Japhet, In Search Of A Father Part 1 - Frederick Marryat (polar express read aloud .txt) 📗

Disinterested,  Which Astonishes Everybody.

 

 

 

 

I Kissed And Consoled Her; She Threw Her Arm Round My Neck,  And Remained

There With Her Face Hid For Some Time. We Then Joined The Others At

Supper. Melchior Was Much Pleased With Our Success,  And Highly Praised

The Conduct Of Timothy And Myself,  Which He Pronounced Was,  For The

First Attempt,  Far Beyond His Expectations.

 

We Continued To Astonish All The Good People Of ---- For Five Days,  When

We Discovered The Indubitable Fact,  That There Was No More Money To Be

Extracted From Their Pockets,  Upon Which We Resumed Our Usual Clothes

And Smock Frocks,  And With Our Bundles In Our Hands,  Set Off For Another

Market Town,  About Fifteen Miles Distant. There We Were Equally

Successful,  And Melchior Was Delighted With Our Having Proved Such A

Powerful Acquisition To His Troop: But Not To Dwell Too Long Upon One

Subject,  I Shall Inform The Reader That,  After A Trip Of Six Weeks,

During Which We Were Very Well Received,  We Once More Returned To The

Camp,  Which Had Located Within Five Miles Of Our Last Scene Of Action.

Every One Was Content--We Were All Glad To Get Back And Rest From Our

Labours. Melchior Was Pleased With His Profits,  Poor Little Fleta

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Overjoyed To Be Once More In The Seclusion Of Her Tent,  And Nattee Very

Glad To Hear Of Our Good Fortune,  And To See Her Husband. Timothy And I

Had Already Proved Ourselves So Useful,  That Melchior Treated Us With

The Greatest Friendship And Confidence--And He Made Us A Present Out Of

The Gains,  For Our Exertions; To Me He Gave Ten,  And To Timothy Five,

Pounds.

 

"There,  Japhet,  Had You Hired Yourself I Should Not Have Paid You More

Than Seven Shillings Per Week,  Finding You In Food; But You Must

Acknowledge That For Six Weeks That Is Not Bad Pay. However,  Your

Earnings Will Depend Upon Our Success,  And I Rather Think That We Shall

Make A Much Better Thing Of It When Next We Start,  Which Will Be In

About A Fortnight; But We Have Some Arrangements To Make. Has Timothy A

Good Memory?"

 

"I Think He Has."

 

"That Is Well. I Told You Before That We Are To Try The 'Wise Man,'--But

First We Must Have Nattee In Play. To-Morrow We Will Start For ----,"

Mentioning A Small Quiet Town About Four Miles Off.

 

We Did So,  Early The Next Morning,  And Arrived About Noon,  Pitching Our

Tents On The Common,  Not Far From The Town; But In This Instance We Left

All The Rest Of Our Gang Behind. Melchior'S Own Party And His Two Tents

Were All That Were Brought By The Donkeys.

 

Melchior And I,  Dressed As Countrymen,  Went Into The Town At Dusk,  And

Entered A Respectable Sort Of Inn,  Taking Our Seats At One Of The Tables

In The Tap-Room,  And,  As We Had Already Planned,  After We Had Called For

Beer,  Commenced A Conversation In The Hearing Of The Others Who Were

Sitting Drinking And Smoking.

 

"Well,  I Never Will Believe It--It'S All Cheat And Trickery," Said

Melchior,  "And They Only Do It To Pick Your Pocket. Tell Your Fortune,

Indeed! I Suppose She Promised You A Rich Wife And Half-A-Dozen

Children."

 

"No,  She Did Not," Replied I,  "For I Am Too Young To Marry; But She Told

Me What I Know Has Happened."

 

"Well,  What Was That?"

 

"Why,  She Told Me That My Mother Had Married Again,  And Turned Me Out Of

Doors To Work For My Bread."

 

"But She Might Have Heard That."

 

"How Could She? No,  That'S Not Possible; But She Told Me I Had A Mole On

My Knee,  Which Was A Sign Of Luck. Now How Could She Know That?"

 

"Well,  I Grant That Was Odd--And Pray What Else Did She Promise You?"

 

"Why,  She Said,  That I Should Meet With My Dearest Friend To-Night. Now

That Does Puzzle Me,  For I Have But One In The World,  And He Is A Long

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Way Off."

 

"Well,  If You Do Meet Your Friend,  Then I'Ll Believe Her; But If Not,

It Has Been All Guess-Work; And Pray What Did You Pay For All This--Was

It A Shilling,  Or Did She Pick Your Pocket?"

 

"That'S What Puzzles Me,--She Refused To Take Anything. I Offered It

Again And Again,  And She Said,'No; That She Would Have No Money--That

Her Gift Was Not To Be Sold.'"

 

"Well,  That Is Odd. Do You Hear What This Young Man Says," Said

Melchior,  Addressing The Others,  Who Had Swallowed Every Word.

 

"Yes," Replied One; "But Who Is This Person?"

 

"The Queen Of The Gipsies,  I Am Told. I Never Saw Such A Wonderful Woman

In My Life--Her Eye Goes Right Through You. I Met Her On The Common,

And,  As She Passed,  She Dropped A Handkerchief. I Ran Back To Give It

Her,  And Then She Thanked Me,  And Said,  'Open Your Hand And Let Me See

The Palm. Here Are Great Lines,  And You Will Be Fortunate;' And Then She

Told Me A Great Deal More,  And Bid God Bless Me."

 

"Then If She Said That,  She Cannot Have Dealings With The _Devil_,"

Observed Melchior.

 

"Very Odd--Very Strange--Take No Money--Queen Of The Gipsies," Was

Echoed From All Sides.

 

The Landlady And The Barmaid Listened With Wonder,  When Who Should Come

In,  As Previously Agreed,  But Timothy. I Pretended Not To See Him,  But

He Came Up To Me,  Seizing Me By The Hand,  And Shaking It With Apparent

Delight,  And Crying,  "Wilson,  Have You Forgot Smith?"

 

"Smith!" Cried I,  Looking Earnestly In His Face. "Why,  So It Is. How

Came You Here?"

 

"I Left Dublin Three Days Ago," Replied He,  "But How I Came Here Into

This House,  Is One Of The Strangest Things That Ever Occurred. I Was

Walking Over The Common,  When A Tall Handsome Woman Looked At Me,  And

Said,  'Young Man,  If You Will Go Into The Third Public-House You Pass,

You Will Meet An Old Friend,  Who Expects You.' I Thought She Was

Laughing At Me,  But As It Mattered Very Little In Which House I Passed

The Night,  I Thought,  For The Fun Of The Thing I Might As Well Take Her

Advice."

 

"How Strange!" Cried Melchior,  "And She Told Him The Same--That Is,  He

Would Meet A Friend."

 

"Strange--Very Strange--Wonderful--Astonishing!" Was Echoed From All

Quarters,  And The Fame Of The Gipsy Was Already Established.

 

Timothy And I Sat Down Together,  Conversing As Old Friends,  And Melchior

Went About From One To The Other,  Narrating The Wonderful Occurrence

Till Past Midnight,  When We All Three Took Beds At The Inn,  As If We

Were Travellers.

 

The Report Which We Had Circulated That Evening Induced Many People To

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Go Out To See Nattee,  Who Appeared To Take No Notice Of Them; And When

Asked To Tell Fortunes,  Waved Them Away With Her Hand. But,  Although

This Plan Of Melchior'S Was,  For The First Two Or Three Days Very

Expedient,  Yet,  As It Was Not Intended To Last,  Timothy,  Who Remained

With Me At The Inn,  Became Very Intimate With The Barmaid,  And Obtained

From Her Most Of The Particulars Of Her Life. I,  Also,  From Repeated

Conversations With The Landlady,  Received Information Very Important,

Relative To Herself,  And Many Of The Families In The Town,  But As The

Employment Of Nattee Was For An Ulterior Object,  We Contented Ourselves

With Gaining All The Information We Could Before We Proceeded Further.

After We Had Been There A Week,  And The Fame Of The Gipsy Woman Had Been

Marvellously Increased--Many Things Having Been Asserted Of Her Which

Were Indeed Truly Improbable--Melchior Agreed That Timothy Should

Persuade The Barmaid To Try If The Gipsy Woman Would Tell Her Fortune:

The Girl,  With Some Trepidation,  Agreed,  But At The Same Time,  Expecting

To Be Refused,  Consented To Walk With Him Over The Common. Timothy

Advised Her To Pretend To Pick Up A Sixpence When Near To Nattee,  And

Ask Her If It Did Not Belong To Her,  And The Barmaid Acted Upon His

Suggestions,  Having Just Before That Quitted The Arm Of Timothy,  Who Had

Conducted Her.

 

"Did You Drop A Sixpence? I Have Picked Up One," Said The Girl,

Trembling With Fear As She Addressed Nattee.

 

"Child," Replied Nattee,  Who Was Prepared,  "I Have Neither Dropped A

Sixpence Nor Have You Found One--But Never Mind That,  I Know That Which

You Wish,  And I Know Who You Are. Now What Would You With Me? Is It To

Inquire Whether The Landlord And Landlady Of The Golden Lion Intend To

Keep You In Their Service?"

 

"No," Replied The Girl,  Frightened At What She Heard; "Not To Inquire

That,  But To Ask What My Fortune Will Be?"

 

"Open Your Palm,  Pretty Maid,  And I Will Tell You. Hah! I See That You

Were Born In The West--Your Father Is Dead--Your Mother Is In

Service--And Let Me See,--You Have A Brother At Sea--Now In The West

Indies."

 

At This Intelligence,  All Of Which,  As May Be Supposed,  Had Been

Gathered By Us,  The Poor Girl Was So Frightened That She Fell Down In a

Swoon,  And Timothy Carried Her Off. When She Was Taken Home To The Inn,

She Was So Ill That She Was Put Into Bed,  And What She Did Say Was So

Incoherent,  That,  Added To Timothy'S Narrative,  The Astonishment Of The

Landlady And Others Was Beyond All Bounds. I Tried Very Hard To Bring

The Landlady,  But She Would Not Consent; And Now Nattee Was Pestered By

People Of Higher Condition,  Who Wished To Hear What She Would Say. Here

Nattee'S Powers Were Brought Into Play. She Would Not Refuse To See

Them,  But Would Not Give Answers Till She Had Asked Questions,  And,  As

From Us She Had Gleaned Much General Information,  So By Making This

Knowledge Appear In Her Questions To Them,  She Made Them Believe She

Knew More. If A Young Person Came To Her,  She Would Immediately Ask The

Name--Of That Name She Had All The References Acquired From Us,  As To

Family And Connections. Bearing Upon Them,  She Would Ask A Few More,  And

Then Give Them An Abrupt Dismissal.