My mother sank down on the sofa, with her handkerchief to her eyes.
Bob Cross caught up the bundle, and led me away. I was very melancholy, for I loved my mother, and could not bear to see her so distressed, and for some time we walked on without speaking.
The coxswain first broke the silence: Whats your name, my little Trojan? said he.
Percival Keene.
Well Im blessed if I didnt think that you were one of the Delmar breed, by the cut of your jib; howsomever, its a wise child that knows its own father.
Fathers dead, replied I.
Dead! Well, fathers do die sometimes; you must get on how you can without one. I dont think fathers are of much use, for, you see, mothers take care of you till youre old enough to go to sea. My father did nothing for me, except to help mother to lick me, when I was obstropolous.
The reader, from what he has already been informed about Ben, the marine, may easily conceive that I was very much of Bob Crosss opinion.
I suppose you dont know anybody on boarddo you?
Yes, I know Tommy DottI knew him when the ship was at Chatham.
Oh! Mr Tommy Dott; I dare say youre just like him, for you look full of mischief. Hes a very nice young man for a small party, as the saying is; there is more devil in his little carcase than in two womens, and thats not a trifle; youll hunt in couples, I dare say, and get well flogged at the same gun, if you dont take care. Now, here we are, and I must report my arrival with you under convoy.
Bob Cross sent a waiter for the captains steward, who went up to Captain Delmar. I was ordered to go upstairs, and again found myself in the presence of the noble captain, and a very stout elderly man, with a flaxen wig.
This is the lad, said Captain Delmar, when I came into the room and walked up to him; you know exactly what he requires; oblige me by seeing him properly fitted out and the bill sent in to me.
Your orders shall be strictly obeyed, Captain Delmar, said the old gentleman, with a profound bow.
You had better not order too many things, as he is growing fast; it will be easy to make good any deficiencies as they may be required.
Your orders shall be most strictly obeyed, Captain Delmar, replied the old gentleman, with another bow.
I hardly know what to do with him for to-day and to-morrow, until his uniforms are made, continued the captain: I suppose he must go on board.
If you have no objection, Captain Delmar, said the old gentleman, with another low bow, I am sure that Mrs Culpepper will be most proud to take charge of any protégé of yours; we have a spare bed, and the young gentleman can remain with us until he is ready to embark in the uniform of his rank.
Be it so, Mr Culpepper; let your wife take care of him until all is complete, and his chest is ready. Youll oblige me by arranging about his mess.
Your wishes shall be most strictly attended to, Captain Delmar, replied Mr Culpepper, with another profound inclination, which made me feel very much inclined to laugh.
If you have no further orders, Captain Delmar, I will now take the young gentleman with me.
Nothing more, Mr Culpeppergood morning, replied Captain Delmar, who neither said how dye do to me when I came in, or good bye when I went away in company with Mr Culpepper. I had yet to learn what a thing of no consequence was a sucking Nelson.
I followed Mr Culpepper down stairs, who desired me to remain with the coxswain, who was standing under the archway, while he spoke to the captains steward.
Well, said Bob Cross, whats the ticket, youngster,are you to go abroad with me?
No, said I; I am to stay on shore with that old chap, who does nothing but bob his head up and down. Who is he?
Thats our nipcheese.
Nipcheese!
Yes; nipcheese means purser of the shipyoull find all that out by-and-by; youve got lots to larn, and, by way of a hint, make him your friend if you can, for he earwigs the captain in fine style.
Perceiving that I did not understand him, Bob Cross continued: I mean that our captains very fond of the officers paying him great respect, and he likes all that bowing and scraping; he dont like officers or men to touch their hats, but to take them right off their heads when they speak to him. You see, hes a sprig of nobility, as they call it, and whats more hes also a post-captain, and thinks no small beer of himself; so dont forget what I sayhere comes the purser.
Mr Culpepper now came out, and, taking my hand, led me away to his own house, which was at Southsea. He did not speak a word during the walk, but appeared to be in deep cogitation: at last we arrived at his door.
Chapter Fourteen
Why is it that I detain the reader with Mr Culpepper and his family? I dont know, but I certainly have an inclination to linger over every little detail of events which occurred upon my first plunging into the sea of life, just as naked boys on the New River side stand shivering a while, before they can make up their minds to dash into the unnatural element; for men are not ducks, although they do show some affinity to geese by their venturing upon the treacherous fluid.
The door was opened, and I found myself in the presence of Mrs Culpepper and her daughter,the heiress, as I afterwards discovered, to all Mr Culpeppers savings, which were asserted to be something considerable after thirty years employment as purser of various vessels belonging to his Majesty.
Mrs Culpepper was in person enormousshe looked like a feather-bed standing on end; her cheeks were as large as a dinner-plate, eyes almost as imperceptible as a moles, nose just visible, mouth like a round O. It was said that she was once a great Devonshire beauty. Time, who has been denominated Edax rerum, certainly had as yet left her untouched, reserving her for a bonne bouche on some future occasion.
She sat in a very large arm-chairindeed, no common-sized chair could have received her capacious person. She did not get up when I entered; indeed, as I discovered, she made but two attempts to stand during the twenty-four hours; one was to come out of her bedroom, which was on the same floor as the parlour, and the other to go in again.
Miss Culpepper was somewhat of her mothers build. She might have been twenty years old, and was, for a girl of her age, exuberantly fat; yet as her skin and complexion were not coarse, many thought her handsome; but she promised to be as large as her mother, and certainly was not at all suited for a wife to a subaltern of a marching regiment.
Who have we here? said Mrs Culpepper to her husband, in a sort of low croak; for she was so smothered with fat that she could not get her voice out.
Well, I hardly know, replied the gentleman, wiping his forehead; but Ive my own opinion.
Mercy on me, how very like! exclaimed Miss Culpepper, looking at me, and then at her father. Would not you like to go into the garden, little boy? continued she: there, through the passage, out of the door,you cant miss it.
As this was almost a command, I did not refuse to go; but as soon as I was in the garden, which was a small patch of ground behind the house, as the window to the parlour was open, and my curiosity was excited by their evidently wishing to say something which they did not wish me to hear, I stopped under the window and listened.
The very picture of him, continued the young lady.
The very picture of him, continued the young lady.
Yes, yes, very like indeed, croaked the old one.
All I know is, said Mr Culpepper, Captain Delmar has desired me to fit him out, and that he pays all the expenses.
Well, thats another proof, said the young lady; he wouldnt pay for other peoples children.
He was brought down here by a very respectable-looking, I may say interesting, and rather pretty woman,I should think about thirty.
Then she must have been handsome when this boy was born, replied the young lady: I consider that another proof. Where is she?
Went away this morning by the day-coach, leaving the boy with the captain, who sent his coxswain for him.
Theres mystery about that, rejoined the daughter, and therefore I consider it another proof.
Yes, said Mr Culpepper, and a strong one too. Captain Delmar is so high and mighty, that he would not have it thought that he could ever condescend to have an intrigue with one beneath him in rank and station, and he has sent her away on that account, depend upon it.
Just so; and if that boy is not a son of Captain Delmar, Im not a woman.
I am of that opinion, replied the father, and therefore I offered to take charge of him, as the captain did not know what to do with him till his uniform was ready.
Well, replied Miss Culpepper, Ill soon find out more. Ill pump everything that he knows out of him before he leaves us; I know how to put that and that together.
Yes, croaked the fat mother; Medea knows how to put that and that together, as well as any one.
You must be very civil and very kind to him, said Mr Culpepper; for depend upon it, the very circumstance of the captains being compelled to keep the boy at a distance will make him feel more fond of him.
Ive no patience with the men in that respect, observed the young lady: how nobility can so demean themselves I cant think; no wonder they are ashamed of what they have done, and will not acknowledge their own offspring.
No, indeed, croaked the old lady.
If a woman has the misfortune to yield to her inclinations, they dont let her off so easily, exclaimed Miss Medea.
No, indeed, croaked the mamma again.
Men make the laws and break them, continued Miss Culpepper. Mere brute strength, even in the most civilised society. If all women had only the spirit that I have, there would be a little alteration, and more justice.
I cant pretend to argue with you, Medea, replied Mr Culpepper; I take the world as I find it, and make the best of it. I must go now,my steward is waiting for me at the victualling office. Just brush my hat a little, Medea, the wind has raised the nap, and then Ill be off.
I walked very softly from the window; a new light had burst upon me. Young as I was, I also could put that and that together. I called to mind the conduct of my mother towards her husband Ben; the dislike of my grandmother to Captain Delmar; the occasional conversations I had overheard; the question of my mother checked before it was finishedIf I knew who it was that I had been playing the trick to; the visits my mother received from Captain Delmar, who was so haughty and distant to everybody; his promise to provide for me, and my mothers injunctions to me to be obedient and look up to him as a father, and the remarks of the coxswain, Bob Cross,If I were not of the Delmar breed: all this, added to what I had just overheard, satisfied me that they were not wrong in their conjectures, and that I really was the son of the honourable captain.
My mother had gone; I would have given worlds to have gained this information before, that I might have questioned her, and obtained the truth from her; but that was now impossible, and I felt convinced that writing was of no use. I recollected the conversation between her and the Captain, in which she promised to keep the secret, and the answer she gave me when I questioned her; nothing, then, but my tears and entreaties could have any effect, and those, I knew, were powerful over her; neither would it be of any use to ask Aunt Milly, for she would not tell her sisters secrets, so I resolved to say nothing about it for the present; and I did not forget that Mr Culpepper had said that Captain Delmar would be annoyed if it was supposed that I was his son; I resolved, therefore, that I would not let him imagine that I knew anything about it, or had any idea of it.
I remained more than an hour in deep thought, and it was strange what a tumult there was in my young heart at this discovery. I hardly comprehended the nature of my position, yet I felt pleased on the whole; I felt as if I were of more importance; nay, that I was more capable of thinking and acting than I was twenty-four hours before.
My reveries were, however, disturbed by Miss Medea, who came to the back-door and asked me if I was not tired of walking, and if I would not like to come in.
Are you not hungry, Master Keene? Would you like to have a nice piece of cake and a glass of currant wine before dinner? We shall not dine till three oclock.
If you please, replied I: for I would not refuse the bribe, although I had a perfect knowledge why it was offered.
Miss Medea brought the cake and wine. As soon as I had despatched them, which did not take very long, she commenced her pumping, as I had anticipated, and which I was determined to thwart, merely out of opposition.
You were sorry to leave your mamma, werent you, Master Keene?
Yes; very sorry, miss.
Wheres your papa, dearest? Hes a very pretty boy, mamma, aint he? continued the young lady, putting her fingers through my chestnut curls.
Yes; handsome boy, croaked the old lady.
Papas dead.
Dead! I thought so, observed Miss Medea, winking at her mother.
Did you ever see your papa, dearest?
Oh yes; he went to sea about eighteen months ago, and he was killed in action.
After this came on a series of questions and cross-questions; I replied to her so as to make it appear that Ben was my father, and nobody else, although I had then a very different opinion. The fact was, I was determined that I would not be pumped, and I puzzled them, for I stated that my aunt Milly was married to Captain Bridgeman, of the marines; and not till then did Miss Medea ask me what my father was. My reply was that he had also been in the marines, and they consequently put him down as a marine officer, as well as Captain Bridgeman.
This added so much to the respectability of my family, that they were quite mystified, and found that it was not quite so easy to put that and that together as they had thought.
As soon as they were tired of questioning, they asked me if I would not like to take another turn in the garden, to which I consented; and, placing myself under the window as before, I heard Miss Medea say to her mother
Fathers always finding out some mares nest or another; and because there is some likeness to the captain, he has, in his great wit, made an important discovery. Its quite evident that hes wrong, as he generally is. Its not very likely that Captain Delmar should have had an intrigue with the wife of a marine officer, and her sister married also into the corps. The widow has brought him down herself, it is true, but that proves nothing; who else was to bring him down, if it was not his mother? and the very circumstance of her going away so soon proves that she felt it improper that she should remain; and, in my opinion, that she is a modest, interesting young woman, in whom Captain Delmar has taken an interest. I wish father would not come here with his nonsensical ideas, telling us to make much of the boy.