VOLUME THREE, CHAPTER ONE.
A green and gilded snake had wreathed itself, Who, with her head, nimble in threats, approach'd The opening of his mouth. SHAKESPEARE.
The Bombay Castle arrived at Madras without further adventure. A fewhours after she had anchored, all the passengers, receiving kindmessages from, or escorted on shore by their relatives or consignees,had landed; all, with the exception of the three Miss Revels, whoseanxiety to land was increased by the departure of the others, and theunpleasant situation in which they were placed, by remaining a clog uponCaptain Drawlock, who would not quit his ship until he had surrenderedup his charge. By inquiry of the dubashes, Captain Drawlock found outthat an old Colonel Revel was residing at his Bungalo, about two milesdistant from the fort, and supposing him not to be aware of the arrivalof his grand-nieces, he despatched Newton Forster to acquaint him withthe circumstance. It was late in the afternoon when Newton arrived atthe residence of the colonel, when he perceived immediately that everything was on the establishment of an old Indian nabob. A double set ofpalanquin-bearers were stretched under the verandas; syces were fanningthe horses with their chowries; tailors and various craftsmen were atwork in the shade, while a herd of consumers, butlers, and other Indiandomestics, were loitering about, or very busy doing nothing.
It will be necessary, before Newton is introduced to the colonel, thatthe colonel should be introduced to the reader. He was a man of nearlysixty years of age, forty-five of which, with the exception ofoccasional furlough, had been passed in the country. Having heldseveral lucrative situations for many years, and, although notparsimonious, being very prudent in money concerns, he had amassed avery large fortune. More than once he had returned to England on leave,and with the full intention of remaining there, if he could becomfortable; but a few months in his native country only made him moreanxious to return to India. His habits, his tastes were all eastern;the close hospitality, the cold winter of England, the loss ofconsequence, naturally resulting when a man mixes in the crowd ofLondon, all disgusted him, and he invariably returned to India longbefore his furlough had expired. He was a bachelor from choice. Whenyoung he had been very cruelly treated by the object of his admiration,who deserted him for a few lacks of rupees, which offered themselveswith an old man as their appendage. This had raised his bile againstthe sex in general, whom he considered as mercenary and treacherous.His parties were numerous and expensive: but women were never to be seenin his house; and his confirmed dislike to them was the occasion of hisseldom visiting, except with those who were like himself, in a state ofhappy singleness. In other points, he was a liberal, worthy man, and aperfect gentleman, but extremely choleric in his disposition.
Newton addressed himself to one of the butlers, requesting to beannounced. The man led the way to a spacious hall, coated and flooredwith chunam, when Newton perceived the colonel, who presented rather asingular spectacle. "Burra Saib; Saib," said the Indian; andimmediately retired.
The colonel was a tall gaunt man, with high cheek-bones, bushy eyebrows,and white hair. He was seated on a solitary chair in the centre of thehall; his dress consisting of a pair of white nankeen trousers and awhite shirt, the sleeves of the latter tucked up to his shoulders, andexposing sinewey arms, covered with hair. By his side lay a basket ofmangoes, and before his chair a large tub of water. As Newton entered,he had an opportunity of witnessing the most approved method of eatingthis exquisite fruit. The colonel had then one as large as acassowary's egg, held in both hands, and applied to his mouth, while heheld his head over the tub of water, to catch the superabundant juicewhich flowed over his face, hands, and arms, and covered them with ayellow stain. The contents of the mango were soon exhausted; the stoneand pulp were dropped into the tub of water, and the colonel's hand wasextended to the basket for a repetition of his luxurious feast, whenNewton was announced. Newton was sorry to interrupt him, and would havemade an apology, had he not observed that the colonel, whose back wastowards him, continued his pleasing avocation: the fact was, that thecolonel was so intent upon his occupation, that he had neither heard theannouncement, nor could he perceive Newton, who thus had an opportunityof witnessing the demolition of at least two dozen more mangoes withoutthe colonel having turned his eyes in that direction, or being awarethat he was not alone. But something at length attracted the attentionof Newton, and induced him to come forward, and put an end to thecolonel's repast. The colonel had just taken another mango out of thebasket, when Newton perceived a small snake wind itself over the rim,and curl up one of the feet of the colonel's chair, in such a positionthat the very next time that the colonel reached out his hand, he musthave come in contact with the reptile. Newton hardly knew how to act;the slightest movement of the old gentleman might be fatal to him; hetherefore walked up softly, and was about to strike the animal on thehead with his stick, when the colonel, as he leant over the tub, halfrose from the chair. In an instant, Newton snatched it from under him,and jerked it, with the snake, to the corner of the hall. The colonel,whose centre of gravity had not been sufficiently forward to enable himto keep his feet, fell backward, when Newton and he both rolled on thefloor together; and also both recovered their legs at the same time.
"You'll excuse me, sir," said Newton.
"I'll be damned if I do, sir!" interrupted the colonel, in a rage; "whothe devil are you?--and how dare you presume to play off suchimpertinent jokes upon a stranger?--Where did you come from, sir?--Howdid you get in, sir?"
"Is that a joke, sir?" replied Newton, calmly pointing to the snake,which was still hissing in its wrath at the corner of the room where thechair lay. Newton then briefly explained the circumstances.
"Sir, I beg your pardon a thousand times, and am very much your debtor.It is the most venomous snake that we have in the country. I trust youwill accept my apology for a moment's irritation; and, at the same time,my sincere thanks." The colonel then summoned the servants, whoprovided themselves with bamboos, and soon despatched the object whichhad occasioned the misunderstanding. The colonel then apologised toNewton, while he repaired to the bath, and in a few minutes returned,having undergone the necessary ablution after a mango feast. His dresswas changed, and he offered the appearance of an upright gentlemanlike,hard-featured man, who had apparently gone through a great deal ofservice without his stamina having been much impaired.
"I beg your pardon, my dear sir, for detaining you. May I request thepleasure of your name, and the occasion of your providential visit."
"I have a letter for you, sir," replied Newton, who had been intrustedwith the one which Mr Revel had given to his daughters on theirembarkation.
"Oh! a letter of introduction. It is now quite superfluous; you havealready introduced yourself."
"No sir, it is not a letter of recommendation in my behalf; but toannounce the arrival of your three grand-nieces--daughters of theHonourable Mr Revel--in the Bombay Castle, the ship to which I belong."
"What?" roared the colonel, "my three grand-nieces! daughters of MrRevel!"
"So I have understood from them, sir."
The colonel tore open the letter, in which Mr Revel very coollyinformed him that not having received any answer to his former epistleson the subject, he presumed that they had miscarried, and had thereforebeen induced in consequence of the difficulties which he laboured underto send his daughters out to his kind protection. The colonel, as soonas he had finished the perusal of the letter, tore it into pieces againand again, every renewed action showing an increase of excitement. Hethen threw the fragments on the floor, stamping upon them in an ecstasyof rage.
"The damned scoundrel!--the villain!--the rascal!--Do you know, sir,that when I was last in England, this fellow swindled me out of athousand pounds? Yes, sir, a thousand pounds, by God! promised to payme in three weeks; and when I was coming back, and asked for my money,he laughed at me, and ordered his servant not to let me in. And now hehas sent out his three daughters to me--pawned them off upon me,laughin
g I suppose in his sleeve, as he did when he cheated me before.I'll not receive them, by God! they may find their way back again howthey can;" and the colonel paced the room up and down, throwing his armsabout in his fury.
Newton waited some time before he ventured to make any observation;indeed he was so astonished at such unheard-of proceeding, and soshocked at the unfortunate situation of Isabel, that he hardly knew whatto say.
"Am I then to inform the young ladies that you will not receive them?"
"You don't know me, sir.--When did I ever receive a woman into my house?They are all alike, sir.--Plotted with their father, I'll answer for,with the hopes of getting husbands. Tell them, sir, that I'll see themdamned first--swindling scoundrel!--first cheats me out of a thousandpounds, and then tries to cheat me into providing for his family!"
Newton paused a little, to allow the colonel's wrath to subside, andthen observed--"I never was so much distressed as to be the bearer ofyour message. The young ladies are certainly no parties to theirfather's dishonesty, and are in a situation much to be pitied. In aforeign country, thousands of miles from their friends, without means ofsubsistence, or of paying their passage home. What is to become ofthem?"
"I don't care."
"That your indignation is just, Colonel Revel, I admit;--but allowingthat you will not receive them, how are they to return home? CaptainDrawlock, I am sure, would give them a passage; but we proceed to China.Poor girls!" continued Newton, with a sigh. "I should like to make aremark, Colonel Revel, if it were not considered too great a liberty ina stranger."
"You have already taken a liberty, which in all probability has saved mylife. I shall be happy to listen to any remark that you may wish tooffer."
"It was, sir, that reprehensible as their father's conduct may be,common humanity, and a regard for your own character, will hardlywarrant their being left thus destitute. They at least are yourrelations, and have neither offended nor deceived you; on the contrary,are, with you, joint victims of their father's deception."
"You appear to take a great interest in these young ladies," observedthe colonel, sharply.
"If I had never seen them, sir, their present unfortunate dilemma wouldbe sufficient. Knowing them intimately as I do, I must say, that thisintelligence will be to one; at least, a death-blow. I would to Godthat I were able to assist and to protect her!"
"Very handsome then I presume?" replied the colonel, with a sneer.
"She certainly is, sir; but it was not admiration of her beauty whichoccasioned the remark. If you knew her, sir, you would be as sorry topart with her, as you now appear to be to receive her."
The colonel continued to pace the room, but with less violence thanbefore. Newton observed this, and therefore was silent, hoping thatreflection would induce him to alter his resolution. In a few minutes,apparently forgetting the presence of Newton, the colonel commencedtalking to himself aloud, muttering out the following detached phrases:
"Must take them in by God! Couldn't show my face--nowhere--damnedscoundrel! Keep them here till next ship--till they are as yellow asgamboge, then send them home--revenge in that."
Thus did the old gentleman mutter loud enough for Newton to overhear. Afew minutes more were spent in perambulation, when he threw himself intothe chair.
"I think, my young acquaintance, you appear to be interested for theserelations of mine; or at least for one of them."
"I certainly am, sir; and so is every one who is acquainted with her."
"Well, I am glad to hear that there is one good out of the three. Ihave been put in a passion--no wonder; and I have said more than shouldbe repeated. Were it known that these girls had been sent out to me inthis way, the laugh would be raised against me, as it is known that I amnot very partial to women; and it would also be of serious injury tothem and their prospects. I have determined upon receiving them, forthe best of all possible reasons--I can't help myself. You willtherefore add to the obligations of this day, by saying nothing aboutwhat has been made known to you."
"Most certainly, sir; I will pledge you my honour, if it is requested."
"When I say not mention it, I mean to other parties; but to the girls, Imust request you to state the facts. I will not have them come here,pawing and fondling, and wheedling me as an old bachelor, with a fewlacks of rupees to be coaxed out of. It would make me sick; I detestwomen and their ways. Now if they are informed of the real state of thecase, that they are here only on sufferance; that I neither wished norwant them; and that I have been imposed upon by their scoundrel of afather, I may keep them at the other end of the bungalo, and not beannoyed with their company; until, upon plea of bad health, or someother excuse, I can pay their passage back again."
"Could you not state these facts yourself, sir?"
"No, I never meddle with women; besides, it is better that they shouldknow it before they come here. If you will promise me what I nowrequest, why I will consent to give them house-room; if not, they maystay where they are. It will be but a few days laugh at me, or abuse ofme, I care little which."
"Well, sir, unpleasant as this intelligence must be, their presentsuspense is still more so. You will allow me to disclose it in asdelicate a manner as possible."
"You may be as refined as you please, provided that you tell the exacttruth, which I am convinced that you will, by your countenance."
"Then I will take my leave, sir," replied Newton.
"Fare you well, my dear sir; recollect that my house is your home; andalthough not fond of the society of women, I shall be delighted withyours. The young ladies may be brought on shore to the hotel, and Iwill send a carriage for them. Good-bye.--What is your name?"
"Forster, sir."
"Good-bye then, Mr Forster, for the present;" and the colonel quittedthe room.