Japhet, In Search Of A Father Part 1 - Frederick Marryat (polar express read aloud .txt) 📗
- Author: Frederick Marryat
Book online «Japhet, In Search Of A Father Part 1 - Frederick Marryat (polar express read aloud .txt) 📗». Author Frederick Marryat
This Behaviour Was Put Up With From One Of Her Commanding Presence, Who
Refused Money, And Treated Those Who Accosted Her, As If She Was Their
Superior. Many Came Again And Again, Telling Her All They Knew, And
Acquainting Her With Every Transaction Of Their Life, To Induce Her To
Prophesy, For Such, She Informed Them, Was The Surest Way To Call The
Spirit Upon Her. By These Means We Obtained The Secret History Of The
Major Part, That Is, The Wealthier Part Of The Town Of ----; And Although
The Predictions Of Nattee Were Seldom Given, Yet When Given, They Were
Given With Such Perfect And Apparent Knowledge Of The Parties, That When
She Left, Which She Did About Six Weeks After Her First Appearance, The
Whole Town Rang With Accounts Of Her Wonderful Powers.
It Will Appear Strange That Melchior Would Not Permit Nattee To Reap A
Harvest, Which Might Have Been Great; But The Fact Was, That He Only
Allowed The Seed To Be Sown That A Greater Harvest Might Be Gathered
Hereafter. Nattee Disappeared, The Gipsie'S Tent Was No Longer On The
Common, And The Grass, Which Had Been Beaten Down Into A Road By The
Feet Of The Frequent Applicants To Her, Was Again Permitted To Spring
Up. We Also Took Our Departure, And Rejoined The Camp With Nattee, Where
We Remained For A Fortnight, To Permit The Remembrance Of Her To Subside
A Little--Knowing That The Appetite Was Alive, And Would Not Be
Satisfied Until It Was Appeased.
After That Time, Melchior, Timothy, And I, Again Set Off For The Town
Of ----, And Stopping At A Superior Inn In another Part Of The Town,
Dressed As Travellers, That Is, People Who Go About The Country For
Orders From The Manufacturers, Ordered Our Beds And Supper In The
Coffee-Room. The Conversation Was Soon Turned Upon The Wonderful Powers
Of Nattee, The Gipsy. "Nonsense," Said Melchior, "She Knows Nothing. I
Have Heard Of Her. But There Is A Man Coming This Way (Should He Happen
To Pass Through This Town) Who Will Surprise And Frighten You. No One
Knows Who He Is. He Is Named The Great Aristodemus. He Knows The Past,
The Present, And The Future. He Never Looks At People'S Hands--He Only
Looks You In The Face, And _Woe Be To Them Who Tell Him A Lie_.
Otherwise, He Is Good-Tempered And Obliging, And Will Tell What Will
Come To Pass, And His Predictions Never Have Been Known To Fail. They
Say That He Is Hundreds Of Years Old, And His Hair Is White As Silver."
At This Information Many Expressed Their Doubts, And Many Others Vaunted
The Powers Of The Gipsy. Melchior Replied, "That All He Knew Was, That
For The Sum Of Two Guineas Paid Down, He Had Told Him Of A Legacy Left
Him Of Six Hundred Pounds, Which Otherwise He Would Never Have Known Of
Or Received." All The Town Of ---- Being Quite Alive For Fortune-Telling,
This New Report Gained Wind, And After A Week'S Sojourn, Melchior
Thought That The Attempt Should Be Made.
Part 1 Chapter 13 Pg 62
The Seed Having Been Carefully Sown, We Now Reap A Golden
Harvest--We Tell Every Body What They Knew Before, And We Are
Looked Upon As Most Marvellous By Most Marvellous Fools.
Part 1 Chapter 13 Pg 63
We Accordingly Packed Up, And Departed To Another Market Town. Timothy,
Dressed In a Sombre Suit Of Black, Very Much Like An Undertaker, Was
Provided With A Horse, With The Following Directions: To Proceed
Leisurely Until He Was Within Half A Mile Of The Town Of ----, And Then
To Gallop In as Fast As He Could, Stop At The Best Inn In The Place, And
Order Apartments For The Great Aristodemus, Who Might Be Expected In
Half An Hour. Every Thing In This World Depends Upon Appearances, That
Is, When You Intend To Gull It; And As Every One In The Town Had Heard
Of The Great Aristodemus, So Every One Was Anxious To Know Something
About Him, And Timothy Was Pestered With All Manner Of Questions; But He
Declared That He Was Only His Courier, And Could Only Tell What Other
People Said; But Then What Other People Said, By Timothy'S Account, Was
Very Marvellous Indeed. Timothy Had Hardly Time To Secure The Best
Rooms In The Hotel, When Melchior, Dressed In a Long Flowing Silk Gown,
With A Wig Of Long White Hair, A Square Cap, And Two Or Three Gold
Chains Hanging From His Neck, Certainly Most Admirably Disguised, And
Attended By Me In The Dress Of A German Student, A Wig Of Long Brown
Locks Hanging Down My Shoulders, Made Our Appearance In a Post-Chaise
And Four, And Drove Up To The Door Of The Inn, At A Pace Which Shook
Every House In The Street, And Occasioned Every Window To Be Tenanted
With One Or More Heads To Ascertain The Cause Of This Unusual
Occurrence, For It Was Not A Very Great Town, Although Once Of
Importance; But The Manufactures Had Been Removed, And It Was Occupied
By Those Who Had Become Independent By Their Own Exertions, Or By Those
Of Their Forefathers.
The Door Of The Chaise Was Opened By The Obsequious Timothy, Who Pushed
Away The Ostlers And Waiters, As If Unworthy To Approach His Master, And
The Great Aristodemus Made His Appearance. As He Ascended The Steps Of
The Door, His Passage Was For A Moment Barred By One Whose Profession
Melchior Well Knew. "Stand Aside, Exciseman!" Said He, In a Commanding
Voice. "No One Crosses My Path With Impunity." Astonished At Hearing His
Profession Thus Mentioned, The Exciseman, Who Was The Greatest Bully In
The Town, Slipped On One Side With Consternation, And All Those Present
Lifted Up Their Eyes And Hands With Astonishment. The Great Aristodemus
Gained His Room, And Shut His Door; And I Went Out To Pay For The Chaise
And Order Supper, While Timothy And The Porters Were Busy With Our
Luggage, Which Was Very Considerable.
"My Master Will Not See Any One," Said I To The Landlord; "He Quits This
Town To-Morrow, If The Letters Arrive Which He Expects By The Post;
Therefore, Pray Get Rid Of This Crowd, And Let Him Be Quiet, For He Is
Very Tired, Having Travelled One Hundred And Fifty Miles Since The Dawn
Of Day."
When Tim And I Had Performed This Duty, We Joined Melchior In His Room,
Leaving The News To Be Circulated. "This Promises Well," Observed
Melchior; "Up To The Present We Have Expended Much Time And Money; Now
We Must See If We Cannot Recover It Tenfold. Japhet, You Must Take An
Opportunity Of Going Out Again After Supper, And Make Inquiries Of The
Landlord What Poor People They Have In The Town, As I Am Very Generous,
And Like To Relieve Them; You May Observe, That All The Money Offered To
Part 1 Chapter 13 Pg 64Me For Practising My Art, I Give Away To The Poor, Having No Occasion
For It." This I Did, And We Then Sat Down To Supper, And Having Unpacked
Our Baggage, Went To Bed, After Locking The Door Of The Room, And Taking
Out The Key.
The Next Morning We Had Every Thing In Readiness, And As The Letters, As
The Reader May Suppose, Did Not Arrive By The Post, We Were Obliged To
Remain, And The Landlord Ventured To Hint To Me, That Several People
Were Anxious To Consult My Master. I Replied, That I Would Speak To Him,
But It Was Necessary To Caution Those Who Came, That They Must Either
Offer Gold--Or Nothing At All. I Brought His Consent To See One Or Two,
But No More. Now, Although We Had Various Apparatus To Use When
Required, It Was Thought That The Effect Would Be Greater, If, In The
First Instance, Every Thing Was Simple. Melchior, Therefore, Remained
Sitting At The Table, Which Was Covered With A Black Cloth, Worked With
Curious Devices, And A Book Of Hieroglyphics Before Him, And An Ivory
Wand, Tipped With Gold, Lying By The Book. Timothy Standing At The Door,
With A Short Roman Sword Buckled Round His Belt, And I, In a Respectful
Attitude, Behind The Great Aristodemus.
The First Person Who Was Admitted Was The Lady Of The Mayor Of The Town;
Nothing Could Be More Fortunate, As We Had Every Information Relative To
Her And Her Spouse, For People In High Places Are Always Talked Of.
Aristodemus Waved His Hand, And I Brought Forward A Chair In Silence,
And Motioned That She Should Be Seated. Aristodemus Looked Her In Her
Face, And Then Turned Over Several Leaves, Until He Fixed Upon A Page,
Which He Considered Attentively. "Mayoress Of ----, What Wouldst Thou
With Me?"
She Started, And Turned Pale. "I Would Ask--"
"I Know; Thou Wouldst Ask Many Things, Perhaps, Had I Time To Listen.
Amongst Others Thou Wouldst Ask If There Is Any Chance Of Thy Giving An
Heir To Thy Husband. Is It Not So?"
"Yes, It Is," Replied The Lady, Fetching Her Breath.
"So Do I Perceive By This Book; But Let Me Put One Question To Thee.
Wouldst Thou Have Blessings Showered On Thee, Yet Do No Good? Thou Art
Wealthy--Yet What Dost Thou And Thy Husband Do With These Riches? Are Ye
Liberal? No. Give, And It Shall Be Given. I Have Said."
Aristodemus Waved His Hand, And The Lady Rose To Withdraw. A Guinea Was
In Her Fingers, And Her Purse In Her Hand; She Took Out Four More, And
Added Them To The Other, And Laid Them On The Table.
"'Tis Well, Lady; Charity Shall Plead For Thee. Artolphe, Let That Money
Be Distributed Among The Poor."
I Bowed In Silence, And The Lady Retired.
"Who Will Say That I Do No Good," Observed Melchior, Smiling, As Soon
Comments (0)