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