Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (ebook reader 7 inch .txt) 📖

It appeared incredible that the coat and waistcoat could be seen by mortal eyes without the Captain; but he certainly was not in them, otherwise his legs—the houses in Brig Place not being lofty—would have obstructed the street door, which was perfectly clear. Quite wondering at this discovery, Walter gave a single knock.

‘Stinger,’ he distinctly heard the Captain say, up in his room, as if that were no business of his. Therefore Walter gave two knocks.

‘Cuttle,’ he heard the Captain say upon that; and immediately afterwards the Captain, in his clean shirt and braces, with his neckerchief hanging loosely round his throat like a coil of rope, and his glazed hat on, appeared at the window, leaning out over the broad blue coat and waistcoat.

‘Wal’r!’ cried the Captain, looking down upon him in amazement.

‘Ay, ay, Captain Cuttle,’ returned Walter, ‘only me’

‘What’s the matter, my lad?’ inquired the Captain, with great concern. ‘Gills an’t been and sprung nothing again?’

‘No, no,’ said Walter. ‘My Uncle’s all right, Captain Cuttle.’

The Captain expressed his gratification, and said he would come down below and open the door, which he did.

‘Though you’re early, Wal’r,’ said the Captain, eyeing him still doubtfully, when they got upstairs:

‘Why, the fact is, Captain Cuttle,’ said Walter, sitting down, ‘I was afraid you would have gone out, and I want to benefit by your friendly counsel.’

‘So you shall,’ said the Captain; ‘what’ll you take?’

‘I want to take your opinion, Captain Cuttle,’ returned Walter, smiling. ‘That’s the only thing for me.’

‘Come on then,’ said the Captain. ‘With a will, my lad!’

Walter related to him what had happened; and the difficulty in which he felt respecting his Uncle, and the relief it would be to him if Captain Cuttle, in his kindness, would help him to smooth it away; Captain Cuttle’s infinite consternation and astonishment at the prospect unfolded to him, gradually swallowing that gentleman up, until it left his face quite vacant, and the suit of blue, the glazed hat, and the hook, apparently without an owner.

‘You see, Captain Cuttle,’ pursued Walter, ‘for myself, I am young, as Mr Dombey said, and not to be considered. I am to fight my way through the world, I know; but there are two points I was thinking, as I came along, that I should be very particular about, in respect to my Uncle. I don’t mean to say that I deserve to be the pride and delight of his life—you believe me, I know—but I am. Now, don’t you think I am?’

The Captain seemed to make an endeavour to rise from the depths of his astonishment, and get back to his face; but the effort being ineffectual, the glazed hat merely nodded with a mute, unutterable meaning.

‘If I live and have my health,’ said Walter, ‘and I am not afraid of that, still, when I leave England I can hardly hope to see my Uncle again. He is old, Captain Cuttle; and besides, his life is a life of custom—’

‘Steady, Wal’r! Of a want of custom?’ said the Captain, suddenly reappearing.

‘Too true,’ returned Walter, shaking his head: ‘but I meant a life of habit, Captain Cuttle—that sort of custom. And if (as you very truly said, I am sure) he would have died the sooner for the loss of the stock, and all those objects to which he has been accustomed for so many years, don’t you think he might die a little sooner for the loss of—’

‘Of his Nevy,’ interposed the Captain. ‘Right!’

‘Well then,’ said Walter, trying to speak gaily, ‘we must do our best to make him believe that the separation is but a temporary one, after all; but as I know better, or dread that I know better, Captain Cuttle, and as I have so many reasons for regarding him with affection, and duty, and honour, I am afraid I should make but a very poor hand at that, if I tried to persuade him of it. That’s my great reason for wishing you to break it out to him; and that’s the first point.’

‘Keep her off a point or so!’ observed the Captain, in a comtemplative voice.

‘What did you say, Captain Cuttle?’ inquired Walter.

‘Stand by!’ returned the Captain, thoughtfully.

Walter paused to ascertain if the Captain had any particular information to add to this, but as he said no more, went on.

‘Now, the second point, Captain Cuttle. I am sorry to say, I am not a favourite with Mr Dombey. I have always tried to do my best, and I have always done it; but he does not like me. He can’t help his likings and dislikings, perhaps. I say nothing of that. I only say that I am certain he does not like me. He does not send me to this post as a good one; he disclaims to represent it as being better than it is; and I doubt very much if it will ever lead me to advancement in the House—whether it does not, on the contrary, dispose of me for ever, and put me out of the way. Now, we must say nothing of this to my Uncle, Captain Cuttle, but must make it out to be as favourable and promising as we can; and when I tell you what it really is, I only do so, that in case any means should ever arise of lending me a hand, so far off, I may have one friend at home who knows my real situation.

‘Wal’r, my boy,’ replied the Captain, ‘in the Proverbs of Solomon you will find the following words, “May we never want a friend in need, nor a bottle to give him!” When found, make a note of.’

Here the Captain stretched out his hand to Walter, with an air of downright good faith that spoke volumes; at the same time repeating (for he felt proud of the accuracy and pointed application of his quotation), ‘When found, make a note of.’

‘Captain Cuttle,’ said Walter, taking the immense fist extended to him by the Captain in both his hands, which it completely filled, next to my Uncle Sol, I love you. There is no one on earth in whom I can more safely trust, I am sure. As to the mere going away, Captain Cuttle, I don’t care for that; why should I care for that! If I were free to seek my own fortune—if I were free to go as a common sailor—if I were free to venture on my own account to the farthest end of the world—I would gladly go! I would have gladly gone, years ago, and taken my chance of what might come of it. But it was against my Uncle’s wishes, and against the plans he had formed for me; and there was an end of that. But what I feel, Captain Cuttle, is that we have been a little mistaken all along, and that, so far as any improvement in my prospects is concerned, I am no better off now than I was when I first entered Dombey’s House—perhaps a little worse, for the House may have been kindly inclined towards me then, and it certainly is not now.’

‘Turn again, Whittington,’ muttered the disconsolate Captain, after looking at Walter for some time.

‘Ay,’ replied Walter, laughing, ‘and turn a great many times, too, Captain Cuttle, I’m afraid, before such fortune as his ever turns up again. Not that I complain,’ he added, in his lively, animated, energetic way. ‘I have nothing to complain of. I am provided for. I can live. When I leave my Uncle, I leave him to you; and I can leave him to no one better, Captain Cuttle. I haven’t told you all this because I despair, not I; it’s to convince you that I can’t pick and choose in Dombey’s House, and that where I am sent, there I must go, and what I am offered, that I must take. It’s better for my Uncle that I should be sent away; for Mr Dombey is a valuable friend to him, as he proved himself, you know when, Captain Cuttle; and I am persuaded he won’t be less valuable when he hasn’t me there, every day, to awaken his dislike. So hurrah for the West Indies, Captain Cuttle! How does that tune go that the sailors sing?