Percival Keene

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  Why is it that I detain the reader with Mr Culpepper and his family? Idon't know, but I certainly have an inclination to linger over everylittle detail of events which occurred upon my first plunging into thesea of life, just as naked boys on the New River side stand shivering awhile, before they can make up their minds to dash into the unnaturalelement; for men are not ducks, although they do show some affinity togeese by their venturing upon the treacherous fluid.

  The door was opened, and I found myself in the presence of MrsCulpepper and her daughter,--the heiress, as I afterwards discovered, toall Mr Culpepper's savings, which were asserted to be somethingconsiderable after thirty years' employment as purser of various vesselsbelonging to his Majesty.

  Mrs Culpepper was in person enormous--she looked like a feather-bedstanding on end; her cheeks were as large as a dinner-plate, eyes almostas imperceptible as a mole's, nose just visible, mouth like a round O.It was said that she was once a great Devonshire beauty. Time, who hasbeen 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-chair--indeed, no common-sized chair couldhave received her capacious person. She did not get up when I entered;indeed, as I discovered, she made but two attempts to stand during thetwenty-four hours; one was to come out of her bedroom, which was on thesame floor as the parlour, and the other to go in again.

  Miss Culpepper was somewhat of her mother's build. She might have beentwenty years old, and was, for a girl of her age, exuberantly fat; yetas 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 atall 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 lowcroak; for she was so smothered with fat that she could not get hervoice out.

  "Well, I hardly know," replied the gentleman, wiping his forehead; "butI've 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 thedoor,--you can't miss it."

  As this was almost a command, I did not refuse to go; but as soon as Iwas 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 bytheir evidently wishing to say something which they did not wish me tohear, I stopped under the window and listened.

  "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 tofit him out, and that he pays all the expenses."

  "Well, that's another proof," said the young lady; "he wouldn't pay forother people's children."

  "He was brought down here by a very respectable-looking, I may sayinteresting, and rather pretty woman,--I should think about thirty."

  "Then she must have been handsome when this boy was born," replied theyoung lady: "I consider that another proof. Where is she?"

  "Went away this morning by the day-coach, leaving the boy with thecaptain, who sent his coxswain for him."

  "There's mystery about that," rejoined the daughter, "and therefore Iconsider it another proof."

  "Yes," said Mr Culpepper, "and a strong one too. Captain Delmar is sohigh and mighty, that he would not have it thought that he could evercondescend 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, I'm not awoman."

  "I am of that opinion," replied the father, "and therefore I offered totake charge of him, as the captain did not know what to do with him tillhis uniform was ready."

  "Well," replied Miss Culpepper, "I'll soon find out more. I'll pumpeverything that he knows out of him before he leaves us; I know how toput that and that together."

  "Yes," croaked the fat mother; "Medea knows how to put that and thattogether, as well as any one."

  "You must be very civil and very kind to him," said Mr Culpepper; "fordepend upon it, the very circumstance of the captain's being compelledto keep the boy at a distance will make him feel more fond of him."

  "I've no patience with the men in that respect," observed the younglady: "how nobility can so demean themselves I can't think; no wonderthey are ashamed of what they have done, and will not acknowledge theirown offspring."

  "No, indeed," croaked the old lady.

  "If a woman has the misfortune to yield to her inclinations, they don'tlet her off so easily," exclaimed Miss Medea.

  "No, indeed," croaked the mamma again.

  "Men make the laws and break them," continued Miss Culpepper. "Merebrute strength, even in the most civilised society. If all women hadonly the spirit that I have, there would be a little alteration, andmore justice."

  "I can't pretend to argue with you, Medea," replied Mr Culpepper; "Itake 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 myhat a little, Medea, the wind has raised the nap, and then I'll 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 tomind the conduct of my mother towards her husband Ben; the dislike of mygrandmother to Captain Delmar; the occasional conversations I hadoverheard; the question of my mother checked before it was finished--"IfI knew who it was that I had been playing the trick to;" the visits mymother received from Captain Delmar, who was so haughty and distant toeverybody; his promise to provide for me, and my mother's injunctions tome to be obedient and look up to him as a father, and the remarks of thecoxswain, Bob Cross,--"If I were not of the Delmar breed:" all this,added to what I had just overheard, satisfied me that they were notwrong in their conjectures, and that I really was the son of thehonourable captain.

  My mother had gone; I would have given worlds to have gained thisinformation before, that I might have questioned her, and obtained thetruth from her; but that was now impossible, and I felt convinced thatwriting was of no use. I recollected the conversation between her andthe Captain, in which she promised to keep the secret, and the answershe gave me when I questioned her; nothing, then, but my tears andentreaties could have any effect, and those, I knew, were powerful overher; neither would it be of any use to ask Aunt Milly, for she would nottell her sister's secrets, so I resolved to say nothing about it for thepresent; and I did not forget that Mr Culpepper had said that CaptainDelmar would be annoyed if it was supposed that I was his son; Iresolved, therefore, that I would not let him imagine that I knewanything about it, or had any idea of it.

  I remained more than an hour in deep thought, and it was strange what atumult there was in my young heart at this discovery. I hardlycomprehended 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 ofthinking and acting than I was twenty-four hours before.

  My reveries were, however, disturbed by Miss Medea, who came to theback-door and asked me if I was not tired of walking, and if I would notlike to come in.

  "Are you not hungry, Master Keene? Would you like to have a nice pieceof cake and a glass of currant wine before dinner? We shall not dinetill three o'clock."

  "If you please," replied I: for I would not refuse the bribe, although Ihad 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 hadanticipated, and which I was determined to thwart, merely out ofopposition.

  "You were sorry to leave your mamma, weren't you, Master Keene?"

  "Yes; very sorry, miss."

  "Where's your papa, dearest? He's a very pretty boy, mamma, ain't he?"continued the y
oung lady, putting her fingers through my chestnut curls.

  "Yes; handsome boy," croaked the old lady.

  "Papa's 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 inaction."

  After this came on a series of questions and cross-questions; I repliedto 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 wasdetermined that I would not be pumped, and I puzzled them, for I statedthat my aunt Milly was married to Captain Bridgeman, of the marines; andnot till then did Miss Medea ask me what my father was. My reply wasthat he had also been in the marines, and they consequently put him downas a marine officer, as well as Captain Bridgeman.

  This added so much to the respectability of my family, that they werequite mystified, and found that it was not quite so easy to put that andthat together as they had thought.

  As soon as they were tired of questioning, they asked me if I would notlike 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 hermother--

  "Father's always finding out some mare's nest or another; and becausethere is some likeness to the captain, he has, in his great wit, made animportant discovery. It's quite evident that he's wrong, as hegenerally is. It's not very likely that Captain Delmar should have hadan intrigue with the wife of a marine officer, and her sister marriedalso into the corps. The widow has brought him down herself, it istrue, but that proves nothing; who else was to bring him down, if it wasnot his mother? and the very circumstance of her going away so soonproves that she felt it improper that she should remain; and, in myopinion, that she is a modest, interesting young woman, in whom CaptainDelmar has taken an interest. I wish father would not come here withhis nonsensical ideas, telling us to make much of the boy."

  "Very true, Medea," replied the mother; "you might have saved that cakeand wine."

  Thinks I to myself, you have not pumped me, and I never felt moredelighted than at having outwitted them. I thought it, however, prudentto walk away from the window.

  Shortly afterwards, Mr Culpepper returned, accompanied by one of thenumerous Portsmouth fitting-out tailors. I was summoned; the tailorpresented a list of what he declared to be absolutely necessary for theoutfit of a gentleman.

  Mr Culpepper struck out two-thirds of the articles, and desired theremainder to be ready on the Friday morning, it being then Wednesday.The tailor promised faithfully, and Mr Culpepper also promised mostfaithfully, that if the articles were not ready, they would be left onhis hands. As soon as the tailor had gone, Miss Medea asked me if Iwould not like to take another run in the garden. I knew that shewished to speak to her father, and therefore had a pleasure indisappointing her. I therefore replied, that I had been there nearlythe whole day, and did not wish to go out any more.

  "Never mind whether you wish it or not; I wish you to go," replied MissMedea, tartly.

  "Medea, how can you be so rude?" cried Mr Culpepper; "surely Mr Keenemay do as he pleases. I'm surprised at you, Medea."

  "And I'm surprised at you, papa, finding out a mystery when there isnone," replied Miss Medea, very cross. "All you said this morning, andall your surmises, have turned out to be all moonshine. Yes, you maylook, papa; I tell you--all moonshine."

  "Why, Medea, what nonsense you are talking," replied Mr Culpepper.

  "Medea's right," croaked Mrs Culpepper; "all moonshine."

  "So you need not be so very particular, papa, I can tell you," rejoinedMiss Medea, who then whispered in her father's ear, loud enough for meto hear, "No such thing, nothing but a regular marine."

  "Pooh, nonsense," replied the purser, in a low voice; "the boy has beentaught to say it--he's too clever for you, Medea."

  At this very true remark of her father's, Miss Medea swelled into atowering passion, her whole face, neck, and shoulders--for she wore alow gown in the morning--turning to a fiery scarlet. I never saw such afury as she appeared to be. She rushed by me so roughly, that I wasthrown back a couple of paces, and then she bounced out of the room.

  "Medea knows how to put that and that together, Mr Culpepper," croakedout Mrs Culpepper.

  "Medea's wise in her own conceit, and you're a regular old fool,"rejoined Mr Culpepper, with asperity; "one too knowing and the othernot half knowing enough. Master Keene, I hope you are hungry, for wehave a very nice dinner. Do you like ducks and green peas?"

  "Yes, sir, very much," replied I.

  "Were you born at Chatham, Master Keene?"

  "No, sir, I was born at the Hall, near Southampton. My mother wasbrought up by old Mrs Delmar, the captain's aunt."

  I gave this intelligence on purpose; as I knew it would puzzle MissMedea, who had just returned from the kitchen.

  Mr Culpepper nodded his head triumphantly to his daughter and wife, whoboth appeared dumb-founded at this new light thrown upon the affair.

  Miss Medea paused a moment and then said to me,--"I wish to ask you onequestion, Master Keene."

  "I will not answer any more of your questions, miss," replied I; "Youhave been questioning me all the morning, and just now, you were so rudeas nearly to push me down. If you want to know anything more, askCaptain Delmar; or, if you wish it, I will ask Captain Delmar whether Iam to answer you, and if he says I am, I will, but not without."

  This was a decided blow on my part; mother and Medea both lookedfrightened, and Mr Culpepper was more alarmed than either of thefemales. It proved to them that I knew what they were inquiring for,which was to them also proof that I also knew who I was; and further, myreference to Captain Delmar satisfied them that I felt sure of hissupport, and they knew that he would be very much irritated if I toldhim on what score they had been pumping me.

  "You are very right, Master Keene," said Mr Culpepper, turning veryred, "to refuse to answer any questions you don't like; and, Medea, I'msurprised at your behaviour; I insist upon it you do not annoy MasterKeene with any more of your impertinent curiosity."

  "No, no," croaked the old lady; "hold your tongue, Medea, hold yourtongue."

  Miss Medea, who looked as if she could tear my eyes out if she dared,swallowed down her rage as well as she could. She was mortified atfinding she had made a mistake, annoyed at my answering her so boldly,and frightened at her father's anger; for the old gentleman was very aptto vent it in the _argumentum ad feminam_, and box her ears soundly.

  Fortunately dinner was served just at this moment, and this gave a turnto the conversation, and also to their thoughts. Mr Culpepper was allattention, and Miss Medea, gradually recovering her temper, also becameaffable and condescending.

  The evening passed away very agreeably; but I went to bed early, as Iwished to be left to my own reflections, and it was not till daylightthat I could compose my troubled mind so as to fall asleep.