Part 10 (1/2)
Fathom, who had lent an attentive ear to every circumstance of this disastrous story, no sooner heard it concluded, than, with an aspect of generous and cordial compassion, not even unattended with tears, he condoled the lao de Zelos, deplored the untientle Antonia and the fair Serafina, and undertook the interest of the wretched Castilian with such war zeal, as drew a flood fro his benefactor's hand in a transport of gratitude Those were literally tears of joy, or at least of satisfaction, on both sides; as our hero ith affection and attachment to the jewels that were to be co the true source of his tenderness, he affected to dissuade the Spaniard fro with the dia occasion; and, in the meantime, earnestly entreated him to depend upon his friendshi+p for present relief
This generous proffer served only to confiro's resolution, which he forthwith executed, by putting into the hands of Ferdinand jewels to the value of a thousand crowns, and desiring him to detain for his own use any part of the suood opinion he entertained of his integrity, an opinion fullyhim with such important confidence, and assured hience, caution, and despatch The evening being by this time almost consuh each passed the night without repose, in very different reflections, the Castilian being, as usual, agitated with the unceasing pangs of his unalterable e; and Fatho his fellow-lodger's credulity to his own advantage Froht have appropriated the jewels to himself, and remained in Paris without fear of a prosecution, because the injured party had, by the above narrative, left his life and liberty at discretion--But he did not think hied desperate Castilian; and therefore determined to withdraw hi proposed to fix the standard of his finesse, which fortune had now e to his wish
Bent upon this retreat, he went abroad in thein the concerns of his friend Don Diego, and having hired a post-chaise to be ready at the dawning of next day, returned to his lodgings, where he cajoled the Spaniard with a feigned report of his negotiation; then, securing his most valuable effects about his person, arose with the cock, repaired to the place at which he had appointed to land without further delay, leaving the unhappy Zelos to the horrors of indigence, and the additional agony of this fresh disappointment Yet he was not the only person affected by the abrupt departure of Fathom, which was hastened by the ihter, whoe, and now left in the fourth erous adventure in which he had been forht, he did not think proper to make the usual halts on this journey, for sleep or refreshment, nor did he once quit the chaise till his arrival at Boulogne, which he reached in twenty hours after his departure froe hily he bespoke a poulard for dinner, and while that was preparing, went forth to view the city and harbour When he beheld the white cliffs of Albion, his heart throbbed with all the joy of a beloved son, who, after a tedious and fatiguing voyage, reviews the chi coast of England with fond and longing eyes, like another Moses, reconnoitring the land of Canaan froree of iht, that, instead of proceeding to Calais, he resolved to take his passage directly frone, even if he should hire a vessel for the purpose With these sentiland, and was so fortunate as to find the h anchor for Deal that sah water
Transported with this infore, sold the post-chaise to his landlord for thirty guineas, as a piece of furniture for which he could have no further use, purchased a port apparel, and, at the recommendation of his host, took into his service an extra postillion or helper, who had for marquis This new doreat applause, the exaacity and presence ofthe valet of an adventurer He was therefore accommodated with a second-hand suit and another shi+rt, and at once listed under the banners of Count Fatho hiulation of his conduct
Having settled these prelie were embarked about six o'clock in the month of September, and it was not without ereat deep, of which, before the preceding day, he had never enjoyed even the most distant prospect However, he was not a er; and the agreeable presages of future fortune supported his spirits, areeable nausea which commonly attends landsmen at sea, until he was set ashore upon the beach at Deal, which he entered in good health about seven o'clock in the
Like Caesar, however, he found so surf, that tumbled about with such violence as had almost overset the cutter that carried hierness to jump upon the strand, his foot slipped from the side of the boat, so that he was thrown forwards in an horizontal direction, and his hands were the first parts of hiround Upon this occasion, he, in imitation of Scipio's behaviour on the coast of Africa, hailed the o a handful of the sand, was heard to exclailand, I have thee fast”
As he walked up to the inn, followed by Maurice loaded with his porte, and the peaceable possession of his spoil, and could not help snuffing up the British air with marks of infinite relish and satisfaction His first care was to recoone, and, after he had sufficiently recruited himself with several hours of uninterrupted repose, he set out in a post-chaise for Canterbury, where he took a place in the London stage, which he was told would depart nextalready full On this very first day of his arrival, he perceived between the English and the people a whom he had hitherto lived, such essential difference in custoh notions of that British freedom, opulence, and convenience, on which he had often heard his ht with the verdant hills covered with flocks of sheep, the fruitful vales parcelled out into cultivated enclosures; the very cattle seee, sturdy, and sleek, and every peasant breathed the insolence of liberty and independence In a word, he viewed the wide-extended plains of Kent with a lover's eye, and, his a himself another conqueror of the isle
He was not, however, long amused by these vain chimeras, which soon vanished before other reflections of ination, it must be owned, was at all ti hopes, which often mislead the mind of the projector He had studied ence, and knew perfectly well how far he could depend on the passions and foibles of huht now act consistent with his foracity, he resolved to pass hientleland, in order to glean froht avail him in his future operations; and his lacquey was tutored accordingly
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-TRAVELLERS
Those who had taken places for the coach, understanding the sixth seat was engaged by a foreigner, deternorance; and, with that politeness which is peculiar to this happy island, fixed themselves in the vehicle, in such a n, that he found it barely practicable to insinuate hi landlady, in which attitude he stuck fast, like a thin quarto between two voluminous dictionaries on a bookseller's shelf And, as if the pain and inconvenience of such coreatest part of the co at his ludicrous station
The jolly dame at his left hand observed, with a loud exclamation of mirth, that monsieur would be soon better acquainted with a buttock of English beef; and said, by that tiht be spitted without larding ”Yes, verily,”
replied Obadiah, as a wag in his way, ”but the swine's fat will be all on one side”--”So much the better for you,” cried mine hostess, ”for that side is all your own” The quaker was not so much disconcerted by the quickness of this repartee, but that he answered with great deliberation, ”I thank thee for thy love, but will not profit by thy loss, especially as I like not the savour of these outlandish fowls; they are profane birds of passage, relished only by the children of vanity, like thee”
The plue at this last expression, which she considered as a double reproach, and repeated the words, ”Children of vanity!” with an emphasis of resentment ”I believe, if the truth were known,” said she, ”there's reat belly of yours, for all your pretending to huood, wholesolish fat; but you are puffed up with the wind of vanity and delusion; and when it begins to gripe your entrails, you pretend to have a et up and preach nonsense Yet you'll take it upon you to call your betters children Marry coood land”
A person who sat opposite to the quaker, hearing this renant with contention, interposed in the conversation with a conscious leer, and begged there ht be no rupture between the spirit and the flesh By this remonstrance he relieved Obadiah froeance of her elocution upon his own head ”Flesh!+” cried she, with all the ferocity of an enraged Thalestris; ”none of your names, Mr Yellowchaps What! I warrant you have an antipathy to flesh, because you yourself are nothing but skin and bone I suppose you are some poor starved journey to cabbage, and have not seen a goodupon rye-bread and soup- ato, and a tinsey jacket And so, forsooth, you set up for a gentleman, and pretend to find fault with a sirloin of roast beef”
The gentleman heard this address with ad out her alar fish e-coaches, and left off your old profession of crying oysters in winter, and rotten mackerel in June? You was then known by the na the ale-houses in Thames Street, till that unlucky amour with the master of a corn-vessel, in which he was unfortunately detected by his own spouse; but you seem to have risen by that fall; and I wish you joy of your present plight Though, considering your education on Bear Quay, you can give but a sorry account of yourself”
The Ah neither exhausted nor dismayed, was really confounded at the teathered all these anecdotes from the fertility of his own invention; after a short pause, however, she poured forth a torrent of obloquy sufficient to overwhelainst such seas of trouble; and a dispute ensued, which would have not only disgraced the best orators on the Thaure in the celebration of the Eleusinianwhich the Athenian ons, with that freedoe and country
Such a redundancy of epithets, and variety of ures were uttered between these well-matched opponents, that an epic bard would have found his account in listening to the contest; which, in all probability, would not have been confined to words, had it not been interrupted for the sake of a young woe; who, being shocked at so looks and gestures of the fiery-featured da leave to quit the coach Her perturbation put an end to the high debate The sixth passenger, who had not opened his mouth, endeavoured to comfort her with assurances of protection; the quaker proposed a cessation of ar the company he had entered the lists for their entertaine or ill-will to the fat gentlewoman, whom he protested he had never seen before that day, and who, for aught he kneas a person of credit and reputation He then held forth his hand in token of amity, and asked pardon of the offended party, as appeased by his submission; and, in testimony of her benevolence, presented to the other feary-water bottle filled with cherry-brandy, reco it as a much more powerful remedy than the sal-volatile which the other held to her nose
Peace being thus re-established, in a treaty co Obadiah and all present, it will not be i the several characters assembled in this vehicle
The quaker was a Londonthe repairs of a shi+p which had suffered by a stor landlady was on her return from the same place, where she had attended the payranted by the sailors, who had lived upon credit at her house Her coler of French lace, and a petty galish barber, who sat on his right hand, and the young wohter of a country curate, in her way to London, where she was bound apprentice to a milliner