when i recovered my senses, i found myself in bed, and captain turnbull sitting by my side. i had been removed to his house when the lighter had arrived at the wharf. captain turnbull was then talking with mr tomkins, the former head clerk, now in charge. old tom came on shore and stated the condition i was in, and mr tomkins having no spare bed in his house, captain turnbull immediately ordered me to be taken to his residence, and sent for medical advice. during the time i had remained in this state old tom had informed captain turnbull, the dominie, and mr tomkins of the circumstances which had occurred, and how much i had been misrepresented to mr drummond; and not saying a word about the affair of wimbledon common, or my subsequent intemperance, had given it as his opinion that ill-treatment had produced the fever. in this, i believe, he was nearly correct, although my disease might certainly have been aggravated and hastened by those two unmentioned causes. they all of them took my part, and mr turnbull went to london to state my condition to mr drummond, and also to remonstrate at his injustice. circumstances had since occurred which induced mr drummond to lend a ready ear to my justification; but the message i had sent was still an obstacle. this, however, was partly removed by the equivocating testimony of the young clerk, when he was interrogated by captain turnbull and mr drummond; and wholly so by the evidence of young and old tom, who, although in the cabin, had overheard the whole of the conversation; and mr drummond desired captain turnbull to inform me, as soon as i recovered, that all was forgotten and forgiven. it might have been on his part, but not on mine; and when captain turnbull told me so, with the view of raising my spirits, i shook my head as i lay on the pillow. as the reader will have observed, the feeling roused in me by the ill-usage i had received was a vindictive one—one that must have been deeply implanted in my heart, although, till then, it had never been roused into action, and now, once roused, was not to be suppressed. that it was based on pride was evident, and with it my pride was raised in proportion. to the intimation of captain turnbull, i, therefore, gave a decided dissent. “no, sir, i cannot return to mr drummond: that he was kind to me, and that i owe much to his kindness, i readily admit; and now that he has acknowledged his error in supposing me capable of such ingratitude, i heartily forgive him; but i cannot, and will not, receive any more favours from him. i cannot put myself in a situation to be again mortified as i have been. i feel i should no longer have the same pleasure in doing my duty as i once had, and i never could live under the same roof with those who at present serve him. tell him all this, and pray tell little sarah how grateful i feel no her for all her kindness to me, and that i shall always think of her with regret, at being obliged to leave her.” and at the remembrance of little sarah i burst into tears, and sobbed on my pillow. captain turnbull, whether he rightly estimated my character, or fell convinced that i had made up my mind, did not renew the subject.
“well, jacob,” replied he, “we’ll not talk of that any more. i’ll give your messages just in your own words. now, take your draught, and try to get a little sleep.”
i complied with this request, and nothing but weakness now remaining, i rapidly regained my strength, and with my strength, my feelings of resentment increased in proportion. nothing but the very weak state that i was in when captain turnbull spoke to me would have softened me down to give the kind message that i did; but my vindictive mind was subdued by disease, and better feelings predominated. the only effect this had was to increase my animosity against the other parties who were the cause of my ill-treatment, and i vowed that they, at least, should one day repent their conduct.
the dominie called upon me the following sunday. i was dressed and looking through the window when he arrived. the frost was now intense, and the river was covered with large masses of ice, and my greatest pleasure was to watch them as they floated down with the tide; “thou hast had a second narrow escape, my jacob,” said he, after some preliminary observations. “once again did death (pallida mors) hover over thy couch; but thou hast arisen, and thy fair fame is again established. when wilt thou be able to visit mr drummond, and be able to thank him for his kindness?”
“never, sir,” replied i; “i will never again enter mr drummond’s house.”
“nay, jacob, this savoureth of enmity. are not we all likely to be deceived—all likely to do wrong? did not i, even i, in thy presence, backslide into intemperance and folly? did not i disgrace myself before my pupil—and shalt thou, in thy tender years, harbour ill-will against one who had cherished thee when thou wert destitute, and who was deceived with regard to thee by the base and evil-speaking?”
“i am obliged to mr drummond for all his kindness, sir,” replied i; “but i never wish to enter his house. i was turned out of it, and never will again go into it.”
“eheu! jacobe, thou art in error; it is our duty to forgive as we hope to be forgiven.”
“i do forgive, sir, if that is what is requested: but i cannot, and will not, accept of further favours.”
the dominie urged in vain, and left me. mr tomkins also came, and argued the point without success. i was resolved. i was determined to be independent; and i looked to the river as my father, mother, home, and everything. as soon as my health was reinstated, captain turnbull one day came to me. “jacob,” said he, “the lighter has returned: and i wish to know if you intend to go on board again, and afterwards go into the vessel into which mr drummond proposes to send you.”
“i will go into no vessel through mr drummond’s means or interest,” replied i.
“what will you do then?” replied he.
“i can always enter on board a man-of-war,” replied i, “if the worst comes to the worst; but if i can serve out my apprenticeship on the river, i should prefer it.”
“i rather expected this answer, jacob, from what you have said to me already; and i have been trying if i cannot help you to something which may suit you. you don’t mind being obliged to me?”
“o, no; but promise you will never doubt me—never accuse me.” my voice faltered, and i could say no more.
“no, my lad, that i will not; i know you, as i think, pretty well; and the heart that feels a false accusation as yours does is sure to guard against committing what you are so angry at being accused of. now, jacob, listen to me. you know old deaf stapleton, whose wherry we have so often pulled up and down the river? i have spoken to him to take you as his help, and he has consented. will you like to go? he has served his time, and has a right to take a ’prentice.”
“yes,” replied i, “with pleasure; and with more pleasure, from expecting to see you often.”
“o, i promise you all my custom, jacob,” replied he, laughing. “we’ll often turn old stapleton out, and have a row together. is it agreed?”
“it is,” replied i; “and many thanks to you.”
“well, then, consider it settled. stapleton has a very good room, and all that’s requisite on shore, at fulham. i have seen his place, and i think you will be comfortable.”
i did not know at the time how much captain turnbull had been my friend—that he had made stapleton take better lodgings, and had made up the difference to him, besides allowing him a trifle per week, and promising him a gratuity occasionally, if i were content with my situation. in a few days i had removed all my clothes to stapleton’s, had taken my leave of mr turnbull, and was established as an apprentice to a waterman on the thames. the lighter was still at the wharf when i left, and my parting with old tom and his son was equally and sincerely felt on both sides.
“jacob,” said old tom, “i likes your pride after all, ’cause why, i think you have some right to be proud; and the man who only asks fair play, and no favour always will rise in this world. but look you, jacob, there’s sometimes a current ’gainst a man that no one can make head against; and if so be that should be your case for a time, recollect the old house, the old woman, and old tom, and there you’ll always find a hearty welcome, and a hearty old couple who’ll share with you what they have, be it good, bad, or indifferent. here’s luck to you, my boy; and recollect, i means to go to the expense of painting the sides of my craft blue, and then you’ll always know her as she creeps up and down the river.”
“and jacob,” said young tom;—“i may be a wild one, but i’m a true one; if ever you want me in fair weather and in foul—good or bad—for fun or for mischief—for a help, or for a friend in need, through thick or thin, i’m yours, even to the gallows; and here’s my hand upon it.”
“just like you, tom,” observed his father; “but i know what you mean, and all’s right.”
i shook hands with them both, and we parted.
thus did i remove from the lighter, and at once take up the profession of a waterman; i walked down to the fulham side, where i found stapleton at the door of the public-house, standing with two or three others, smoking his pipe. “well, lad, so you’re chained to my wherry for two or three years; and i’m to initiate you into all the rules and regulations of the company. now, i’ll tell you one thing, which is, d’ye see, when the river’s covered with ice, as it is just now, haul your wherry up high and dry, and smoke your pipe till the river is clear, as i do now.”
“i might have guessed that,” replied i, bawling in his ear, “without you telling me.”
“very true; but don’t bawl in my ear quite so loud, i hears none the better for it; my ears require coaxing, that’s all.”
“why, i thought you were as deaf as a post.”
“yes, so i be with strangers, ’cause i don’t know the pitch of their voice; but with those about me i hear better when they speak quietly—that’s human nature. come, let’s go home, my pipe is finished, and as there’s nothing to be done on the river, we may just as well make all tidy there.”
stapleton had lost his wife; but he had a daughter, fifteen years old, who kept his lodgings, and did for him, as he termed it. he lived in part of some buildings leased by a boat-builder; his windows looked out on the river; and, on the first floor, a bay-window was thrown out, so that at high water the river ran under it. as for the rooms, consisting of five, i can only say that they could not be spoken of as large and small, but as small and smaller. the sitting-room was eight feet square, the two bed-rooms at the back, for himself and his daughter, just held a small bed each, and the kitchen and my room below were to match; neither were the tenements in the very best repair, the parlour especially, hanging over the river, being lop-sided, and giving you the uncomfortable idea that it would every minute fall into the stream below. still, the builder declared that it would last many years without sinking further, and that was sufficient. at all events, they were very respectable accommodations for a waterman, and stapleton paid for them 10 pounds per annum. stapleton’s daughter was certainly a very well-favoured girl. she had rather a large mouth; but her teeth were very fine, and beautifully white. her hair was auburn—her complexion very fair, her eyes were large, and of a deep blue, and from her figure, which was very good, i should have supposed her to have been eighteen, although she was not past fifteen, as i found out afterwards. there was a frankness and honesty of countenance about her, and an intellectual smile, which was very agreeable.
“well, mary, how do you get on?” said stapleton, as we ascended to the sitting-room. “here’s young faithful come to take up with us.”
“well, father, his bed’s all ready; and i have taken so much dirt from the room that i expect we shall be indicted for filling up the river. i wonder what nasty people lived in this house before us.”
“very nice rooms, nevertheless; ain’t they, boy?”
“o yes, very nice for idle people; you may amuse yourself looking out on the river, or watching what floats past, or fishing with a pin at high water,” replied mary, looking at me.
“i like the river,” replied i, gravely; “i was born on it, and hope to get my bread on it.”
“and i like this sitting-room,” rejoined stapleton; “how mighty comfortable it will be to sit at the open window, and smoke in the summer time, with one’s jacket off!”
“at all events you’ll have no excuse for dirtying the room, father; and as for the lad, i suppose his smoking days have not come yet.”
“no,” replied i; “but my days for taking off my jacket are, i suspect.”
“o yes,” replied she, “never fear that; father will let you do all the work you please, and look on—won’t you, father?”
“don’t let your tongue run quite so fast, mary; you’re not over fond of work yourself.”
“no; there’s only one thing i dislike more,” replied she, “and that’s holding my tongue.”
“well, i shall leave you and jacob to make it out together; i am going back to the feathers.” and old stapleton walked down stairs, and went back to the inn, saying, as he went out, that he should be back to his dinner.
mary continued her employment of wiping the furniture of the room with a duster for some minutes, during which i did not speak, but watched the floating ice on the river. “well,” said mary, “do you always talk as you do now? if so, you’ll be a very nice companion. mr turnbull who came to my father, told me that you was a sharp fellow, could read, write, and do everything, and that i should like you very much; but if you mean to keep it all to yourself, you might as well not have had it.”
“i am ready to talk when i have anything to talk about,” replied i.
“that’s not enough. i’m ready to talk about nothing, and you must do the same.”
“very well,” replied i. “how old are you?”
“how old am i! o, then you consider me nothing. i’ll try hard but you shall alter your opinion, my fine fellow. however, to answer your question, i believe i’m about fifteen.”
“not more? well, there’s an old proverb, which i will not repeat.”
“i know it, so you may save yourself the trouble, you saucy boy; but now, for your age?”
“mine! let me see; well, i believe that i am nearly seventeen.”
“are you really so old? well, now, i should have thought you no more than fourteen.”
this answer at first surprised me, as i was very stout and tall for my age; but a moment’s reflection told me that it was given to annoy me. a lad is as much vexed at being supposed younger than he really is as a man of a certain age is annoyed at being taken for so much older. “pooh!” replied i; “that shows how little you know about men.”
“i wasn’t talking about men, that i know of; but still, i do know something about them. i’ve had two sweethearts already.”
“indeed! and what have you done with them?”
“done with them! i jilted the first for the second, because the second was better looking; and when mr turnbull told me so much about you, i jilted the second to make room for you: but now i mean to try if i can’t get him back again.”
“with all my heart,” replied i laughing. “i shall prove but a sorry sweetheart, for i have never made love in my life.”
“have you ever had anybody to make love to?”
“no.”
“that’s the reason, mr jacob, depend upon it. all you have to do is to swear that i’m the prettiest girl in the world, that you like me better than anybody else in the world; do anything in the world that i wish you to do—spend all the money you have in the world in buying me ribbons and fairings, and then—”
“and then, what?”
“why, then, i shall hear all you have to say, take all you have to give, and laugh at you in the bargain.”
“but i shouldn’t stand that long.”
“o, yes, you would. i’d put you out of humour, and coax you in again; the fact is, jacob faithful, i made my mind up, before i saw you, that you should be my sweetheart, and when i will have a thing, i will, so you may as well submit to it at once. if you don’t, as i keep the key of the cupboard, i’ll half starve you; that’s the way to tame any brute, they say. and i tell you why, jacob, i mean that you shall be my sweetheart; it’s because mr turnbull told me that you knew latin; now, tell me, what is latin?”
“latin is a language which people spoke in former times, but now they do not.”
“well, then, you shall make love to me in latin, that’s agreed.”
“and how do you mean to answer me?”
“o, in plain english, to be sure.”
“but how are you to understand me?” replied i, much amused with the conversation.
“o, if you make love properly, i shall soon understand you; i shall read the english of it in your eyes.”
“very well, i have no objection; when am i to begin?”
“why, directly, you stupid fellow, to be sure. what a question!”
i went close up to mary, and repeated a few words of latin. “now,” says i, “look into my eyes, and see if you can translate them.”
“something impudent, i’m sure,” replied she, fixing her blue eyes on mine.
“not at all,” replied i, “i only asked for this,” and i snatched a kiss, in return for which i received a box on the ear, which made it tingle for five minutes. “nay,” replied i, “that’s not fair; i did as you desired—i made love in latin.”
“and i answered you, as i said i would, in plain english,” replied mary, reddening up to the forehead, but directly after bursting out into a loud laugh. “now, mr jacob, i plainly see that you know nothing about making love. bless me, a year’s dangling, and a year’s pocket-money should not have given you what you have had the impudence to take in so many minutes. but it was my own fault, that’s certain, and i have no one to thank but myself. i hope i didn’t hurt you—i’m very sorry if i did; but no more making love in latin. i’ve had quite enough of that.”
“well, then, suppose we make friends,” replied i, holding out my hand.
“that’s what i really wished to do, although i’ve been talking so much nonsense,” replied mary. “i know we shall like one another, and be very good friends. you can’t help feeling kind towards a girl you’ve kissed; and i shall try by kindness to make up to you for the box on the ear; so now, sit down, and let’s have a long talk. mr turnbull told us that he wished you to serve out your apprenticeship on the river with my father, so that, if you agree, we shall be a long while together. i take mr turnbull’s word, not that i can find it out yet, that you are a very good-tempered, good-looking, clever, modest lad; and as an apprentice who remains with my father must live with us, of course i had rather it should be one of that sort than some ugly, awkward brute who—”
“is not fit to make love to you,” replied i.
“who is not fit company for me,” replied mary. “i want no more love from you at present. the fact is that father spends all the time he can spare from the wherry at the ale-house, smoking; and it’s very dull for me, and having nothing to do, i look out of the window, and make faces at the young men as they pass by, just to amuse myself. now, there was no great harm in that a year or two ago; but now, you know, jacob—”
“well now, what then?”
“o, i’m bigger, that’s all? and what might be called sauciness in a girl may be thought something more of in a young woman. so i’ve been obliged to leave it off; but being obliged to remain home, with nobody to talk to, i never was so glad as when i heard that you were to come; so you see, jacob, we must be friends. i daren’t quarrel with you long, although i shall sometimes, just for variety, and to have the pleasure of making it up again. do you hear me—or what are you thinking of?”
“i’m thinking that you’re a very odd girl.”
“i dare say that i am, but how can i help that? mother died when i was five years old, and father couldn’t afford to put me out, so he used to lock me in all day till he came home from the river; and it was not till i was seven years old, and of some use, that the door was left open. i never shall forget the day when he told me that in future he should trust me, and leave the door open. i thought i was quite a woman, and have thought so ever since. i recollect that i often peeped out, and longed to run about the world; but i went two or three yards from the door, and felt so frightened, that i ran back as fast as i could. since that i have seldom quitted the house for an hour, and never have been out of fulham.”
“then you have never been at school?”
“o, no—never. i often wish that i had. i used to see the little girls coming home, as they passed our door, so merrily, with their bags from the school-house; and i’m sure, if it were only to have the pleasure of going there and back again for the sake of the run, i’d have worked hard, if for nothing else.”
“would you like to learn to read and write?”
“will you teach me?” replied mary, taking me by the arm, and looking me earnestly in the face.
“yes, i will, with pleasure,” replied i, laughing. “we will pass the evening better than making love, after all, especially if you hit so hard. how came you so knowing in those matters?”
“i don’t know,” replied mary, smiling; “i suppose, as father says, it’s human nature, for i never learnt anything; but you will teach me to read and write?”
“i will teach you all i know myself, mary, if you wish to learn. everything but latin—we’ve had enough of that.”
“oh! i shall be so much obliged to you. i shall love you so!”
“there you are again.”
“no, no, i didn’t mean that,” replied mary, earnestly. “i meant that—after all, i don’t know what else to say. i mean that i shall love you for your kindness, without your loving me again, that’s it.”
“i understand you; but now, mary, as we are to be such good friends, it is necessary that your father and i should be good friends; so i must ask you what sort of a person he is, for i know but little of him, and, of course, wish to oblige him.”
“well then, to prove to you that i’m sincere, i will tell you something; my father, in the first place, is a very good tempered sort of man. he works pretty well, but might gain more, but he likes to smoke at the public-house. all he requires of me is his dinner ready, his linen clean, and the house tidy. he never drinks too much, and is always civil spoken; but he leaves me too much alone, and talks too much about human nature, that’s all.”
“but he’s so deaf—he can’t talk to you.”
“give me your hand—now promise—for i’m going to do a very foolish thing, which is to trust a man—promise you’ll never tell it again.”
“well, i promise,” replied i, supposing her secret of no consequence.
“well, then—mind—you’ve promised. father is no more deaf than you or i.”
“indeed!” replied i; “why, he goes by the name of deaf stapleton?”
“i know he does, and makes everybody believe that he is so; but it is to make money.”
“how can he make money by that?”
“there’s many people in business who go down the river, and they wish to talk of their affairs without being overheard as they go down. they always call for deaf stapleton: and there’s many a gentleman and lady, who have much to say to each other, without wishing people to listen—you understand me?”
“o yes, i understand—latin!”
“exactly—and they call for deaf stapleton; and by this means he gets more good fares than any other waterman, and does less work.”
“but how will he manage now that i am with him?”
“o, i suppose it will depend upon his customers; if a single person wants to go down, you will take the sculls; if they call for oars, you will both go; if he considers deaf stapleton only is wanted, you will remain on shore; or, perhaps, he will insist upon your being deaf too.”
“but i do not like deceit.”
“no, it’s not right; although it appears to me that there is a great deal of it. still i should like you to sham deaf, and then tell me all that people say. it would be so funny. father never will tell a word.”
“so far, your father, to a certain degree, excuses himself.”
“well, i think he will soon tell you what i have now told you, but till then you must keep your promise; and now you must do as you please, as i must go down in the kitchen, and get dinner on the fire.”
“i have nothing to do,” replied i; “can i help you?”
“to be sure you can, and talk to me, which is better still. come down and wash the potatoes for me, and then i’ll find you some more work. well, i do think we shall be very happy.”
i followed mary stapleton down into the kitchen, and we were soon very busy, and very noisy, laughing, talking, blowing the fire, and preparing the dinner. by the time that her father came home we were sworn friends.
