No visitors allowed aboard, replied Mr Welton sternly; catching up, nevertheless, a coil of rope.
Hallo! father, surely youve become very unhospitable, exclaimed another voice from the boat.
Why, Jim, is that you, my son? cried the mate, as he flung the coil over the side.
The boatmen caught it, and next moment Jim stood on the decka tall strapping young seaman of twenty or thereaboutsa second edition of his father, but more active and lithe in his motions.
Why you creep up to us, Jim, like a thief in the night. What brings you here, lad, at such an hour? asked Mr Welton, senior, as he shook hands with his son.
Ive come to have a talk with ee, father. As to creeping like a thief, a man must creep with the tide when theres no wind, dye see, if he dont come to an anchor. Tis said that time and tide wait for no man; that bein so, I have come to see you now that Ive got the chance. Thats where it is. But I cant stay long, for old Jones will
What! interrupted the mate with a frown, as he led his son to the forepart of the vessel, in order to be out of earshot of the watch, have ee really gone an shipped with that scoundrel again, after all Ive said to ee?
I have, father, answered the young man with a perplexed expression; it is about that same that Ive come to talk to ee, and to explain
You have need to explain, Jim, said the mate sternly, for it seems to me that you are deliberately taking up with bad company; and I see in you already one o the usual consequences; you dont care much for your fathers warnings.
Dont say that, father, exclaimed the youth earnestly, I am sure that if you knewstay; Ill send back the boat, with orders to return for me in an hour or so.
Saying this he hurried to the gangway, dismissed the boat, and returned to the forepart of the vessel, where he found his father pacing the deck with an anxious and somewhat impatient air.
Father, said Jim, as he walked up and down beside his sire, I have made up my mind that it is my duty to remain, at least a little longer with Jones, because
Your duty! interrupted the mate in surprise. James! he added, earnestly, you told me not long ago that you had taken to attending the prayer-meetings at the sailors chapel when you could manage it, and I was glad to hear you say so, because I think that the man who feels his need of the help of the Almighty, and acts upon his feeling, is safe to escape the rocks and shoals of lifealways supposin that he sails by the right chartthe Bible; but tell me, does the missionary, or the Bible, teach that it is any ones duty to take up with a swearing, drinking scoundrel, who is going from bad to worse, and has got the name of being worthy of a berth in Newgate?
We cannot tell, father, whether all thats said of Morley Jones be true. We may have our suspicions, but we cant prove tem; and theres no occasion to judge a man too soon.
That may be so, Jim, but that is no reason why you should consort with a man who can do you no goods and, will certainly do ee much harm, when youve no call for to do so. Why do ee stick by himthats what I want to knowwhen everybody says hell be the ruin of you? And why do ee always put me off with vague answers when I git upon that subject? You did not use to act like that, Jim. You were always fair an above-board in your young days. But whats the use of askin? Its plain that bad company has done it, an my only wonder is, how you ever come to play the hypocrite to that extent, as to go to the prayer-meeting and make believe youve turned religious.
There was a little bitterness mingled with the tone of remonstrance in which this was said, which appeared to affect the young man powerfully, for his face crimsoned as he stopped and laid his hand on his fathers shoulder.
Whatever follies or sins I may have committed, he said, solemnly, I have not acted a hypocrites part in this matter. Did you ever yet find me out, father, tellin you a lie?
Well, I cant say I ever did, answered the mate with a relenting smile, xcept that time when you skimmed all the cream off the milk and capsized the dish and said the cat done it, although you was slobbered with it from your nose to your toesbut you was a very small fellow at that time, you was, and hadnt got much ballast aboard nor begun to stow your conscience.
Well, father, resumed Jim with a half-sad smile, you may depend upon it I am not going to begin to deceive you now. My dear mothers last words to me on that dreary night when she died,Always stick to the truth, Jim, whatever it may cost you,have never been forgotten, and I pray God they never may be. Believe me when I tell you that I never join Morley in any of his sinful doings, especially his drinking bouts. You know that I am a total abstainer
No, youre not, cried Mr Welton, senior; you dont abstain totally from bad company, Jim, and its that I complain of.
I never join him in his drinking bouts, repeated Jim, without noticing the interruption; and as he never confides to me any of his business transactions, I have no reason to say that I believe them to be unfair. As I said before, I may suspect, but suspicion is not knowledge; we have no right to condemn him on mere suspicion.
True, my son; but you have a perfect right to steer clear of him on mere suspicion.
No doubt, replied Jim, with some hesitation in his tone, but there are circumstances
There you go again with your circumstances, exclaimed Welton senior with some asperity; why dont you heave circumstances overboard, rig the pumps and make a clean breast of it? Surely its better to do that than let the ship go to the bottom!
Because, father, the circumstances dont all belong to myself. Other peoples affairs keep my tongue tied. I do assure you that if it concerned only myself, I would tell you everything; and, indeed, when the right time comes, I promise to tell you allbut in the meantime I I
Jim, said Mr Welton, senior, stopping suddenly and confronting his stalwart son, tell me honestly, now, isnt there a pretty girl mixed up in this business?
Jim stood speechless, but a mantling flush, which the rays of the revolving light deepened on his sunburnt countenance, rendered speech unnecessary.
I knew it, exclaimed the mate, resuming his walk and thrusting his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat, it never was otherwise since Adam got married to Eve. Whatever mischief is going youre sure to find a woman underneath the very bottom of it, no matter how deep you go! If it wasnt that the girls are at the bottom of everything good as well as everything bad, Id be glad to see the whole bilin of em made fast to all the sinkers of all the buoys along the British coast and sent to the bottom of the North Sea.
I suspect that if that were done, said Jim, with a laugh, youd soon have all the boys on the British coast making earnest inquiries after their sinkers! But after all, father, although the girls are hard upon us sometimes, you must admit that we couldnt get on without em.
True for ye, boy, observed Jerry MacGowl, who, coming up at that moment, overheard the conclusion of the sentence. Its mesilf as superscribes to that same. Havent the swate creeturs led me the life of a dog; turned me inside out like an owld stockin, trod me in the dust as if I was benaith contimpt an riven me heart to mortial tatters, but I couldnt get on widout em nohow for all that. As the pote might say, av he only knowd how to putt it in proper verse: