The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 342: what you’re looking at

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

— SS hh Re ee PPO ee wr ee ae a 7 .. Buckram—you——’ “THE STEAM PACKET. 261° Lord Noodleton—whom indeed I never saw—and an unavoidable circumstance—an abrupt encounter—a mistake which it was almost impossible at the moment to rectify, taken by surprise as I was—led to your personification of that nobleman. Then comes your offer to Belinda! All this has happened against my will—in spite of myself!’ “And pray, Mr., or Captain Pentonville—or whatever else you call yourself,” cried the tailor sullenly, ‘to what is all this fine moralising to lead? Have I not as much right to marry Belinda as you have to espouse Aramintha? Have I not an equal justification in calling myself a lord, as you in styling yourself a captain? And with regard to our pecuniary affairs, I think it is a fair toss up whose fortunes are the most flourishing.” “Buckram, I want no ill feeling to exist between us,” said the captain, mildly, but with a degree of firmness which overawed his com- panion. ‘I wish to argue this point coolly and calmly with you. ‘There is a great deal of difference between our situations. I have, it is true, assumed the title of captain; but I have not represented myself to be a Captain Somebody, who really does exist elsewhere. You are personating a nobleman who enjoys the title which you assume: your fraud must be discovered sooner or later. Besides, it is monstrous to ‘suppose that you can marry Belinda under the name of Lord Noodle- ton. It would bea felony of the most serious nature ;—it would com- promise the reputation of a virtuous girl, such a marriage being inva- lid s—and it would involve a whole family in tribulation. _ With regard to our fortunes, you are right: we have neither of us a shilling of our own ;—but have you expectations like mine? The death or kindness of a relative, by all accounts, would make me on a sudden as rich as Pifpaf himself.” “T can run away with Belinda, and tell her the real truth in the post-chaise, on our road to be married,” said the tailor, who felt the importance of his companion’s observations. ‘* Have the girl I will —and I know she likes me.”’ ‘¢ She will never marry you, Buckram,”’ said the captain emphati- cally, ‘“‘ when once the spell of the ‘Jordship’ is dissolved.” ‘* And would Aramintha marry you, think ye?”’ demanded the tailor doggedly. ‘“‘ She would—TI am sure she would,” ejaculated Pentonville. ‘‘There is not so fearful a distance between a Captain and a plain Mister, as between an Earl and that same plain Mister. I should sustain com- paratively little harm in descending from my stilts; whereas you, 9 ~ - “Go on—go on!” exclaimed the other, clenching his fists and Gomicbooks (E(0) m