riumph, seeing men brought down
to the cockpit with their legs and arms blown to Jericho....And so the
young man has settled in Paris. Manager to a diamond merchant, or some
such thing, is he not?"
"Yes, sir, that's it. 'Tis a blazing great business that he belongs to,
so I've heard his mother say--like a king's palace, as far as diments
go."
"I can well mind when he left home," said Sam.
"'Tis a good thing for the feller," said Humphrey. "A sight of times
better to be selling diments than nobbling about here."
"It must cost a good few shillings to deal at such a place."
"A good few indeed, my man," replied the captain. "Yes, you may make
away with a deal of money and be neither drunkard nor glutton."
"They say, too, that Clym Yeobright is become a real perusing man, with
the strangest notions about things. There, that's because he went to
school early, such as the school was."
"Strange notions, has he?" said the old man. "Ah, there's too much of
that sending to school in these days! It only does harm. Every gatepost
and barn's door you come to is sure to have some bad word or other
chalked upon it by the young rascals--a woman can hardly pass for shame
sometimes. If they'd never been taught how to write they wouldn't have
been able to scribble such villainy. Their fathers couldn't do it, and
the country was all the better for it."
"Now, I should think, Cap'n, that Miss Eustacia had about as much in her
head that comes from books as anybody about here?"
"Perhaps if Miss Eustacia, too, had less romantic nonsense in her head
it would be better for her," said the captain shortly; after which he
walked away.
"I say, Sam," observed Humphrey when the old man was gone, "she and Clym
Yeobright would make a very pretty pigeon-pair--hey? If they wouldn't
I'll be dazed! Both of one mind about niceties for certain, and learned
in print, and always thinking about high doctrine--there couldn't be a
better couple if they were made o' purpose. Clym's family is as good as
hers. His father was a farmer, that's true; but his mother was a sort
of lady, as we know. Nothing would please me better than to see them two
man and wife."
"They'd look very natty, arm-in-crook together, and their best clothes
on, whether or no, if he's at all the well-favoured fellow he used to
be."
"They would, Humphrey. Well, I should like to see the chap terrible much
after so many years. If I knew for certain when he was coming I'd str
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