Percival Keene

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER TWO.

  There is no security in this world. A dissolution of Parliament tookplace, and on the following election the Honourable Captain Delmar'sconstituents, not being exactly pleased at the total indifference whichhe had shown to their interests, took upon themselves to elect anothermember in his stead, who, as Captain Delmar had previously done,promised everything, and in all probability would follow the honourablecaptain's example by performing nothing. The loss of his election wasfollowed up by the loss of his ship, his majesty's government notconsidering it necessary that Captain Delmar (now that he had leisure toattend to his professional duties) should retain his command. Thefrigate, therefore, was paid off, and recommissioned by another captainwho had friends in Parliament.

  As Ben Keene belonged to the marine corps, he could not, of course,remain as valet to Captain Delmar, but was ordered, with the rest of thedetachment, to the barracks at Chatham; my mother, although she wasdetermined that she would not live at barracks, was not sorry to leavethe Hall, where she could not fail to perceive that she was, from herimprudent conduct, no longer treated with the respect or cordiality towhich she had been previously accustomed. She was most anxious to quita place in which her disgrace was so well known; and Captain Delmarhaving given her his advice, which coincided with her own ideas, andalso a very munificent present to enable her to set up housekeeping,took his departure from the Hall. My mother returned to her room as thewheels of his carriage rattled over the gravel of the drive, and manywere the bitter tears which she shed over her unconscious boy.

  The following day the Honourable Miss Delmar sent for her; as usual,commenced with a tedious lecture, which, as before, was wound up atparting with a handsome present. The day after my mother packed up hertrunks, and with me in her arms set off to Chatham, where we arrivedsafely, and immediately went into furnished lodgings. My mother was aclever, active woman, and the presents which she had at different timesreceived amounted to a considerable sum of money, over which her husbandhad never ventured to assert any claim.

  Indeed, I must do Ben Keene the justice to say that he had the virtue ofhumility. He felt that his wife was in every way his superior and thatit was only under peculiar circumstances that he could have aspired toher. He was, therefore, submissive to her in everything, consenting toevery proposal that was made by her, and guided by her opinion. When,therefore, on her arrival at Chatham, she pointed out how impossible itwould be for one brought up as she had been to associate with the womenin the barracks, and that she considered it advisable that she shouldset up some business by which she might gain a respectable livelihood,Ben, although he felt that this would be a virtual separation _a mensaet thoro_, named no objections. Having thus obtained the consent of herhusband, who considered her so much his superior as to be infallible, mymother, after much cogitation, resolved that she would embark hercapital in a circulating library and stationer's shop; for she arguedthat selling paper, pens, and sealing-wax was a commerce which wouldsecure to her customers of the better class. Accordingly, she hired ahouse close to the barracks, with a very good-sized shop below, paintingand papering it very smartly; there was much taste in all herarrangements, and although the expenses of the outlay and the firstyear's rent had swallowed up a considerable portion of the money she hadlaid by, it soon proved that she had calculated well, and her shopbecame a sort of lounge for the officers, who amused themselves with hersmartness and vivacity, the more so as she had a talent for repartee,which men like to find in a very pretty woman.

  In a short time my mother became quite the rage, and it was a mysteryhow so pretty and elegant a person could have become the wife of aprivate marine. It was however, ascribed to her having been captivatedwith the very handsome person and figure of her husband, and havingyielded to her feelings in a moment of infatuation. The ladiespatronised her circulating library; the officers and gentlemen purchasedher stationery. My mother then added gloves, perfumery, canes, andlastly cigars, to her previous assortment and before she had been a yearin business, found that she was making money very fast, and increasingher customers every day. My mother had a great deal of tact; with theother sex she was full of merriment and fond of joking, consequently agreat favourite; towards her own sex her conduct was quite the reverse;she assumed a respectful, prudish air, blended with a familiarity whichwas never offensive; she was, therefore, equally popular with her ownsex, and prospered in every sense of the word. Had her husband been theleast inclined to have asserted his rights, the position which she hadgained was sufficient to her reducing him to a state of subjection. Shehad raised herself, unaided, far above him; he saw her continuallychatting and laughing with his own officers, to whom he was compelled tomake a respectful salute whenever they passed by him; he could notventure to address her, or even to come into the shop, when his officerswere there, or it would have been considered disrespectful towards them;and as he could not sleep out of barracks, all his intercourse with herwas to occasionally slink down by the area, to find something better toeat than he could have in his own mess, or obtain from her an occasionalshilling to spend in beer. Ben, the marine, found at last that somehowor another, his wife had slipped out of his hands; that he was nothingmore than a pensioner on her bounty a slave to her wishes, and a fetcherand carrier at her command, and he resigned himself quietly to his fate,as better men have done before.