Marmaduke Merry the Midshipman

# Marmaduke Merry, The Midshipman

W. H. G. Kingston's naval adventure tale introduces Marmaduke Merry, a fourteen-year-old from a cheerful Leicestershire family known for merriment and honest Christian values. His father, a country gentleman, receives an offer from Captain Dick Collyer to take young Marmaduke as a midshipman aboard the frigate Doris. After brief consideration, Marmaduke accepts. His mother and sisters prepare his outfit while Toby Bluff, a widow's sturdy son whom Marmaduke once aided, becomes his servant. The narrative follows their journey: farewell at Piccadilly, coach departure for Portsmouth, and an encounter with a tattooed, gruff-voiced nautical man aboard the coach who engages Marmaduke in witty banter. The text cuts off as their repartee continues.