the great hoggarty diamond(大钻石)-第17部分
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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
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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
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〃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
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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