Cradock Nowell, Vol. 2 (of 3)

and crack–up of the stout Pell–castle, a proceeding unnoticed by any one except good mother Jacob, whose attention was drawn to it forcibly, as the

so much as once a–touching the blessed earth-she goes mad if any one doubts it-and planted her in a white–thorn tree, and brought an "elam" of thatch to shelter her from her own beloved ro

g modern, the chair was little the worse for its voyage; only it took six months to dry, and had a fine smell of brine ever afterwards. Then, having been lent to an old salt?s widow, it won such a reputation, all across the New Forest, as a specific for "rheumatics in the small of the back," that old women, having no small to their backs, walked all the way from Lyndhurst, "just to sot themselves down in it, and how much was to pay, ple

e zealous secretary of-I won?t say what museum. "Roman, or perhaps Samian, or possibly Ph?nician ware," cried the secretary, lit with fine-though, it may be, loose-ideas; and he catalogued it: "Ph?nician in the opinion of an F.A.S. There is every reason to believe it a vas

of the dissenting parson, that two great vans were down upon Pell before he had heard a word of it. He stood at the door of the cobbler?s shop, and tried to make a speech; but the h

d, but desultory, and seemed not to know where they were going. Finally, about midnight, the wind owned that its turn was over, and sunk (well satisfied with its work) into the arms of slumber-"placidaque ibi demum morte quievit." And its work had been done right well. No English storm since the vast typhoon of 1703-which I should like to write about some day if my little life–storm blows long enough-had wrought such glorious havoc upon that swearing beaver, man. It had routed his villages at the Land?s End, and lifted like footstools his breakwate

st Indiaman Aliwal had touched at the Western Islands, and taken on board a thousand boxes of the early orange harvest. And not only oranges were rolling among the wrack, the starfish, the shark?s teeth, and the cuttle–eggs, but also many a pretty thing, once prized and petted by women. There were little boxes with gilt

ralty droitsmen made an accurate inventory of the bungs and the blacking bottles. Some of the sailors, and most of the passengers, who had escaped in the boats to Christchurch, came over to look for anything that might turn up of their property. Hereupon several

tain it; for the road along the cliffs was impassable during the height of the storm. Sir Cradock received the announcement with very few signs of emotion. He had loved that Clayton in early youth, but now had almost forgotten him; and Clayton had never kept his brother at all apprised of his doings. Sir Cradock had gone into mourning for him, some three years ago; and Colonel Nowell never took the trouble

en; after all, there are worse fellows going than you, my lad:" and Ben responded, "Jump into the starn–sheets; you are just the hand as we want, Harry. Many?s the time I?ve thought on you." Even the dredging smacks hauled in–shore from their stations, and began to dredge for the Colonel; till the small boats resolved on uni

t, boys, as they be come

ot as pepper. The fourteen boats in battle array advanced upon them slowly, only two men rowing in each, all the rest standing up, and every man charged heavily. When they were at a nice wicket distance, old Mac gave the signal, and a flight of stones began, which, in the words of the ancient chronicl

e mellow grapes their

on the tiles the pe

g. i

ng no cement–stones on board, were compelled to accept it. So they took up their bags, and walked the smacks off three miles away to their station, with very faint hopes indeed that the obliging body

rfessing Christian would have stuck to Davy Jones?s locker, and refooged the parson

er, I brought a bit of bait, a few lug–worms, and a soft crab or two; and please the Lord I?ll rig my line out, and see if the bass be moving. A

re-for he helped to throw the grapnels, or took a spell at the rudder-rig

his comrades; "us go snacks in what you cat

man glowered at him indignantly-"I?ll

nothing. But I?m blowed if he?ll get much supper, Harry, if it?s all to come off that darne

upon the waters. Then, as they turned to go home, old Mac felt a run upon his fis

iming to come and sup wi' me. And deil a bit-the Lord forgive me-will ye ha?, for grinning

them in the twilight rose the ashy grey face an

host. Many a time has he told that story, and turned his quid upon it,

he should not have all the money. The question came close to litigation; but for that, except as a word of m

d he sleeps close by his nephew and namesake in Nowelhurst churchyard. The body of Captain Roberts was found a long

pe that he is not gone to that eternal punishment, whose existence our divines contend for in a manner so disinterested. He had been a harum–scarum

g us. I doubt if the sailor be, on the whole, so careless a man as the soldier. Jack is obliged, by force of circumstance, to bottle up his money, his rollicksomeness and sentimentality, and theref

e lives of a cat, when Fahrenheit scores 110° in the very coolest corner, and the punkah is too hot to move. So, after one or two Griffin letters, full of marvels which the writer pretended not to marvel at, a

e dead. The next thing he heard, though it proved his own orthodoxy, disproved it by making him swear hard. Clayton Nowell had married; married an Affghan woman, to the great disgust of his brother o

mine should disgrace himself, and (what matters far mor

urs should disgrace herself, and (what matters far mo

atronised, and petted, and tried to make a Christian of her. Captain Nowell adored her; she was so elegant in every motion, so loving, and so simple. Sh

at of soul, and therefore strong of faith, could not bear that the child of her mistress, the highest blood of the Affghans, should become a low Frank idolater. So she set off with it, in the dark night, crouching past the sentinels, thieves, and other camp followers, and tr

her unversed in woman?s unity, may pretend to show. Enough that with her eyes upon the grand religious heights-heathen high places, we should call them-she struggled along through nearly three–quarters of her pilgrimage, and then she fell among robbers. A villanous hill–tribe, of mixed origin, always shifting, never work

an was allowed to keep her, until she began to crawl about among the dogs and babes of the station. Here she so distinguished herself by precocious skill in thieving, that her delighted owner conferred upon her the title of

ch her skill in stealing, lying, and perjury, utterly void of all religion, except the few snatches of Moslemism which her nurse had contrived to impart, and the vague terror of the evil spirit to whom the wild men paid their vows. But, when she was ten years old, a tall and wonderfully acti

stand on the top, and twirl around on one foot; she could cross the compound in three bounds; she could jump upon her father?s shoulder, and stay there with the spring of her sole; she could glide along over the floor like a serpent, and hold on with one hand to anything. And then her most wonderful lightness of touch; she had fully earned her name, she could brush the dust without marking it. She could come behind her father?s back, crawling over the table, and fasten his sword–hilt to his whiskers, without his knowing a thing of it. She could pick all his pockets, of course; but that was too rude an operation for her to take any delight in it. What she delighted to do, and what even she found difficult, was to take off his shoes and stockings without his being awa

have 'oor shoe? Fea

upee per month-thinking of his beloved Bright Eyes of the Morning, who might, with the will of God, have made a first–rate man of him, only she was too

mself that still would live, and love him when he was skeleton. And that, his better par

ause he wanted to see her there. So, with lots of tears, not only feminine, Eoa Nowell was sent to

none" was her motto. Therefore she learned with am

oldiers. His daughter heard of it, and screamed, and no walls ever built would hold her. All the way from

old life revived within her, as she looked upon the broad waters, and the boundles

n; and dead even now he would have been but for his daughter?s presence. His dreamy eyes went round the hut to follow her graceful movements; she alone could tend the

amusement all her strange accomplishments. She had not forgotten one of them in the grand s

on his back would be a land–crab; she would put his up–country hat on the floor, and walk on one foot round the cr

r. Hutton?s heart so entirely that he would have proposed to her, had

ion swept through that district mightily. Eoa went to school again, and her father came to s

coming to England to receive the down and crown of accomplishments. Who could tell but what they might

udden reformation, love Truth so much that they roll upon her, having no firm rules of his own, and being ashamed to profess anything, with the bad life fresh in memory, he too

ac of rupees, and his pension would not be a mighty one; but, between the two, there would be enou

knew that there was a sum in England, which must have been long accumulating-a sum left on trust for him and his children, under a very old settlement. H