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The Old Man of the Sea Ship's Company, Part 11. By: W. W. Jacobs (1863-1943) |
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By W.W. Jacobs THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA
"What I want you to do," said Mr. George Wright, as he leaned towards the
old sailor, "is to be an uncle to me." "Aye, aye," said the mystified Mr. Kemp, pausing with a mug of beer
midway to his lips. "A rich uncle," continued the young man, lowering his voice to prevent
any keen ears in the next bar from acquiring useless knowledge. "An
uncle from New Zealand, who is going to leave me all 'is money." "Where's it coming from?" demanded Mr. Kemp, with a little excitement. "It ain't coming," was the reply. "You've only got to say you've got it.
Fact of the matter is, I've got my eye on a young lady; there's another
chap after 'er too, and if she thought I'd got a rich uncle it might make
all the difference. She knows I 'ad an uncle that went to New Zealand
and was never heard of since. That's what made me think of it." Mr. Kemp drank his beer in thoughtful silence. "How can I be a rich
uncle without any brass?" he inquired at length. "I should 'ave to lend you some a little," said Mr. Wright. [Illustration: "What I want you to do," said Mr. George Wright, "is to
be an uncle to me."] The old man pondered. "I've had money lent me before," he said,
candidly, "but I can't call to mind ever paying it back. I always meant
to, but that's as far as it got." "It don't matter," said the other. "It'll only be for a little while,
and then you'll 'ave a letter calling you back to New Zealand. See? And
you'll go back, promising to come home in a year's time, after you've
wound up your business, and leave us all your money. See?" Mr. Kemp scratched the back of his neck. "But she's sure to find it out
in time," he objected. "P'r'aps," said Mr. Wright. "And p'r'aps not. There'll be plenty of
time for me to get married before she does, and you could write back and
say you had got married yourself, or given your money to a hospital." He ordered some more beer for Mr. Kemp, and in a low voice gave him as
much of the family history as he considered necessary. "I've only known you for about ten days," he concluded, "but I'd sooner
trust you than people I've known for years." "I took a fancy to you the moment I set eyes on you," rejoined Mr. Kemp.
"You're the living image of a young fellow that lent me five pounds once,
and was drowned afore my eyes the week after. He 'ad a bit of a squint,
and I s'pose that's how he came to fall overboard." He emptied his mug, and then, accompanied by Mr. Wright, fetched his sea
chest from the boarding house where he was staying, and took it to the
young man's lodgings. Fortunately for the latter's pocket the chest
contained a good best suit and boots, and the only expenses incurred were
for a large, soft felt hat and a gilded watch and chain. Dressed in his
best, with a bulging pocket book in his breast pocket, he set out with
Mr. Wright on the following evening to make his first call. Mr. Wright, who was also in his best clothes, led the way to a small
tobacconist's in a side street off the Mile End Road, and, raising his
hat with some ceremony, shook hands with a good looking young woman who
stood behind the counter: Mr. Kemp, adopting an air of scornful dignity
intended to indicate the possession of great wealth, waited. "This is my uncle," said Mr. Wright, speaking rapidly, "from New Zealand,
the one I spoke to you about. He turned up last night, and you might
have knocked me down with a feather. The last person in the world I
expected to see." Mr. Kemp, in a good rolling voice, said, "Good evening, miss; I hope you
are well," and, subsiding into a chair, asked for a cigar. His surprise
when he found that the best cigar they stocked only cost sixpence almost
assumed the dimensions of a grievance. "It'll do to go on with," he said, smelling it suspiciously. "Have you
got change for a fifty pound note?" Miss Bradshaw, concealing her surprise by an effort, said that she would
see, and was scanning the contents of a drawer, when Mr... Continue reading book >>
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Fiction |
Humor |
Literature |
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