CHAPTER IX
THE TALK IN THE DOLPHIN
Captain Marmaduke presented me to the two men, while his hand stillrested on my shoulder.
'Brother,' he said, 'this is Master Ralph Crowninshield, of whom youhave often heard from Lancelot.'
'Aye,' said the old man, looking at me without any salutation. 'Aye, Ihave heard of him from Lancelot.'
Captain Marmaduke now turned towards the other man, who had never takenhis eyes off me since I entered the room.
'Cornelys Jensen, here is Master Ralph Crowninshield, your shipmate thatis to be.'
Cornelys Jensen came across the room in a couple of swinging strides andheld out his hand to me. Something in his carriage reminded me ofcertain play-actors who had come to the town once. This man carriedhimself like a stage king. We clasped hands, and he spoke.
'Salutation, shipmate.'
Then we unclasped, and he returned to his post by the fireplace with thesame exaggeration of action as before.
The old man broke a short silence. 'Well, Marmaduke, why have youbrought this boy here?'
The Captain motioned me to a seat, which I took, and sat back himself inhis former place.
'Because the boy is going with me, and I thought that you might havesomething to say to him before he went.'
'Something to say to him?'
The old man repeated the words like a sneer, then he faced on me againand addressed me with an unmoving face.
'Yes, I have something to say to you. Young man, you are going on afool's errand.'
Captain Marmaduke laughed a little at this, but I could see that he wasnot pleased.
'Come, brother, don't say that,' he said.
'But I do say it,' the old gentleman repeated. 'A fool's errand it is,and a fool's errand it will be called; and it shall not be said ofNathaniel Amber that he saw his brother make a fool of himself withouttelling him his mind.'
'I can always trust you for that, Nathaniel,' said the Captain gravely.The old man went on without heeding the interruption.
'A fool's errand I call it, and shall always call it. What a plague! cana man find moneys and a tall ship and stout fellows, and set them to nobetter use than to found a Fool's Paradise with them at the heel of theworld? Ships were made for traffic and shipmen for trade, and not forsuch whimsies.'
The Captain frowned, but he said nothing, and tapped the toes of hiscrossed boots with his malacca. But Cornelys Jensen, advancing forward,put in his word.
'Saving your presence, Master Nathaniel,' he said, 'but is not this amost honourable and commendable enterprise? What better thing could agallant gentleman do than to found such a brotherhood of honest heartsand honest hands as Captain Marmaduke here proposes?'
The frown faded from the Captain's face, and a pleased flush deepenedits warm colour. It is a curious thing that men of his kidney--men withan unerring eye for a good man--have often a poor eye for a rogue. Itamazed me to see my Captain so pleased at the praisings of CornelysJensen. But I was to find out later that he was the easiest man in theworld to deceive.
'Spoken like a man, Cornelys; spoken like a true man,' he said.
'I must ever speak my mind,' said Cornelys Jensen. 'I may be a roughsea-fellow, but if I have a thing to say I must needs spit it out,whether it please or pain. And I say roundly here, in your honour'spresence, that I think this to be a noble venture, and that I havenever, since first I saw salt water, prepared for any cruise with somuch pleasure.'
Which was indeed true, but not as he intended my Captain to take it, andas my Captain did take it.
'Well,' grumbled Nathaniel, 'you are a pair of fools, both of you,' andas he spoke he glanced from one to the other with those little shrewdeyes of his, looking at my Captain first and then at Cornelys.
Young as I was, and fresh to the reading of the faces of crafty men, Ithought that the look in his eyes--for his face changed not at all--wasvery different when they rested on the brown face of Cornelys Jensenthan when they looked on the florid visage of my good patron. He glancedwith contempt upon his kinsman, but I did not see contempt in the gazehe fixed upon Cornelys, who returned his gaze with a steady, unabashedstare.
'Yes,' the old man went on, 'you are a pair of fools, and a fool and hismoney is a pithy proverb, and true enough of one of you. But it is wellsometimes to treat a fool according to his folly, and so, if you arereally determined upon this adventure----'
He paused, and looked again at the Captain and again at Cornelys Jensen.
Cornelys Jensen remained perfectly unmoved. The Captain's face grew ashade redder.
'I am,' he said shortly.
'Very well, then,' said the old gentleman; 'as you are my brother, Imust needs humour you. You shall have the moneys you need----'
'Now that's talking,' interrupted the Captain.
'Although I know it is a foolhardy thing for me to do.'
'You get good enough security, it seems to me,' said the Captain, athought gruffly.
'Maybe I do,' said Nathaniel, 'and maybe I do not. Maybe I have a fancyfor my fine guineas, and do not care to part with them, however good thesecurity may be.'
'Lord, how you chop and change!' said the Captain. 'Act like a plainman, brother. Will you or will you not?'
'I have said that I will,' said Nathaniel slowly.
I could see that for some reason it amused him to irritate his brotherby his reluctance and by his slow speech. The ancient knave knew it forthe surest way to spur him to the enterprise.
'When can I have the money?' asked the Captain.
'Not to-day,' said Nathaniel slowly, 'nor yet to-morrow.'
'Why not to-morrow? It would serve me well to-morrow.'
'Very well,' said Nathaniel with a sigh; 'to-morrow it shall be, thoughyou do jostle me vilely.'
'Man alive! I want to be off to sea,' said the Captain.
'The sooner we are off the better,' interpolated Jensen; and once againI noted that Nathaniel shot a swift glance at him through hishalf-closed lids.
'You are bustling fellows, you that follow the sea life,' saidNathaniel. 'Well, it shall be to-morrow, and I will have all the papersmade ready and the money in fat bags, and you will have nothing to dobut to sign the one and to pocket the other. And now I must be jogging.'
The Captain made no show of staying him. Nathaniel moved towards thedoor slowly, weighing up upon his crutched stick.
'Farewell, Marmaduke!' he said. He took the Captain's hand, but soonparted with it.
Then he looked at me.
'Good-day, young fellow,' he said. 'Do not forget that I told you youwent on a fool's errand.'
I drew aside to make way for him, and he left the room without a look ora word for Cornelys Jensen. In another minute I saw him through thewindow hobbling along the street.
He looked malignant enough, but I did not know then how malignant athing he was. I was ever a weak wretch at figures and business andfinance, but it was made plain to me later that Master Nathaniel had sohandled Master Marmaduke in this matter of the lending of moneys, thatif by any chance anything grave were to happen to Master Marmaduke andto the lad Lancelot and the lass Marjorie all that belonged to CaptainMarmaduke would swell the wealth of his brother. And here were CaptainMarmaduke and Lancelot and Marjorie all going to sea together and goingin company of Cornelys Jensen. And I know now that Master Nathanielknew Cornelys Jensen very well. But I did not know it then or dream itas I turned from the window and looked at the handsome rascal, whoseemed agog to be going.
'Shall you need me longer, Captain?' Jensen asked. 'There is much to dowhich should be doing.'
'Nay,' said the Captain, 'you are free, for me. I know that there ismuch to do, and I know that you are the man to do it. But I shall seeyou in the evening.'
Jensen saluted the Captain, nodded to me, and strode out of the room.Then the Captain sat me down and talked for some twenty minutes of hisplan and his hope. If I did not understand much, I felt that I was afortunate fellow to be in such a glorious en
terprise. I wish I had beenmore mindful of all that he said, but my mind was ever somewhat of asieve for long speeches, and the dear gentleman spoke at length.
Presently he consulted his watch.
'The coach should be in soon,' he said. 'Let us go forth and await it.'
We went out of the Dolphin together into the hall, and there we came toa halt, for he had thought upon some new point in his undertaking, andhe began to hold forth to me upon that.
I can see the whole place now--the dark oak walls, the dark oak stairs,and my Captain's blue coat and scarlet face making a brave bit of colourin the sombre place. The Noble Rose is gone long since, but that halllives in my memory for a thing that just then happened.
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