Part 1 (1/2)
Afloat at Last
by John Conroy Hutcheson
CHAPTER ONE
IN THE RECTORY GARDEN
”And so, Allan, you wish to go to sea?”
”Yes, father,” I replied
”But, is there no other profession you would prefer--the law, for instance? It see froenerally appear well to do, with plenty of money-- possibly that of other people--in their possession; so, considering the ht do worse, Allan, than join their ranks”
I shook n of dissent to this proposition
”Well then, ical way, anxious that I should clearly understand all the bearings of the case, and have the advantages and disadvantages of each calling succinctly set before me, ”there is esture would i the sick and soothing those bodily ills which this feeble flesh of ours is heir to, both the young and old alike--an easier task, by the way, than that ofto 'the h, mind you, I must confess that a country physician, such as you could only hope to be, for I have not the enerally a hard life of it, and worse pay However, this is beside the question; and I want to avoid biassing your decision in any way Tell me, would you like to be a doctor--eh?”
But to this second proposal of nifiedu until he had finished all he had to say on the subject, and I could see he had not yet quite done
”H' silvern and silence gold evidently holdeth good with the boy, albeit such discretion in youth is somewhat rare,” hehis thoughts in words, adding as he addressed et on in life, Allan; for 'a still tongue,' says the proverb, 'shoise head' But now, my son, I've nearly come to the end of the trio of learned professions, without, I see, prepossessing you in favour of the two I have mentioned You are averse to the law, and do not care about doctoring; well then, there's the church, last though by no, as your brother Toree?”
I did not say anything, but father appeared to guess hts
”Too many of the family in orders already--eh? True; still, recollect there is rooh, God knows, a there is in the world, for you also to devote your life to the saood cause in which, my son, I, your father, and your brother have already enlisted, and you htier soldier of the cross than either of us What say you, Allan, I repeat, to being a clergyman--the noblest profession under the sun?”
”No, father dear,” I at length answered on his pausing for ray eyes, that were fixed on my face with a sort of wistful expression in them; and which always seemed to read my inmost mind, and rebuke me with their consciousness, if at any time I hesitated to tell the truth for a moment, in fear of punishht before hied with some boyish escapade or youthful folly
”I don't think I should ever be good enough to be a clergyh I know I as that I'm sorry for afterwards, I don't believe I could ever be bad enough to ood lawyer, if all the stories are true that they tell in the village about Mr Sharpe, the attorney at Westham”
The corners of father's mouth twitched as if he wanted to sht to do so
”You are shrewd in your opinions, Allan,” he said; ”but dog too censorious in your sweeping analysis of character I should like you to show more charity in your esti the church I can fully sy conscious even now, after inally, and have still, of one ould follow the Master; but, in your wholesale conde on the _ex uno disce omnes_ principle and hastily, you should reues because one of their number has a somewhat evil reputation Sharpe is rather a black sheep according to all report; still, ht to bear in ood even in the worst dispositions, which can be found by those who seek diligently for it, and do not merely try to pick out the bad Who knows but that Sharpe ood points like others?
But, to return to our theme--the vexed question as to which should be your occupation in life As you have decided against the church and the law, givingto an adverse conclusion in each instance, pray, young gentleman, tell me what are your objections to the , he spoke in so comical a way and with such a queer twinkle in his eye, ”I shouldn't care at all to be only a poor country surgeon like Doctor Jollop, tra off people's sore legs, or else feeling their pulses and giving theood fun, father, wouldn't it, just when so themselves ill wanted to speak about their fancied ailue,' as Doctor Jollop bawls out to deaf old Molly the ins to tell him of her aches and pains? I think he does it on purpose”
Father chuckled
”Not a bad idea that,” said he; ”and our friend the doctorthe first ue, a consuh I don't knohat your dear ive utterance to so heretical and ungallant a doctrine in reference to the sex”
”Why, here ishi most unusual for her to leave the house at that hour in the afternoon, which was generally devoted to Nellie'sup the garden with a letter in her hand”
”I think I knohat that letter contains,” said father, not a bit excited like me; ”for, unless I'm much mistaken, it refers to the very subject about which we've been talking, Allan,--your going to sea”
”Does it?” I cried, pitching ain dexterously, shouting out the while the refrain of the old song-- ”The sea, the sea, a sailor's life for hed, and resumed his ”quarter-deck walk,” asthe little path under the old elm-tree in front of the suiant's fingers clutching at the sky, always turning when he got up to the lilac bush and retracing his steps slowly and deliberately, as if anxious to tread in his fored walk
I think I can see hienial look when he sht up suddenly fro a sohtful expression in his eyes that was generally there when he was having ato solve one of those intricate social proble continually sublance, a stranger would hardly have taken hi-jacket veryclay pipes that are called ”churchwardens,”