The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 341: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

260 THE STEAM PACKET. grinning more satirically still; and with these words he walked rapidly away. | The captain watched him till he turned out of the Rue de l’Ecu, up a bye street at a little distance; and then, when the object of his curiosity was out of sightsthe gallant officer murmured aloud, “‘ By Jove, there is something very mysterious about that old fellow! 1 don’t think his presence seems to bode me any good. I wish we were going to leave Boulogne to-day !”’ ‘“So do IJ,”’ said a voice behind him. The captain started, but his alarm was immediately dissipated by the appearance of Mr. Buckram. - ‘¢ Why the deuce do you frighten me like that?” demanded the captain, who was in no humour to be trifled with. ‘““My dear fellow,” answered the tailor, ‘“‘I merely echoed a wish which you expressed aloud. For my part, I would consent to wear corduroy-knees for a twelvemonth, to get out of this d—d France. Nothing but ill luck seems to await us.”’ ‘* Well, we are omnipotent with Pifpaf,” said the captain: “ let us forthwith propose a return to England.” eg ‘‘ He himself desires the same thing,” returned the tailor: “he told me so last night. But the other Luminaries ?”’ ‘¢ We can command a majority in committee,” observed the cap- tain impatiently. ‘‘ To tell you the truth, Buckram,” he added, “1 am heartily sick of the part Iam playing. I loathe myself in the calm moments of reflection; I can scarcely sleep at night when I think of the deception we are practising upon a confiding man and his family.” ‘¢ What new crotchet is this?” cried the tailor, with unfeigned asto- nishment. ‘“‘ I should as soon think of seeing a pope in leather breeches and a pea-coat, as of hearing a sermon emanating from your lips.” ‘“‘T am serious, Buckram—indeed I am serious,’’ continued the cap- tain, ‘Let us walk towards the pier, and I will explain myself more fully to you. I.must observe—if you can understand me—that I am not naturally depraved. Circumstances have made me deviate a little © from the correct road; and then the crooked path once entered upon, could not very easily be abandoned, I have been carried onwards by a train of incidents which I could scarcely control. To pass myself off as a mai of property upon Pifpaf, in order to marry his daughter, was venial, as the world goes: to give myself the title of Captain was more or less pardonable, according to the same scale of morals ;—there would have ended all deception, save now and then borrowing a little money of him to sustain myself until I secured his daughter.. As God is my judge, I never intended to go farther. I foolishly talked of Gomichooks:.co