The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 377: what you’re looking at

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

290 THE STEAM PACKET. — ‘© and he told me you wos here. _ He seemed wery much affected, and he sent you a ten pun’ note.” “A ten pound note, Tom?” repeated the captain, with a counte- nance expressive of the most unfeigned surprise. ‘“‘ Did indeed, sir,’’ returned Tom; “here it is. He told me to be sure and not say who give it to me, but to pretend as how I ’d prigged it out of a gen’leman’s pocket, or picked it up in the street like a bit o’ vaste paper, or fished it up from down a airey.” ‘And Mr. Pifpaf sent me this! ” said the captain, unable to believe his own eyes; “‘are you sure, Tom, that this is not some kind ma- noeuvre of yours to induce me to accept a little assistance ——”’ ‘“‘T swear it’s as I told you, sir,” interrupted Mr. Gibbins. ‘Then Pifpaf is my friend still!” said the captain, clasping his hands together in a manner expressive of extreme thankfulness. _ ‘¢ He spoke wery kind—wery kind indeed, sir,”’ continued Mr. Gib- ‘bins. ,‘¢I see a'tear in his wenerable old eye, and his lips was exceed- in’ agitated ven he give me that there flimsy. ‘Tom,’ says he, ‘he musn’t want—he musn’t want, you know.’ Blowed if I couldn’t ha caught him in my harms and hugged him jist as if he wos a father or a uncle at least. He’s a kind-hearted man, sir—a non-pareil of a friend, sir.” “So he is, Tom; so he is,”’ returned the captain ; and, turning aside, he affected to look, for some moments, out of a window : but his faith- ful domestic observed that his white cambric pocket-handkerchief was once or twice applied to his fac The gendarmes had now finished their lunch, and the bailiff his writ- ing; and in a short time the captain, the intlor: and Tom Gibbins were left alone together in the gaoler’s apartment. ‘* Tom,” said the captain, after a long pause, ‘‘ you may as well Z0 down to the hotel, settle my share of the account, and take away my baggage. God Baily knows how long I shall be Hote now ; and I may as well endeavour to make myself comfortable.” The captain gave his attendant some money; and the latter indivi- dual departed to execute the commission entrusted to him. He had not, however, left the room five minutes, when he returned, in breath- less haste and with a joyful countenance, exclaiming at the same time ‘“‘ Here comes a lot on ’em, sir—Pifpaf, and Smale, and that stout gen- ‘leman as dined yesterday at the zable-d’ héte—— ‘© What !—Mr. Smith?” cried the captain, a strange and undefinable feeling of mingled hope and alarm filling his breast, as the above tidings met his ears. Eomichbooks. co