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the fatal boots-第14章

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got me a place under Government?〃



〃Yes; and somting better stillnot only a place; but a uniform:

yes; Gaptain Stobbs; a RED GOAT。〃



〃A red coat!  I hope you don't think I would demean myself by

entering the ranks of the army?  I am a gentleman; Mr。 Stiffelkind

I can neverno; I never〃



〃No; I know you will neveryou are too great a gowardha! ha!

though dis is a red goat; and a place where you must give some HARD

KNOCKS tooha! ha!do you gomprehend?and you shall be a general

instead of a gaptainha! ha!〃



〃A general in a red coat; Mr。 Stiffelkind?〃



〃Yes; a GENERAL BOSTMAN!ha! ha!  I have been vid your old friend;

Bunting; and he has an uncle in the Post Office; and he has got you

de placeeighteen shillings a veek; you rogue; and your goat。  You

must not oben any of de letters you know。〃



And so it wasI; Robert Stubbs; Esquire; became the vile thing he

nameda general postman!



        。        。        。        。        。        。



I was so disgusted with Stiffelkind's brutal jokes; which were now

more brutal than ever; that when I got my place in the Post Office;

I never went near the fellow again: for though he had done me a

favor in keeping me from starvation; he certainly had done it in a

very rude; disagreeable manner; and showed a low and mean spirit in

SHOVING me into such a degraded place as that of postman。  But what

had I to do?  I submitted to fate; and for three years or more;

Robert Stubbs; of the North Bungay Fencibles; was



I wonder nobody recognized me。  I lived in daily fear the first

year: but afterwards grew accustomed to my situation; as all great

men will do; and wore my red coat as naturally as if I had been

sent into the world only for the purpose of being a letter…carrier。



I was first in the Whitechapel district; where I stayed for nearly

three years; when I was transferred to Jermyn Street and Duke

Streetfamous places for lodgings。  I suppose I left a hundred

letters at a house in the latter street; where lived some people

who must have recognized me had they but once chanced to look at

me。



You see that when I left Sloffemsquiggle; and set out in the gay

world; my mamma had written to me a dozen times at least; but I

never answered her; for I knew she wanted money; and I detest

writing。  Well; she stopped her letters; finding she could get none

from me:but when I was in the Fleet; as I told you; I wrote

repeatedly to my dear mamma; and was not a little nettled at her

refusing to notice me in my distress; which is the very time one

most wants notice。



Stubbs is not an uncommon name; and though I saw MRS。 STUBBS on a

little bright brass plate; in Duke street; and delivered so many

letters to the lodgers in her house; I never thought of asking who

she was; or whether she was my relation; or not。



One day the young woman who took in the letters had not got change;

and she called her mistress。  An old lady in a poke…bonnet came out

of the parlor; and put on her spectacles; and looked at the letter;

and fumbled in her pocket for eightpence; and apologized to the

postman for keeping him waiting。  And when I said; 〃Never mind;

Ma'am; it's no trouble;〃 the old lady gave a start; and then she

pulled off her spectacles; and staggered back; and then she began

muttering; as if about to choke; and then she gave a great screech;

and flung herself into my arms; and roared out; 〃MY SON; MY SON!〃



〃Law; mamma;〃 said I; 〃is that you?〃 and I sat down on the hall

bench with her; and let her kiss me as much as ever she liked。

Hearing the whining and crying; down comes another lady from up

stairs;it was my sister Eliza; and down come the lodgers。  And

the maid gets water and what not; and I was the regular hero of the

group。  I could not stay long then; having my letters to deliver。

But; in the evening; after mail…time; I went back to my mamma and

sister; and; over a bottle of prime old port; and a precious good

leg of boiled mutton and turnips; made myself pretty comfortable; I

can tell you。





DECEMBER。〃THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT。〃





Mamma had kept the house in Duke Street for more than two years。

I recollected some of the chairs and tables from dear old

Sloffemsquiggle; and the bowl in which I had made that famous rum…

punch; the evening she went away; which she and my sisters left

untouched; and I was obliged to drink after they were gone; but

that's not to the purpose。



Think of my sister Lucy's luck! that chap; Waters; fell in love

with her; and married her; and she now keeps her carriage; and

lives in state near Sloffemsquiggle。  I offered to make it up with

Waters; but he bears malice; and never will see or speak to me。He

had the impudence; too; to say; that he took in all letters for

mamma at Sloffemsquiggle; and that as mine were all begging…

letters; he burned them; and never said a word to her concerning

them。  He allowed mamma fifty pounds a year; and; if she were not

such a fool; she might have had three times as much; but the old

lady was high and mighty forsooth; and would not be beholden; even

to her own daughter; for more than she actually wanted。  Even this

fifty pound she was going to refuse; but when I came to live with

her; of course I wanted pocket…money as well as board and lodging;

and so I had the fifty pounds for MY share; and eked out with it as

well as I could。



Old Bates and the Captain; between them; gave mamma a hundred

pounds when she left me (she had the deuce's own luck; to be sure

much more than ever fell to ME; I know) and as she said she WOULD

try and work for her living; it was thought best to take a house

and let lodgings; which she did。  Our first and second floor paid

us four guineas a week; on an average; and the front parlor and

attic made forty pounds more。  Mamma and Eliza used to have the

front attic: but I took that; and they slept in the servants'

bedroom。  Lizzy had a pretty genius for work; and earned a guinea a

week that way; so that we had got nearly two hundred a year over

the rent to keep house with;and we got on pretty well。  Besides;

women eat nothing: my women didn't care for meat for days together

sometimes;so that it was only necessary to dress a good steak or

so for me。



Mamma would not think of my continuing in the Post Office。  She

said her dear Robert; her husband's son; her gallant soldier; and

all that; should remain at home and be a gentlemanwhich I was;

certainly; though I didn't find fifty pounds a year very much to

buy clothes and be a gentleman upon。  To be sure; mother found me

shirts and linen; so that THAT wasn't in the fifty pounds。  She

kicked a little at paying the washing too; but she gave in at last;

for I was her dear Bob; you know; and I'm blest if I could not make

her give me the gown off her back。  Fancy! once she cut up a very

nice rich black silk scarf; which my sister Waters sent her; and

made me a waistcoat and two stocks of it。  She was so VERY so
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