CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
HOW I WAS REVENGED UPON MY ENEMIES--WE TRY THE BARS OF MUSIC BUT FINDTHAT WE ARE BARRED OUT--BEING NO GO, WE GO BACK.
I shook hands with Tom, who perceiving that I was vexed, had accompaniedme down to the boat, with his usual sympathy, and had offered to pullwith me to Fulham, and walk back; which offer I declined, as I wished tobe alone. It was a fine moonlight night, and the broad light andshadow, with the stillness of all around, were peculiarly adapted to myfeelings. I continued my way up the river, revolving in my mind thescenes of the day; the reconciliation with one whom I never intended tohave spoken to again; the little quarrel with those whom I neverexpected to have been at variance with, and that at the time when I wasonly exerting myself to serve them; and then I thought of Sarah, as anoasis of real happiness in this contemplated desert, and dwelt upon thethought of her as the most pleasant and calming to my still agitatedmind. Thus did I ruminate till I had passed Putney Bridge, forgettingthat I was close to my landing place, and continuing, in my reverie, topull up the river, when my cogitations were disturbed by a noise of menlaughing and talking, apparently in a state of intoxication. They werein a four-oared wherry, coming down the river, after a party ofpleasure, as it is termed, generally one ending in intoxication, Ilistened.
"I tell you I can spin an oar with any man in the king's service," saidthe man in the bow, "Now look."
He threw his oar out of the rowlocks, spun it in the air, butunfortunately did not catch it when it fell, and consequently it wentthrough the bottom, starting two of the planks of the fragile-builtboat, which immediately filled with water.
"Hilloa! waterman!" cried another, perceiving me, "quick, or we shallsink." But the boat was nearly up to the thwarts in water before Icould reach her, and just as I was nearly alongside she filled andturned over.
"Help, waterman; help me first; I'm senior clerk," cried a voice which Iwell knew. I put out my oar to him as he struggled in the water, andsoon had him clinging to the wherry. I then tried to catch hold of theman who had sunk the boat by his attempt to toss the oar, but he veryquietly said, "No, damn it, there's too many; we shall swamp the wherry;I'll swim on shore"--and suiting the action to the word, he made for theshore with perfect self-possession, swimming in his clothes with greatease and dexterity.
I picked up two more, and thought that all were saved, when turninground, and looking towards the bridge, I saw resplendent in the brightbeams of the moon, and "round as its orb," the well-remembered face ofthe stupid young clerk who had been so inimical to me, struggling withall his might. I pulled to him, and putting out my oar over the bow, heseized it after rising from his first sink, and was, with the otherthree, soon clinging to the side of the wherry.
"Pull me in--pull me in, waterman!" cried the head clerk, whose voice Ihad recognised.
"No; you will swamp the boat."
"Well, but pull me in, if not the others. I'm the senior clerk."
"Can't help that; you must hold on," replied I, "while I pull you onshore; we shall soon be there." I must say that I felt a pleasure inallowing him thus to hang in the water. I might have taken them all incertainly, although at some risk, from their want of presence of mindand hurry, arising from the feeling of self-preservation; but I desiredthem to hold on, and pulled for the landing-place; which we soon gained.The person who had preferred swimming had arrived before us, and waswaiting on the beach.
"Have you got them all, waterman?" said he.
"Yes, sir, I believe so; I have four."
"The tally is right," replied he, "and four greater galloots were neverpicked up; but never mind that. It was my nonsense that nearly drownedthem; and, therefore, I'm very glad you've managed so well. My jacketwent down in the boat, and I must reward you another time."
"Thank you, sir, no occasion for that, it's not a regular fare."
"Nevertheless, give us your name."
"Oh, you may ask Mr Hodgson, the senior clerk, or that full-moon-facedfellow--they know my name."
"Waterman, what do you mean?" replied Mr Hodgson, shivering with cold.
"Very impudent fellow," said the junior of the round face.
"If they know your name, they won't tell it," replied the other. "Now,I'll first tell you mine, which is Lieutenant Wilson, of the navy; andnow let's have yours, that I may ask for it; and tell me what stairs youply from."
"My name is Jacob Faithful, sir," replied I; "and you may ask yourfriends whether they know it or not when their teeth don't chatter quiteso much."
At the mention of my name the senior and junior clerk walked off, andthe lieutenant, telling me that I should hear from him again, was aboutto leave. "If you mean to give me money, sir, I tell you candidly Ishall not take it. I hate these two men for the injuries they haveheaped on me; but I don't know how it is, I feel a degree of pleasure inhaving saved them, that I wish for no better revenge. So farewell,sir."
"Spoken as you ought, my lad--that's glorious revenge. Well, then, Iwill not come; but if ever we meet again I shall never forget this nightand Jacob Faithful." He held out his hand, shook mine warmly, andwalked away.
When they were gone, I remained for some little time quite stupified atthe events of the day. The reconciliation--the quarrel--the revenge. Iwas still in thought when I heard the sound of a horse's hoofs. Thisrecalled me, and I was hauling up my boat, intending to go home toStapleton's; but with no great eagerness. I felt a sort of dislike toMary Stapleton, which I could not account for; but the fact was I hadbeen in company with Sarah Drummond. The horse stopped at the foot ofthe bridge; and the rider giving it to his servant, who was mounted onanother, to hold, came down to where I was hauling up my boat. "My lad,is it too late for you to launch your boat? I will pay you well."
"Where do you wish to go to, sir? It is now past ten o'clock."
"I know it is, and I hardly expected to find a waterman here; but I tookthe chance. Will you take me about two miles up the river?"
I looked at the person who addressed me, and was delighted to recognisein him the young man who had hired Mr Turnbull and me to take him tothe garden, and who had been captured when we escaped with the tin box;but I did not make myself known. "Well, sir, if you wish it, I've noobjection," replied I, putting my shoulder to the bow of my wherry, andlaunching her again into the water. At all events, this has been a dayof adventure, thought I, as I threw my sculls again into the water, andcommenced pulling up the stream. I was some little while in meditationwhether I should make myself known to the young man; but I decided thatI would not. Let me see, thought I, what sort of a person this is--whether he is as deserving as the young lady appeared to consider."Which side, sir?" inquired I.
"The left," was the reply.
I knew that well enough, and I pulled in silence until nearly up to thewall of the garden which ran down to the band of the river. "Now pullin to that wall, and make no noise," was the injunction; which I obeyed,securing the boat to the very part where the coping bricks had beendisplaced. He stood up, and whistled the two bars of the tune asbefore, waited five minutes, repeated it, and watched the windows of thehouse; but there was no reply, or signs of anybody being up or stirring."It is too late; she is gone to rest."
"I thought there was a lady in the case, sir," observed I. "If you wishto communicate with her, I think I could manage it."
"Could you?" replied he. "Stop a moment; I'll speak to you by-and-by."He whistled the tune once more, and after waiting another ten minutes,dropped himself down on the stern sheets, and told me to pull backagain. After a minute's silence he said to me, "You think you couldcommunicate with her, you say. Pray, how do you propose?"
"If you will write a letter, sir, I'll try to let it come to her hand."
"How?"
"That, sir, you must leave me to find out, and trust to opportunity; butyou must tell me what sort of a person she is, that I may not give it toanother; and also, who there is in the house that I must be careful doesnot see me."
"Very true," replied he. "I can only say that if you do succeed, I willreward you handsomely; but she is so strictly watched that I am afraidit will be impossible. However, a despairing, like a drowning man, willcatch at a straw; and I will see whether you will be able to assist me."
He then informed me that there was no one in the house except her uncleand his servants, all of whom were spies upon her; that my only chancewas watching if she were permitted to walk in the garden alone, whichmight be the case; and perhaps, by concealing myself from eight o'clockin the morning till the evening under the parapet wall, I might find anopportunity. He directed me to be at the foot of the bridge nextmorning at seven o'clock, when he would come with a letter written forme to deliver, if possible. We had then arrived at Fulham. He landed,and putting a guinea in my hand, mounted his horse, which his servant[had] walked up and down, waiting for him, and rode off. I hauled up myboat and went home, tired with the manifold events of the day. MaryStapleton who had sat up for me, was very inquisitive to know what hadoccasioned my coming home so late; but I evaded her questions, and sheleft me in anything but good-humour; but about that I never felt soindifferent.
The next morning the servant made his appearance with the letter,telling me that he had orders to wait till the evening; and I pulled upthe river. I placed it under the loose brick, as agreed upon with theyoung lady, and then shoved off to the other side of the river, where Ihad a full view of the garden, and could notice all that passed. Inhalf-an-hour the young lady came out, accompanied by another female, andsauntered up and down the gravel-walk. After a while she stopped, andlooked on the river, her companion continuing her promenade. As ifwithout hoping to find anything there, she moved the brick aside withher foot; perceiving the letter, she snatched it up eagerly, andconcealed it in her dress, and then cast her eyes on the river. It wascalm, and I whistled the bar of music. She heard it, and turning away,hastened into the house. In about half-an-hour she returned, andwatching her opportunity, stooped down to the brick. I waited a fewminutes, when both she and her companion went into the house. I thenpulled in under the wall, lifted up the brick, took the letter, andhastened back to Fulham; when I delivered the letter to the servant, whorode off with it as fast as he could; and I returned home quite pleasedat the successful issue of my attempt, and not a little curious to learnthe real facts of this extraordinary affair.
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