I Sent To Inquire The Number In The Square Of Lord
Windermear'S Town House, And Wrote The Following Simple Note To His
Lordship, "_Japhet Newland_ Has Arrived From His Tour At The Piazza,
Covent Garden." This Was Confided To Timothy, And I Then Set Off With
The Other Letter To Mr Masterton, Which Was Addressed To Lincoln'S Inn.
By Reading The Addresses Of The Several Legal Gentlemen, I Found Out
That Mr Masterton Was Located On The First Floor. I Rang The Bell, Which
Had The Effect Of "Open, Sesame," As The Door Appeared To Swing To Admit
Me Without Any Assistance. I Entered An Ante-Room, And From Thence Found
Myself In The Presence Of Mr Masterton--A Little Old Man, With
Spectacles On His Nose, Sitting At A Table Covered With Papers. He
Offered Me A Chair, And I Presented The Letter.
"I See That I Am Addressing Mr Neville," Said He, After He Had Perused
The Letter. "I Congratulate You On Your Return. You May Not, Perhaps,
Remember Me?"
"Indeed, Sir, I Cannot Say That I Do, Exactly."
"I Could Not Expect It, My Dear Sir, You Have Been So Long Away. You
Have Very Much Improved In Person, I Must Say; Yet Still, I Recollect
Your Features As A Mere Boy. Without Compliment, I Had No Idea That You
Would Ever Have Made So Handsome A Man." I Bowed To The Compliment.
"Have You Heard From Your Uncle?"
"I Had A Few Lines From Lord Windermear, Enclosing Your Letter."
"He Is Well, I Hope?"
"Quite Well, I Believe."
Mr Masterton Then Rose, Went To An Iron Safe, And Brought Out A Packet
Of Papers, Which He Put Into My Hands. "You Will Read These With
Interest, Mr Neville. I Am A Party To The Whole Transaction, And Must
Venture To Advise You Not To Appear In england Under Your Own Name,
Until All Is Settled. Your Uncle, I Perceive, Has Begged
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