第2章

类别:其他 作者:Charles Dickens字数:12897更新时间:18/12/25 10:04:57
\"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。