CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
A VERY SENSIBLE CHAPTER, HAVING REFERENCE TO THE SENSES--STAPLETON, BYKEEPING HIS UNDER CONTROL, KEEPS HIS HEAD ABOVE WATER IN HIS WHERRY--FORCED TO FIGHT FOR HIS WIFE, AND WHEN HE HAD WON HER, TO FIGHT ON TOKEEP HER--NO GREAT PRIZE, YET IT MADE HIM A PRIZE-FIGHTER.
Old Stapleton finished his pipe, took another swig at the porter,filled, relighted, puffed to try it, cleared his mouth, and thenproceeded:--
"Now, you see, Bartley, her husband, was the greatest rogue on theriver; he was up to everything, and stood at nothing. He fleeced asmuch on the water as she did on the land; for I often seed her givewrong change afterwards when people were tipsy, but I made it a rulealways to walk away. As for Bartley, his was always night-work, andmany's the coil of rope I have brought on shore, what, although he mighthave paid for, he didn't buy it of the lawful owner, but I never _seed_or _heard_, that was my maxim; and I fared well till I served my time,and then they gave me their old wherry, and built a new one forthemselves. So I set up on my own account, and then I seed, and heard,and had all my senses, just as they were before--more's the pity, for nogood came of it." [Puff, puff, puff, puff.] "The Bartleys wanted me tojoin them, but that wouldn't do; for though I never meddled with otherpeople's concerns, yet I didn't choose to go wrong myself. I've seedall the world cheating each other for fifty years or more, but that's noconcern of mine; I can't make the world better; so all I thinks about itis to keep honest myself: and if every one was to look after his ownsoul, and not trouble themselves about their neighbours, why, then, itwould be all the better for human natur'. I plied at the Swan Stairs,gained my livelihood, and spent it as I got it; for I was then too youngto look out a'ter a rainy day.
"One night a young woman in a cloak comes down to the stairs with abundle in her arms, and seems in a very great taking, and asks me for aboat. I hauls out of the row alongside of the yard, and hands her in.She trips as she steps in, and I catches to save her from falling, andin catching her I puts my hand upon the bundle in her arms, and feelsthe warm face of a baby. `Where am I to go, ma'am?' says I. `O! pullacross, and land me on the other side,' says she; and then I hears hersobbing to herself, as if her heart would break. When we were in themiddle o' the stream, she lifts up her head, and then first she looks atthe bundle and kisses it, and then she looks up at the stars which wereglittering above in the sky. She kisses the child once more, jumps up,and afore I could be aware of what she was about, she tosses me herpurse, throws her child into the water, and leaps in herself. I pullssharp round immediately, and seeing her again, I made one or two goodstrokes, comes alongside of her, and gets hold of her clothes. A'termuch ado I gets her into the wherry, and as soon as I seed she was cometo again, I pulls her back to the stairs where she had taken me from.As soon as I lands I hears a noise and talking, and several peoplestanding about; it seems it were her relatives, who had missed her, andwere axing whether she had taken a boat; and while they were describingher, and the other watermen were telling them how I had taken a fare ofthat description, I brings her back. Well, they takes charge of her,and leads her home; and then for the first time I thinks of the purse atthe bottom of the boat, which I picks up, and sure enough there werefour golden guineas in it, beside some silver. Well, the men who pliedat the stairs axed me all about it; but I keeps my counsel, and onlytells them how the poor girl threw herself into the water, and how Ipulled her out again; and in a week I had almost forgot all about it,when up comes an officer, and says to me, `You be Stapleton thewaterman?' and I says, `Yes, I be.' `Then you must come along with me;'and he takes me to the police-office, where I finds the poor young womanin custody for being accused of having murdered her infant. So theybegins to tax me upon my Bible oath, and I was forced to tell the wholestory; for though you may loose all your senses when convenient, yetsomehow or another, an oath on the Bible brings them all back again.`Did you see the child?' said the magistrate. `I seed a bundle,' saidI. `Did you hear the child cry?' said he. `No,' says I, `I didn't;'and then I thought I had got the young woman off; but the magistrate wasan old fox, and had all the senses at his fingers' ends. So says he,`When the young woman stepped into the boat did she give you thebundle?' `No,' says I again. `Then you never touched it?' `Yes, Idid, when her foot slipped.' `And what did it feel like?' `It feltlike a piece of human natur'.' says I, `and quite warm like.' `How doyou mean?' says he. `Why, I took it by the feel for a baby.' `And itwas quite warm, was it?' `Yes,' replied I, `it was.' `Well then, whatelse took place?' `Why, when we were in the middle of the stream sheand her child went overboard; I pulled her in again, but could not seethe child.' Fortunately for the poor girl, they didn't ask me whichwent overboard first, and that saved her from hanging. She was confinedsix months in prison, and then let out again; but you see, if it hadn'tbeen for my unfortunately feeling the child, and feeling it was warm,which proved its being alive, the poor young woman would have got offaltogether, perhaps. So much for the sense of feeling, which I say isof no use to nobody, but only a vexation." [Puff--the pipe out,relighted--puff, puff.]
"But, father," said Mary, "did you ever hear the history of the poorgirl?"
"Yes, I heard as how it was a hard case, how she had been seduced bysome fellow who had left her and her baby, upon which she determined todrown herself, poor thing; and her baby too. Had she only tried todrown her baby I should have said it was quite unnatural; but as shewished to drown herself at the same time, I considers that drowning thebaby to take it to heaven with her was quite natural, and all agreeableto human natur'. Love's a sense which young women should keep down asmuch as possible, Mary; no good comes of that sense."
"And yet, father, it appears to me to be human nature," replied Mary.
"So it is, but there's mischief in it, girl, so do you never haveanything to do with it."
"Was there mischief when you fell in love with my mother and marriedher?"
"You shall hear, Mary," replied old Stapleton, who recommenced.
"It was 'bout two months after the poor girl threw herself into theriver that I first seed your mother. She was then mayhap two yearsolder than you may be, and much such a same sort of person in her looks.There was a young man who plied from our stairs, named Ben Jones; heand I were great friends, and used for to help each other, and when afare called for oars, used to ply together. One night he says to me,`Will, come up, and I'll show you a devilish fine piece of stuff.' So Iwalks with him, and he takes me to a shop where they dealed in marinestores, and we goes and finds your mother in the back parlour. Bensends for pipes and beer, and we sat down and made ourselvescomfortable. Now, Mary, your mother was a very jilting kind of girl,who would put one fellow off to take another, just as her whim and fancytook her." [I looked at Mary, who cast down her eyes.] "Now these womendo a mint of mischief among men, and it seldom ends well; and I'd soonersee you in your coffin to-morrow, Mary, than think you should be one ofthis flaunting sort. Ben Jones was quite in for it, and wanted for tomarry her, and she had turned off a fine young chap for him, and he usedto come there every night, and it was supposed that they would bespliced in the course of a month; but when I goes there she cuts himalmost altogether, and takes to me, making such eyes at me, and drinkingbeer out of my pot, and refusing his'n, till poor Jones was quite madand beside himself. Well, it wasn't in human natur' to stand thoselarge blue eyes (just like yours, Mary), darting fire at a poor fellow;and when Jones got up in a surly humour, and said it was time to goaway, instead of walking home arm in arm, we went side by side, like twobig dogs with their tails as stiff up as a crowbar, and ready for afight; neither he nor I saying a word, and we parted without sayinggood-night. Well, I dreamed of your mother all that night, and the nextday went to see her, and felt worser and worser each time, and shesnubbed Jones, and at last told him to go about his business. This was'bout a month after I had first seen her; and then one day Jones, whowas a prize-fighter, says to me, `Be you a man?' and slaps me on theear. So, I knowing what he'd
been a'ter, pulls off my duds, and we setsto. We fights for ten minutes or so, and then I hits him a round blowon the ear, and he falls down on the _hard_, and couldn't come to time.No wonder, poor fellow! for he had gone to eternity." [Here oldStapleton paused for half a minute, and passed his hand across hiseyes.] "I was tried for manslaughter; but it being proved that he cameup and struck me first, I was acquitted, after lying two months in gaol,for I couldn't get no bail; but it was because I had been two months ingaol that I was let off. At first, when I came out, I determined neverto see your mother again; but she came to me, and wound round me, and Iloved her so much that I couldn't shake her off. As soon as she foundthat I was fairly hooked, she began to play with others; but I wouldn'tstand that, and every fellow that came near her was certain to have aturn out with me, and so I became a great fighter; and she, seeing thatI was the best man, and that no one else would come to her, one finemorning agreed to marry me. Well, we were spliced, and the very firstnight I thought I saw poor Ben Jones standing by my bedside, and, for aweek or so, I was not comfortable; but, howsomever, it wore off, I pliedat the stairs, and gained my money. But my pipe's out, and I'm dry withtalking. Suppose I take a spell for a few minutes."
Stapleton relighted his pipe, and for nearly half-an-hour smoked insilence. What Mary's thoughts were I cannot positively assert; but Iimagined that, like myself, she was thinking about her mother's conductand her own. I certainly was making the comparison, and we neither ofus spoke a word.
"Well," continued Stapleton, at last, "I married your mother, Mary, andI only hope that any man who may take a fancy to you, will not have somuch trouble with his wife as I had. I thought that a'ter she weresettled she would give up all her nonsense, and behave herself--but Isuppose it was in her natur' and she couldn't help it. She made eyesand gave encouragement to the men, until they became saucy and I becamejealous, and I had to fight one, and then the other, until I became anoted pugilist. I will say that your mother seemed always very happywhen I beat my man, which latterly I always did; but still she liked tobe _fit_ for, and I had hardly time to earn my bread. At last, some onebacked me against another man in the ring for fifty pound aside, and Iwas to have half if I won. I was very short of blunt at the time, and Iagreed; so, a'ter a little training the battle was fought, and I woneasy: and the knowing ones liked my way of hitting so much that theymade up another match with a better man, for two hundred pounds; and alord and other great people came to me, and I was introduced to them atthe public-house, and all was settled. So I became a regularprize-fighter, all through your mother, Mary. Nay, don't cry, child, Idon't mean to say that your mother, with all her love of being stared atand talked to, would have gone wrong; but still it was almost as bad inmy opinion. Well, I was put into training, and after five weeks we metat Mousley Hurst, and a hard fight it was--but I've got the whole of itsomewhere, Mary; look in the drawer there, and you'll see a newspaper."
Mary brought out the newspaper, which was rolled up and tied with a bitof string, and Stapleton handed it over to me, telling me to read italoud. I did so, but I shall not enter into the details.
"Yes, that's all right enough," said Stapleton, who had taken advantageof my reading to smoke furiously, to make up for lost time; "but no goodcame of it, for one of the gemmen took a fancy to your mother, Mary, andtried to win her away from me. I found him attempting to kiss her, andshe refusing him--but laughing, and, as I thought, more thanhalf-willing; so I floored him, and put him out of the house, and afterthat I never would have anything more to say with lords and gemmen, norwith fighting either. I built a new wherry, and stuck to the river, andI shifted my lodgings that I mightn't mix any more with those who knewme as a boxer. Your mother was then brought to bed with you, and Ihoped for a good deal of happiness, as I thought she would only think ofher husband and child; and so she did until you were weaned, and thenshe went on just as afore. There was a captain of a vessel lying in theriver, who used now and then to stop and talk with her; but I thoughtlittle about that, seeing how every one talked with her and she witheverybody; and besides, she knew the captain's wife, who was a verypretty woman, and used very often to ask Mary to go and see her, which Ipermitted. But one morning, when I was going off to the boat--for hehad come down to me to take him to his vessel--just as I was walkingaway with the sculls over my shoulder, I recollects my 'baccy box, whichI had left, and I goes back and hears him say before I came into thedoor--`Recollect, I shall be here again by two o'clock, and then youpromised to come on board my ship, and see--.' I didn't hear the rest,but she laughed and said yes, she would. I didn't show myself, butwalked away and went to the boat. He followed me, and I rowed him upthe river and took my fare--and then I determined to watch them, for Ifelt mighty jealous. So I lays off on my oars in the middle of thestream, and sure enough I see the captain and your mother get into asmall skiff belonging to his ship, and pull away; the captain had oneoar and one of his men another. I pulled a'ter them as fast as I could,and at last they seed me; and not wishing me to find her out, she beggedthem to pull away as fast as they could, for she knew how savage I wouldbe. Still I gained upon them, every now and then looking round andvowing vengeance in my heart, when all of a sudden I heard a scream, andperceived their boat to capsize, and all hands in the water. They hadnot seen a warp of a vessel getting into the row, and had run over it,and, as it tautened, they capsized. Your mother went down like a stone,Mary, and was not found for three days a'terward; and when I seed hersink I fell down in a fit." Here old Stapleton stopped, laid down hispipe, and rested his face in his hands. Mary burst into tears. After afew minutes he resumed: "When I came to, I found myself on board of theship in the captain's cabin, with the captain and his wife watching overme--and then I came to understand that it was she who had sent for yourmother, and that she was living on board, and that your mother had atfirst refused, because she knew that I did not like her to be on theriver, but wishing to see a ship had consented. So it was not so bada'ter all, only that a woman shouldn't act without her husband--but yousee, Mary, all this would not have happened if it hadn't been that Ioverheard part of what was said; and you might now have had a mother,and I a wife to comfort us, if it had not been for my unfortunate_hearing_--so, as I said before, there's more harm than good that comesfrom these senses--at least so it has proved to me. And now you haveheard my story, and how your mother died, Mary; so take care you don'tfall into the same fault, and be too fond of being looked at, which itdoes somehow or another appear to me you have a bit of a hankeringa'ter--but like mother, like child, they say, and that's _humannatur'_."
When Stapleton had concluded his narrative, he smoked his pipe insilence. Mary sat at the table, with her hands pressed to her temples,apparently in deep thought; and I felt anything but communicative. Inhalf-an-hour the pot of beer was finished, and Stapleton rose.
"Come, Mary, don't be thinking so much; let's all go to bed. Show Jacobhis room, and then come up."
"Jacob can find his own room, father," replied Mary, "without my showinghim; he knows the kitchen, and there is but one other below."
I took my candle, wished them good night, and went to my bed, which,although very homely, was at all events comfortable.
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