第 9 节
作者:红色风帆      更新:2022-06-19 10:02      字数:9322
  American Jew; living quietly at Leamington with her children; but
  possessed of an immense property。  There's no use to give one's
  self out to be an absolute pauper: so the fact is; that I myself
  went everywhere with the character of a man of very large means。
  My father had died; leaving me immense sums of money; and landed
  estates。  Ah! I was the gentleman then; the real gentleman; and
  everybody was too happy to have me at table。
  Well; I came the next day; and left a card for Dobble; with a note。
  He neither returned my visit; nor answered my note。  The day after;
  however; I met him with the widow; as before; and going up to him;
  very kindly seized him by the hand; and swore I wasas really was
  the casecharmed to see him。  Dobble hung back; to my surprise;
  and I do believe the creature would have cut me; if he dared; but I
  gave him a frown; and said
  〃What; Dobble; my boy; don't you recollect old Stubbs; and our
  adventure with the butcher's daughtersha?〃
  Dobble gave a sickly kind of grin; and said; 〃Oh! ah! yes!  It is
  yes! it is; I believe; Captain Stubbs。〃
  〃An old comrade; Madam; of Captain Dobble's; and one who has heard
  so much; and seen so much of your ladyship; that he must take the
  liberty of begging his friend to introduce him。〃
  Dobble was obliged to take the hint; and Captain Stubbs was duly
  presented to Mrs。 Manasseh。  The lady was as gracious as possible;
  and when; at the end of the walk; we parted; she said 〃she hoped
  Captain Dobble would bring me to her apartments that evening; where
  she expected a few friends。〃  Everybody; you see; knows everybody
  at Leamington; and I; for my part; was well known as a retired
  officer of the army; who; on his father's death; had come into
  seven thousand a year。  Dobble's arrival had been subsequent to
  mine; but putting up as he did at the 〃Royal Hotel;〃 and dining at
  the ordinary there with the widow; he had made her acquaintance
  before I had。  I saw; however; that if I allowed him to talk about
  me; as he could; I should be compelled to give up all my hopes and
  pleasures at Leamington; and so I determined to be short with him。
  As soon as the lady had gone into the hotel; my friend Dobble was
  for leaving me likewise; but I stopped him and said; 〃Mr。 Dobble; I
  saw what you meant just now: you wanted to cut me; because;
  forsooth; I did not choose to fight a duel at Portsmouth。  Now look
  you; Dobble; I am no hero; but I'm not such a coward as youand
  you know it。  You are a very different man to deal with from
  Waters; and I WILL FIGHT this time。〃
  Not perhaps that I would: but after the business of the butcher; I
  knew Dobble to be as great a coward as ever lived; and there never
  was any harm in threatening; for you know you are not obliged to
  stick to it afterwards。  My words had their effect upon Dobble; who
  stuttered and looked red; and then declared he never had the
  slightest intention of passing me by; so we became friends; and his
  mouth was stopped。
  He was very thick with the widow; but that lady had a very
  capacious heart; and there were a number of other gentlemen who
  seemed equally smitten with her。  〃Look at that Mrs。 Manasseh;〃
  said a gentleman (it was droll; HE was a Jew; too) sitting at
  dinner by me。  〃She is old; and ugly; and yet; because she has
  money; all the men are flinging themselves at her。〃
  〃She has money; has she?〃
  〃Eighty thousand pounds; and twenty thousand for each of her
  children。  I know it FOR A FACT;〃 said the strange gentleman。  〃I
  am in the law; and we of our faith; you know; know pretty well what
  the great families amongst us are worth。〃
  〃Who was Mr。 Manasseh?〃 said I。
  〃A man of enormous wealtha tobacco…merchantWest Indies; a
  fellow of no birth; however; and who; between ourselves; married a
  woman that is not much better than she should be。  My dear sir;〃
  whispered he; 〃she is always in love。  Now it is with that Captain
  Dobble; last week it was somebody elseand it may be you next
  week; ifha! ha! ha!you are disposed to enter the lists。  I
  wouldn't; for MY part; have the woman with twice her money。〃
  What did it matter to me whether the woman was good or not;
  provided she was rich?  My course was quite clear。  I told Dobble
  all that this gentleman had informed me; and being a pretty good
  hand at making a story; I made the widow appear SO bad; that the
  poor fellow was quite frightened; and fairly quitted the field。
  Ha! ha! I'm dashed if I did not make him believe that Mrs。 Manasseh
  had MURDERED her last husband。
  I played my game so well; thanks to the information that my friend
  the lawyer had given me; that in a month I had got the widow to
  show a most decided partiality for me。  I sat by her at dinner; I
  drank with her at the 〃Wells〃I rode with her; I danced with her;
  and at a picnic to Kenilworth; where we drank a good deal of
  champagne; I actually popped the question; and was accepted。  In
  another month; Robert Stubbs; Esq。; led to the altar; Leah; widow
  of the late Z。 Manasseh; Esq。; of St。 Kitt's!
  。        。        。        。        。        。
  We drove up to London in her comfortable chariot: the children and
  servants following in a post…chaise。  I paid; of course; for
  everything; and until our house in Berkeley Square was painted; we
  stopped at 〃Stevens's Hotel。〃
  。        。        。        。        。        。
  My own estate had been sold; and the money was lying at a bank in
  the City。  About three days after our arrival; as we took our
  breakfast in the hotel; previous to a visit to Mrs。 Stubbs's
  banker; where certain little transfers were to be made; a gentleman
  was introduced; who; I saw at a glance; was of my wife's
  persuasion。
  He looked at Mrs。 Stubbs; and made a bow。  〃Perhaps it will be
  convenient to you to pay this little bill; one hundred and fifty…
  two pounds?〃
  〃My love;〃 says she; 〃will you pay thisit is a trifle which I had
  really forgotten?〃
  〃My soul!〃 said I; 〃I have really not the money in the house。〃
  〃Vel; denn; Captain Shtubbsh;〃 says he; 〃I must do my dutyand
  arrest youhere is the writ!  Tom; keep the door?〃  My wife
  faintedthe children screamed; and I fancy my condition as I was
  obliged to march off to a spunging…house along with a horrid
  sheriff's officer?
  OCTOBER。MARS AND VENUS IN OPPOSITION。
  I shall not describe my feelings when I found myself in a cage in
  Cursitor Street; instead of that fine house in Berkeley Square;
  which was to have been mine as the husband of Mrs。 Manasseh。  What
  a place!in an odious; dismal street leading from Chancery Lane。
  A hideous Jew boy opened the second of three doors and shut it when
  Mr。 Nabb and I (almost fainting) had entered; then he opened the
  third door; and then I was introduced to a filthy place called a
  coffee…room; which I exchanged for the solitary comfort of a little
  dingy back…parlor; where I was left for a while to brood over my
  miserable fate。  Fancy the change between this and Berkeley Square!
  Was I; after all my pains; and cleverness; and perseverance;
  cheated at last?  Had this Mrs。 Manasseh been imposing upon me; and
  were the words of the wretch I met at the table…d'hote at
  Leamington only meant to mislead me and take me in?  I determined
  to send for my wife; and know the whole truth。  I saw at once that
  I had been the victim of an infernal plot; and that the carriage;
  the house in town; the West India fortune; were only so many lies
  which I had blindly believed。  It was true that the debt was but a
  hundred and fifty pounds; and I had two thousand at my bankers'。
  But was the loss of HER 80;000L。 nothing?  Was the destruction of
  my hopes nothing?  The accursed addition to my family of a Jewish
  wife and three Jewish children; nothing?  And all these I was to
  support out of my two thousand pounds。  I had better have stopped
  at home with my mamma and sisters; whom I really did love; and who
  produced me eighty pounds a year。
  I had a furious interview with Mrs。 Stubbs; and when I charged her;
  the base wretch! with cheating me; like a brazen serpent as she
  was; she flung back the cheat in my teeth; and swore I had swindled
  her。  Why did I marry her; when she might have had twenty others?
  She only took me; she said; because I had twenty thousand pounds。
  I HAD said I possessed that sum; but in love; you know; and war
  all's fair。
  We parted quite as angrily as we met; and I cordially vowed that
  when I had paid the debt into which I had been swindled by her; I
  would take my 2;000L。 and depart to some desert island; or; at the
  very least; to America; and never see her more; or any of her
  Israelitish brood。  There was no use in remaining in the spunging…
  house (for I knew that there were such things as detainers; and
  that where Mrs。 Stubbs owed a hundred pounds; she might owe a
  thousand) so I sent for Mr。 Nabb; and tendering him a cheque for
  150L。 and his cos