八喜电子书 > 经管其他电子书 > the great hoggarty diamond(大钻石) >

第17部分

the great hoggarty diamond(大钻石)-第17部分

小说: the great hoggarty diamond(大钻石) 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




by saying that he must take Miss Brough without a farthing; or not have 

her at all。   Whereupon Captain Fizgig got an appointment in the colonies; 

and Miss Brough became more ill…humoured than ever。                     But I could not 

help   thinking   she   was   rid   of   a   bad   bargain;   and   pitying   poor Tidd;   who 

came back to the charge again more love…sick than ever; and was rebuffed 

pitilessly   by   Miss   Belinda。    Her   father   plainly   told   Tidd;   too;   that   his 

visits were disagreeable to Belinda; and though he must always love and 

value him; he begged him to discontinue his calls at the Rookery。                    Poor 

fellow! he had paid his 20;000L。 away for nothing! for what was six per 

cent。   to   him   compared   to   six   per   cent。   and   the   hand   of   Miss   Belinda 

Brough? 

     Well; Mr。 Brough pitied the poor love…sick swain; as he called me; so 

much; and felt such a warm sympathy in my well…being; that he insisted 

on my going down to Somersetshire with a couple of months' leave; and 

away I went; as happy as a lark; with a couple of brand… new suits from 

Von Stiltz's in my  trunk   (I had   them  made;  looking   forward to   a   certain 

event); and   inside   the   trunk   Lieutenant   Smith's   fleecy  hosiery;   wrapping 

up a parcel of our prospectuses and two letters from John Brough; Esq。; to 



                                               64 


… Page 65…

                               THE GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND 



my   mother   our   worthy   annuitant;   and   to   Mrs。   Hoggarty   our   excellent 

shareholder。       Mr。 Brough said I was all that the fondest father could wish; 

that he considered me as his own boy; and that he earnestly begged Mrs。 

Hoggarty  not   to delay  the   sale   of   her little landed   property;  as   land   was 

high   now   and   MUST   FALL;   whereas   the   West   Diddlesex   Association 

shares were (comparatively) low; and must inevitably; in the course of a 

year or two; double; treble; quadruple their present value。 

     In this way I was prepared; and in this way I took leave of my dear 

Gus。     As we parted in the yard of the 〃Bolt…in…Tun;〃 Fleet Street; I felt 

that I never should go back to Salisbury Square again; and had made my 

little   present   to   the   landlady's   family   accordingly。   She   said   I   was      the 

respectablest   gentleman   she   had   ever   had   in   her   house:         nor   was   that 

saying much; for Bell Lane is in the Rules of the Fleet; and her lodgers 

used commonly to be prisoners on Rule from that place。                      As for Gus; the 

poor fellow cried and blubbered so that he could not eat a morsel of the 

muffins   and   grilled   ham   with   which   I   treated   him   for   breakfast   in   the 

〃Bolt…in…Tun〃 coffee… house; and   when I  went away  was waving   his   hat 

and   his   handkerchief   so      in   the  archway   of   the   coach…office   that   I     do 

believe the wheels of the 〃True Blue〃 went over his toes; for I heard him 

roaring     as  we    passed    through    the   arch。    Ah!    how    different    were    my 

feelings   as   I   sat   proudly   there   on   the   box   by   the   side   of   Jim   Ward;   the 

coachman; to those I had the last time I mounted that coach; parting from 

my dear Mary and coming to London with my DIAMOND PIN! 

     When arrived near home (at Grumpley; three miles from our village; 

where      the  〃True    Blue〃    generally     stops   to   take   a  glass   of  ale   at  the 

Poppleton Arms)   it   was   as   if   our   Member;   Mr。   Poppleton   himself;   was 

come   into   the   country;   so   great   was   the   concourse   of   people   assembled 

round the inn。       And there was the landlord of the inn and all the people of 

the    village。    Then     there   was    Tom     Wheeler;     the  post…boy;     from    Mrs。 

Rincer's posting…hotel in our town; he was riding on the old bay posters; 

and   they;   Heaven   bless   us!   were   drawing   my   aunt's   yellow   chariot;   in 

which she never went out but thrice in a year; and in which she now sat in 

her   splendid   cashmere   shawl   and   a   new   hat   and   feather。       She   waved   a 

white   handkerchief   out   of   the   window;   and   Tom   Wheeler   shouted   out 



                                                 65 


… Page 66…

                              THE GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND 



〃Huzza!〃   as   did   a   number   of   the   little   blackguard   boys   of   Grumpley: 

who;   to   be   sure;   would   huzza   for   anything。      What   a   change   on   Tom 

Wheeler's part; however!           I remembered only a few years before how he 

had whipped me from the box of the chaise; as I was hanging on for a ride 

behind。     Next     to   my   aunt's  carriage   came   the     four…wheeled   chaise      of 

Lieutenant Smith; R。N。; who was driving his old fat pony with his lady by 

his side。     I looked in the back seat of the chaise; and felt a little sad at 

seeing that SOMEBODY was not there。                    But; O silly fellow! there was 

Somebody   in   the   yellow   chariot   with   my   aunt;   blushing   like   a   peony;   I 

declare;   and   looking   so   happy!oh;   so   happy   and   pretty!        She   had   a 

white dress; and a light blue and yellow scarf; which my aunt said were 

the Hoggarty colours; though what the Hoggartys had to do with light blue 

and yellow; I don't know to this day。 

     Well; the 〃True Blue〃 guard made a great bellowing on his horn as his 

four   horses   dashed   away;   the   boys   shouted   again;   I   was   placed   bodkin 

between   Mrs。   Hoggarty   and   Mary;   Tom   Wheeler   cut   into   his   bays;   the 

Lieutenant (who had shaken me cordially by the hand; and whose big dog 

did not make the slightest attempt at biting me this time) beat his pony till 

its   fat  sides  lathered    again;   and    thus  in   this;  I  may   say;   unexampled 

procession; I arrived in triumph at our village。 

     My  dear   mother   and   the   girls;Heaven bless them!nine   of them  in 

their   nankeen   spencers   (I   had   something   pretty   in   my   trunk   for   each   of 

them)could not afford a carriage; but had posted themselves on the road 

near the village; and there was such a waving of hands and handkerchiefs: 

and though my aunt did not much notice them; except by a majestic toss of 

the head; which is pardonable in a woman of her property; yet Mary Smith 

did even   more   than   I; and   waved   her   hands   as much   as the   whole   nine。 

Ah! how my dear mother cried and blessed me when we met; and called 

me her soul's comfort and her darling boy; and looked at me as if I were a 

paragon   of   virtue   and   genius:     whereas   I   was   only   a   very   lucky   young 

fellow;   that   by   the   aid   of   kind   friends   had   stepped   rapidly   into   a   very 

pretty property。 

     I was not to stay with my mother;that had been arranged beforehand; 

for though she and Mrs。 Hoggarty were not remarkably good friends; yet 



                                                66 


… Page 67…

                              THE GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND 



Mother said it was for my benefit that I should stay with my aunt; and so 

give up the pleasure of having me with her:               and though hers was much 

the   humbler   house   of   the   two;   I   need   not   say   I   preferred   it   far   to   Mrs。 

Hoggarty's more splendid one; let alone the horrible Rosolio; of which I 

was obliged now to drink gallons。 

     It   was   to   Mrs。   H。's   then   we   were   driven: she   had   prepared   a   great 

dinner that evening; and hired an extra waiter; and on getting out of the 

carriage; she gave a sixpence to Tom Wheeler; saying that was for himself; 

and that she would settle with Mrs。 Rincer for the horses afterwards。                    At 

which Tom flung the sixpence upon the ground; swore most violently; and 

was very justly called by my aunt an 〃impertinent fellow。〃 

     She had taken such a liking to me that she would hardly bear me out of 

her sight。     We used to sit for morning after morning over her accounts; 

debating for hours together the propriety of selling the Slopperton property; 

but   no   arrangement   was   come   to   yet   about   it;   for   Hodge   and   Smithers 

could not get the price she wanted。           And; moreover; she vowed that at her 

decease she would leave every shilling to me。 

     Hodge   and   Smithers;   too;   gave   a   grand   party;   and   treated   me   with 

marked consideration; as did every single person of the village。 Those who 

could not afford to give dinners gave teas; and all drank the health of the 

young couple; and many a time after dinner or supper was my Mary made 

to blush by the allusions to the change in her condition。 

     The   happy  day  for   that   ceremony  was   now  fixed;  and   the   24th   July; 

1823; saw me the happiest husband of the prettiest girl in Somersetshire。 

We were married from my mother's house; who would insist upon that at 

any   rate;   and   the   nine   girls   acted   as   bridesmaids;   ay!   and   Gus   Hoskins 

came from town express to be my groomsman; and had my old room at 

my mother's; and stayed with her for a week; and cast a sheep's…eye upon 

Miss Winny Titmarsh too; my dear fourth sister; as I afterwards learned。 

     My   aunt   was   very   kind   upon   the   marriage   ceremony;   indeed。       She 

had   desired   me   some   weeks   previous   to   order   three   magnificent   dresses 

for   Mary   from   the   celebrated   Madame   Mantalini   of   London;   and   some 

elegant   trinkets   and   embroidered   pocket…handkerchiefs   from  Howell   and 

James's。     These were sent down to me; and were to be MY present to the 


返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的