About six months after I had blown up the school of Mr O'Gallagher, the
company to which my father Ben belonged was ordered afloat again, and
shortly afterwards sailed for the East Indies, in the Redoubtable, 74.
That my mother was very much pleased at his departure, I do not scruple
to assert; but whether she ever analysed her feelings, I cannot pretend
to say; I rather think that all she wished was, that the chapter of
accidents would prevent Ben's reappearance, as she was ashamed of him as
a husband, and felt that he was an obstacle to her sister's advancement.
So one fine day Ben wished us all good bye; my mother was very generous
to him, as she could well afford to be. I rather think that Ben himself
was not sorry to go, for, stupid as he was, he must have felt what a
cypher he had become, being treated, not only by my mother, but by
everybody else, even by me, as a sort of upper servant.
It so happened, that about a month after Ben's departure, Captain Delmar
had, through the interest of his uncle, Lord de Versely, been appointed
to a ship which was lying in the Medway, and he came down to Chatham to
join her. He had no idea that my mother was there, for he had lost
sight of her altogether, and had it not been for me, might very probably
have left the town without having made the discovery.
Among other amusements, I had a great partiality for a certain bull pup,
mentioned by Lieutenant Flat in the former chapter, and which he had
made me a present of; the pup was now grown up, and I had taught it many
tricks; but the one which afforded me most amusement (of course, at
other people's expense) was, that I had made out of oakum a sham
pigtail, about a foot and a half long, very strong and think, with an
iron hook at the upper end of it.
The sham tail I could easily hook on to the collar of any one's coat
from behind, without their perceiving it; and Bob had been instructed by
me, whenever I told him to fetch it (and not before), to jump up at the
tail wherever it might be, and hang on to it with all the tenacity of
the race.
As it may be supposed, this was a great source of mirth in the barracks;
it was considered a good joke, and was much applauded by Captain
Bridgeman; but it was not considered a good joke out of the barracks;
and many an old woman had I already frightened almost out of her senses,
by affixing the tail to any portion of the back part of her dress.
It so happened, that one afternoon, as I was cruising about with Bob at
my heels, I perceived the newly-arrived Captain Delmar, in all the pomp
of pride of full uniform, parading down the street with a little middy
at his heels; and I thought to myself, "Law! how I should like to hang
my tail to his fine coat, if I only dared;" the impulse had become so
strong, that I actually had pulled up my pinafore and disengaged the
tail ready for any opportunity, but I was afraid that the middy would
see me.
Captain Delmar had passed close to me, the middy at his heels was
passing, and I thought all chance was gone, when, suddenly, Captain
Delmar turned short round and addressed the little officer, asking him
whether he had brought the order-book with him? The middy touched his
hat, and said, "No;" upon which Captain Delmar began to inflict a most
serious lecture upon the lad for forgetting what he had forgotten
himself, and I again passed by.
This was an opportunity I could not resist; while the captain and middy
were so well employed giving and receiving I fixed my oakum tail to the
collar of the Captain's gold-laced coat, and then walked over to the
other side of the street with Bob at my heels.
The middy being duly admonished, Captain Delmar turned round again and
resumed his way; upon which I called Bob, who was quite as ready for the
fun as I was, and pointing to the captain, said, "Fetch it, Bob." My
companion cleared the street in three or four bounds, and in a few
seconds afterwards made a spring up the back of Captain Delmar, and
seizing the tail, hung by it with his teeth, shaking it with all his
might as he hung in the air.
Captain Delmar was, to use a sailor's term, completely taken aback;
indeed he was nearly capsized by the unexpected assault. For a short
time he could not discover what it was; at last, by turning his head
over his shoulder and putting his hand behind him, he discovered who his
assailant was.
Just at that time, I called out "Mad dog! mad dog!" and Captain Delmar,
hearing those alarming words, became dreadfully frightened; his cocked
hat dropped from his head, and he took to his heels as fast as he could,
running down the street, with Bob clinging behind him.
The first open door he perceived was that of my mother's library; he
burst in, nearly upsetting Captain Bridgeman, who was seated at the
counter, talking to Aunt Milly, crying out "Help! help!" As he turned
round, his sword became entangled between his legs, tripped him up, and
he fell on the floor. This unhooked the tail, and Bob galloped out of
the shop, bearing his prize to me, who, with the little middy, remained
in the street convulsed with laughter. Bob delivered up the tail, which
I again concealed under my pinafore, and then with a demure face
ventured to walk towards my mother's house, and, going in at the back
door, put Master Bob in the wash-house out of the way; the little middy
who had picked up the captain's hat, giving me a wink as I passed him,
as much as to say, I won't inform against you.
In the meantime Captain Delmar had been assisted to his legs by Captain
Bridgeman, who well knew who had played the trick, and who, as well as
Aunt Milly, had great difficulty in controlling his mirth.
"Merciful heaven! what was it? Was the animal mad? Has it bitten me?"
exclaimed Captain Delmar, falling back in his chair, in which he had
been seated by Captain Bridgeman.
"I really do not know," replied Captain Bridgeman; "but you are not
hurt, sir, apparently, nor indeed is your coat torn."
"What dog--whose dog can it be?--it must be shot immediately--I shall
give orders--I shall report the case to the admiral. May I ask for a
glass of water? Oh, Mr Dott! you're there, sir; how came you to allow
that dog to fasten himself on my back in that way?"
"If you please," said the middy, presenting his cocked hat to the
captain, "I did draw my dirk to kill him, but you ran away so fast that
I couldn't catch you."
"Very well, sir, you may go down to the boat and wait for orders,"
replied the captain.
At this moment my mother, who had been dressing herself, made her first
appearance, coming out of the back parlour with a glass of water, which
aunt Milly had gone in for. Perceiving a gold-laced captain, she
advanced all smiles and courtesies, until she looked in his face, and
then she gave a scream, and dropped the tumbler on the floor, much to
the surprise of Captain Bridgeman, and also of aunt Milly, who, not
having been at the Hall, was not acquainted with the person of Captain
Delmar.
Just at this moment in came I, looking as demure as if, as the saying
is, "butter would not melt in my mouth," and certainly as much
astonished as the rest at my mother's embarrassment; but she soon
recovered herself, and asked Captain Delmar if he would condescend to
repose himself a little in the back parlour. When my mother let the
tumbler fall, the captain had looked her full in the face and recognised
her, and, in a low voice, said, "Excessively strange,--so very
unexpected!" He then rose up from the chair and followed my mother into
the back room.
"Who can it be?" said Aunt Milly to Captain Bridgeman, in a low tone.
"I suppose it must be the new captain appointed to the Calliope. I read
his name in the papers,--the Honourable Captain Delmar."
"It must be him," replied Milly; "for my sister was brought up by his
aunt, Mrs Delmar; no wonder she was surprised at meeting him so
suddenly. Percival, you naughty boy," continued Milly, shaking her
finger at me, "it was all your doing."
"Oh, Aunt Milly! you should have seen him run," replied I, laughing at
the thought.
"I'd recommend you not to play with post captains," said Captain
Bridgeman, "or you may get worse than you give. Mercy on us!" exclaimed
he, looking at me full in the face.
"What's the matter?" said aunt Milly.
Captain Bridgeman leant over the counter, and I heard him whisper, "Did
you ever see such a likeness as between the lad and Captain Delmar?"
Milly blushed a little, nodded her head, and smiled, as she turned away.
Captain Bridgeman appeared to be afterwards in a brown study; he tapped
his boot with his cane, and did not speak.
About a quarter of an hour passed, during which Captain Delmar remained
with my mother in the parlour, when she opened the door, and beckoned me
to come in. I did so not without some degree of anxiety, for I was
afraid that I had been discovered: but this doubt was soon removed;
Captain Delmar did me the honour to shake hands with me, and then patted
my head saying, he hoped I was a good boy, which, being compelled to be
my own trumpeter, I very modestly declared that I was. My mother, who
was standing up behind, lifted up her eyes at my barefaced assertion.
Captain Delmar then shook hands with my mother, intimating his intention
of paying her another visit very soon, and again patting me on the head,
quitted the parlour, and went away through the shop.
As soon as Captain Delmar was gone, my mother turned round, and said,
"You naughty, mischievous boy, to play such pranks. I'll have that dog
killed, without you promise me never to do so again."
"Do what again, mother?"
"None of your pretended innocence with me. I've been told of the
pigtail that Bob pulls at. That's all very well at the barracks with
the marines, sir, but do you know _who_ it is that you have been playing
that trick to?"
"No mother, I don't. Who is he?"
"Who is he, you undutiful child? why, he's--he's the Honourable Captain
Delmar."
"Well, what of that?" replied I. "He's a naval captain, ain't he?"
"Yes; but he's the nephew of the lady who brought me up and educated me.
It was he that made the match between me and our father: so if it had
not been for him, child, you never would have been born."
"Oh that's it," replied I. "Well, mother, if it had not been for me,
he'd never have come into the shop, and found you."
"But, my child, we must be serious; you must be very respectful to
Captain Delmar, and play no tricks with him; for you may see him very
often, and, perhaps, he will take a fancy to you; and if he does, he may
do you a great deal of good, and bring you forward in the world; so
promise me."
"Well, mother, I'll promise you I'll leave him alone if you wish it.
Law, mother, you should have seen how the middy laughed at him; it was
real fun to make a gallant captain run in the way he did."
"Go along, you mischievous animal, and recollect your promise to me,"
said my mother, as she went into the shop where she found that Captain
Bridgeman, to whom she intended to explain how it was that she had
dropped the tumbler of water, had gone away.
There was a great deal of consultation between my grandmother and my
mother on that evening; my aunt and I were sent out to to take a walk,
that we might not overhear what passed, and when we returned we found
them still in close conversation.