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the fatal boots-第9节

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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

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