Chapter 20 Chapter 17 Captain Cuttle Does a Little Thing for the Young

Captain Cuttle, employing his astonishing faculties, which he sincerely believed to be innate (not so unusual for a man of all simplicity), worked out the inscrutable plan to go, on that eventful Sunday, to Mr. Dombey's mansion; he blinked all the way, to give his overflowing wit a vent; and so appeared to Tollinson in his shining boots.Captain Cuttle, hearing from the man of the impending calamity, was very apprehensive; and, being prudent as he was, he hastily "changed course" in a panic, and left the place, and only handed in the bouquet as a point of his concern. With a little care, he also asked Tollinson to convey his respect and greetings to the whole family, hoping that they are strong enough to withstand the wind in the current situation, and finally hinted kindly that he will "come and see again" tomorrow.

The captain's greeting was never heard again.The captain's bouquet lay overnight in the anteroom, and was swept into the dustbin the next morning; the captain's ingenious arrangements, with their greater hopes and nobler plans, were involved in this strange disaster The disaster has now been completely smashed.So when an avalanche washes away the forest in the mountains, twigs and shrubs go with the big trees, and nothing remains. When Walter returned home Sunday evening after his long wanderings and at last the unforgettable events that followed, he was at first absorbed in thinking of the news he had to tell them, and in immersing himself thoroughly in what the scene just experienced had naturally aroused in his mind. He was so emotional that he didn't notice either that his uncle apparently didn't know the information the captain had promised to communicate, nor that the captain signaled him with the hook to keep him off the subject.However, no matter how attentively you observe, the captain's signal is not very easy to understand; because like the Chinese sage who is said to have written some difficult and profound words that were completely unpronounceable during the meeting, the captain's flamboyant fingering Afterwards, if anyone does not know his secret in advance, it is impossible to understand it.

But the Captain abandoned these plans when he learned what had happened, for he saw that, before Walter set out, there was now little opportunity of talking freely and freely with Mr. Dombey.However, although the captain admitted to himself with a disappointed and dejected look, Sol Giles must know about it, Walter must go-for the time being, the situation must be left as it was when he first came into contact with it, and it was not because There were friends who wisely intervened to clarify the truth or improve the situation--but he remained unwavering in his belief that he, Ned Carter, was the right man to consult with Mr. Dombey, provided they both Together, Walter's fate could be arranged very well.For the Captain could never forget that he and Mr. Dombey were on good terms at Brighton, and that each of them said exactly what needed to be said at the right moment; Will forget how he, Ned Carter, pointed out the way out of a desperate situation and brought the meeting to the desired conclusion.The captain consoled himself with these reasons: Ned Cuttle, though for the time being compelled to sit idly by, would one day, when the time came, he, Ned, sail and sail triumphantly.

Under the influence of this well-intentioned misunderstanding, Captain Cuttle sat looking at Walter, listening to his narrative, and weeping a tear on his shirt collar, even circling the thought: When he met Mr. Dombey one day, he invited him verbally, on any day he appointed, to come to Brig Place to taste the mutton, and then to clink glasses and talk about his young friend's future--do Is it both polite and strategic?But Mrs. Maxwell was elusive, and she might lie sprawled in the corridor while he was giving a feast, and speak bitterly; , made him timid and disheartened. As Walter sat pensively at the table without eating, and kept musing over all that had happened, it seemed to the Captain that one fact was clear, that, although Walter himself was too modest to realize it, But he could be said to be a member of Mr. Dombey's family.He himself was personally connected with the incident he so sentimentally narrates; in the course of this one incident they remembered his name and praised him; The future will definitely be of special concern.If the Captain had any secret doubts about his own conclusions, he had no doubt that they were very favorable to the peace of mind of the instrument manufacturer.So he took advantage of the great opportunity to break the news of his trip to the West Indies to his old friend as an extraordinary promotion; claiming that if he had money, he would give generously to Wall to keep the money. For the long-term benefit of the project, he put out one hundred thousand pounds; he believed that this investment would produce considerable profits.

Solomon Giles was at first dazed and stupefied at the news; it struck like a bolt from the blue into the small back parlour, and violently disturbed the peace of the fireside.But the Captain set before his dim eyes a golden prospect, alluding very mysteriously to a Whittingtonian prospect; It shows that his prophecy has begun to be confirmed, and a great step has been taken in the fulfillment of the legend of the lovely Peg girl. —all this made the old man bewildered and bewildered.Walter, too, pretended to be full of hope and enthusiasm, convinced that he would be back soon, and, in support of the Captain, shook his head expressively and rubbed his hands, so that Solomon looked first at him, then at Captain Cuttle, and began to think , he should be ecstatic.

"But, you know, I'm behind the times," he said defensively, running his hands nervously along the row of shiny buttons on his coat from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top. Going back, he was counting them twice as if they were rosary beads; "I'd rather keep my dear boy here. It must be an outdated idea. He used to love the sea, he—" He Looking sullenly at Walter, said, "He's glad to go." "Uncle Sol!" cried Walter quickly, "if you say so, then I...don't want to go. Yes, Captain Cuttle, I don't want to go. If uncle thinks I can happily Leaving his words (even if I were to take office, to be Governor of the West Indies), then this word would suffice. I will not leave this place."

"My boy, Wall," said the captain, "take it easy! Sol Giles, please look at your nephew!" The captain's hook moved majestically, and the old man's eyes followed it and saw Walter. "There is a ship about to set sail," the captain said eloquently, and he used a touching metaphor. "What kind of name should be inscribed on this ship? Is it Gay? Or," said the captain. The voice, reminding everyone to pay attention, "Or write the number Gilles?" "Ned," said the old man, drawing Walter to him, and putting his arm affectionately in his, "I know. I know. I know Walter always thinks more of me than of himself. I know that in my heart. When I say he's happy to go, I mean I hope he's happy to go. Well, Ned, you listen, and Wally, dear, you listen too, it's New news I didn't expect; I'm afraid I'm behind the times and poor; that's the root cause. Now tell me, is it really good luck for him?" The old man said anxiously from The one looked at the other and said, "Is that true? If it's really good for Wally's future, then I can accommodate almost anything myself, but I don't want Wally to sacrifice himself for me." Or hide something from me. You, Ned Cuttle"!The old man stared straight at the captain, making the diplomat squirm. "Are you honest with your old friend? Tell me, what is Ned Cuttle hiding from me? Should he go? How do you go first?" I know, why did I know first?"

Since it was a contest of fraternity and self-sacrifice, the captain was relieved that Walter interposed at this point, with infinite effect.Their constant conversation reassured old Sol Giles somewhat; or, rather, bewildered him, so that he could not comprehend everything, and even the pain of parting could not be distinctly felt to him. Arrived. He had little time to weigh the matter, for on the following day Walter received from the manager, Mr. Carker, the necessary instructions for departure and clothing, and at the same time learned that the Sons and Heirs would be due in a fortnight or so. Sailing within one or two days at the latest.Walter deliberately hurried the preparations, and in the haste the old man lost what little composure he had, so that the date of departure was rapidly approaching.

The Captain, who inquired of Walter every day, knew all that had happened; and it seemed to him that the time was approaching the day of Walter's departure, and that nothing had arisen, or seemed likely to arise, to give a better idea of ​​Walter's position.The captain thought over this matter over and over again, and after a lot of thinking about some unfortunate circumstances, an ingenious idea suddenly appeared in his mind.Might as well pay a visit to Mr. Carker, and try to find out from him, where is the coast? Captain Cuttle liked the idea very much, it had come to him in a flash of inspiration when he was smoking his first pipe after breakfast in Brig Place; it was well worth the pipe.His conscience is honest, and this visit will soothe his conscience, which was a little disturbed by what Walter confided in him and what Saul Giles said; Superb friendly action.He would sound out Mr. Carker cautiously, and decide whether to talk more or less when he had seen the gentleman's character and whether they could get on well.

So, unafraid to meet Walter (who he knew was busy packing at home), Captain Cuttle put on his booties again, pinned on his mourning brooch, and embarked on his second voyage.This time he didn't buy a bouquet for presents, because he was going to an office; but he stuck a little sunflower in his buttonhole, which gave off a pleasant country fragrance, and he With the gnarled cane and glossed hat, he set off for Dombey & Son. The captain drank a glass of warm and watered rum at a nearby tavern, thought it over, trotted across the grounds, as if lest the good effects of the drink should evaporate, and at last appeared suddenly in Mr Perch's before.

"Boy," said the captain in a provocative tone, "the head of your company is named Carker." Mr. Perch admitted this, but it was his duty to let him know that the heads of the company were very busy and could not be expected to spare time. "My brother, I tell you," said the captain into his ear, "I am Captain Cuttle." The captain would have drawn Mr. Perch gently beside him with the hook, but Mr. Perch avoided it; not on purpose, but mainly because it occurred to him that such a weapon had unexpectedly appeared in Perch's hands. Madam's present, in her circumstances at the time, might very well have ruined her good hopes. ① -------- ① It means that Mrs. Perch may be frightened and have a miscarriage when she sees it. "Excuse me if you have a chance to go in and announce that Captain Cuttle is here," said Captain Cuttle, "I will wait here." When the Captain had finished speaking, he sat down on Mr. Perch's bracket, and from the polished hat (which he held between his knees, did not mar its shape, for nothing human could It bends) took out a handkerchief from the top, and gave his head a good wipe, looking refreshed.Then he combed his hair with a hook, and An Xiang sat there calmly, looking around the office and looking at the staff. The captain's poise was enigmatic, and he was such a mysterious figure that Messenger Perch was intimidated. "What did you say was your last name?" asked Mr. Perch, bowing to the captain seated on the cradle. "I am the captain," he said in a low, hoarse whisper. "Yes," Mr. Perch nodded hastily. "Surname Carter." "Oh!" said Mr. Perch in the same tone, for he had heard it, and could not but have heard it; and he was very impressed by the captain's diplomacy. "I'll see if he's free right now, I don't know. Maybe he can take a minute." "All right, all right, brother, I won't hold him up for more than a minute," said the captain, nodding with great self-respect.Perch came back in a moment and said, "Will Captain Cuttle go this way?" Mr. Carker, the manager, stood on the carpet in front of the unfired fireplace decorated with brown paper city patterns, and looked at the entering captain with unwelcoming eyes. "Mr. Carker?" asked the captain. "I suppose so," said Mr. Carker, showing all his teeth. The captain was pleased with his answer with a smile, which seemed agreeable. "You know," began the captain, rolling his eyes slowly about the small room, taking in what his shirt-collar did not hide. "I am a sailor myself, Mr. Carker, and Wall, who is listed on your roster, is my son, so to speak." "Walter Guy?" said Mr. Carker, showing all his teeth again. "It's Wal Guy," answered the captain, "exactly!" in an air in which the captain commended Mr. Carker's keen understanding. "I am a close friend of his and his uncle. Perhaps," said the captain, "you have heard my name mentioned by the bosses of your company?—Captain Cuttle." "No," said Mr. Carker, baring his teeth wider than before. "Well," went on the captain, "I have had the good fortune to know him. I visited him on the Sussex sea-shore with my young friend Wall, when--in any case, he was in need of a little accommodation. Funds." The captain nodded with a cheerful, calm and expressive expression. "I think you remember?" -------- ① Sussex (Sussex): A county in southern England, Brighton is in this county. "I think," said Mr. Carker, "that I had the honor of arranging it." "Yes!" replied the captain, "and quite right! You arranged it. Now I take the liberty of coming here—" "Will you sit down?" said Carker, smiling. "Thank you," replied the captain, accepting the suggestion, "it may be easier to sit down and talk. Would you please sit down in the chair yourself?" "No, thank you," said the manager; and, perhaps from winter habit, he continued to stand; with his back against the mantelpiece, and looking down at the captain, as if he had grown a With one eye. "You said just now that you took the liberty of—in fact, you didn't take the liberty of anything." "Thank you very much, my friend," replied the captain, "for I have ventured here on account of my friend Wall, whose uncle Sol Giles was a man of science, and in science he Quite a clipper. But I can't call him a capable crewman--he's not a practical guy. Wall is a rare fine lad; but he has his fault, modesty. Now, in your The boss has not recovered a little bit, before I can come and talk with him," the captain lowered his voice, and said in a deep and deep voice of great confidence, "I hope that in a friendly manner, it is entirely between you and me, and for my sake. Personally, I have a correct estimate, and I would like to ask you a question: Is everything in place here, and is Wall sailing smoothly?" "What do you think now, Captain Cuttle?" Carker replied, lifting the hem of his clothes and standing upright. "You are a practical person. What do you think?" The captain's eyes glanced upward in answer, with a sharpness and meaning that no other language can describe except for the aforementioned unpronounceable Chinese language. "Well!" said the captain, encouraged beyond words, "please tell me, am I right or wrong?" Encouraged by Mr. Carker's courteous smile, the captain emboldened himself with a look of great meaning; His words expressed his feelings. "By the way," said Mr. Carker, "I have no doubts." "Then, I say, he sailed in fine weather?" cried Captain Cuttle. Mr. Carker smiled and agreed. "The wind is smooth and strong?" the captain continued to ask. Mr. Carker smiled again in agreement. "Yes! Yes!" said Captain Cuttle, with great reassurance and satisfaction. "I have known for a long time where the ship is going. I told Walter. Thank you, thank you." "Guy has a bright future ahead of him," said Mr. Carker, opening his mouth wider than before. "The whole world lay before him." "As the proverb says, the whole world lies before him, and his wife," replied the cheery captain. At the word wife, which the captain had uttered by accident, he paused, cast his eyes up again, and turned his glossed hat on his knobby walking stick. , and squinted at his smiling friend. "I'll bet an ear of Jamaica," said the captain, watching him intently, "I know what you're laughing at." -------- ①And the ear, equivalent to about 0.14 liters.Jamaica is famous for producing rum. Mr. Carker understood his hint, and smiled more cheerfully. "No further advance?" asked the captain, prodding at the door with his gnarled stick to reassure himself that it was closed. "Not an inch," said Mr. Carker. "Perhaps you are thinking of a Fu?" asked the captain. Mr Carker did not deny it. "Is it related to Luo or Lun?" the captain asked. Mr Carker was still smiling. "Am I right again?" the captain asked in a low voice, he was so proud that a red circle appeared on his forehead. Mr. Carker answered, still smiling, and now nodded his assent; Captain Cuttle stood up, squeezed his hand, and enthusiastically assured him that they were on the same voyage; , he has always been advancing along this course. "At first," said the captain, with all due secrecy and dignity, as he addressed the subject, "he met her under very unusual circumstances--finding her in the street, you remember. Hers, when she was almost a little baby,—and he fell in love with her and she with him from then on, and they loved each other as passionately as two young men could love each other like that. We , Sol and I often say they are a match made in heaven." A cat, a monkey, a hyena, or a skeleton could not at once show more teeth to the captain than Mr. Carker had during this meeting of theirs. "That's the way the current is, you see," said the cheerful captain. "That's the way the wind blows, and that's the way the water flows. See, he'll be there some day!" "Extremely good for his hopes," said Mr. Carker. "See, some day he'll be dragged along by the rope!" continued the captain, "what's going to keep him adrift now?" "Nothing," replied Mr. Carker. "You're quite right again," replied the captain, pressing his hand once more, "and nothing can be done. So! Don't worry! The son is dead, the dear little one. Isn't he?" "Yes, the son is dead," said a reluctantly compliant Carker. "Just one order from you, and you'll have another ready son," said the captain, "nephew of a scientific uncle! Nephew of Sol Giles! Wall! The one already in your company Wall!" continued the captain, approaching the best quote at the end: "He—comes every day from Sol Giles's house to your company, into your arms." Mr. Carker's self-satisfaction with the captain's gentle elbow, at the end of each of the above phrases, was only apparent when he leaned back in his chair at the end of this eloquent and brilliant speech. , surpassed by the ecstasy of looking at Mr. Carker.His wide blue waistcoat bulged and his nose quivered for the same reason as his masterpiece was emerging from its womb. "Am I right?" asked the captain. "Captain Cuttle," said Mr. Carker, bending his knees down for a moment in an odd gesture, as if he were about to fall, and at the same time braced himself: "Your story about Walter Gay Opinion is completely, absolutely correct. I understand that we are speaking intimately in private." "On my honour!" interrupted the captain, "not a word." "Isn't it for him or anyone?" the manager went on. Captain Cuttle frowned and shook his head. "It's just for your own peace of mind and guidance," said Mr. Carker. "I mean guidance, of course, for your future actions." "I do thank you very much," said the captain, who listened attentively. "I say without hesitation that it is true. You have seen exactly what might happen." "As for the boss of your company," said the captain, "the meeting between us had better be allowed to happen naturally, there is plenty of time." Mr. Carker grinned and repeated, "There's plenty of time," without uttering the words clearly, but hanging his head amiably, and moving his tongue and lips slightly. "I get it -- as I've always said in the past, Wall's going to make it." "It's about to make it," repeated Mr. Carker in the same silent manner. "Wall's small voyage, I can say, belongs to his daily work scope, and is also part of the company's arrangement for his future." The captain said. "Part of his arrangements," said Mr. Carker, as dumb as before. "Yes, if only I understand that," continued the captain, "then there is no need to worry, and I can rest easy." Mr. Carker, still in the same silent manner, assented politely, so that Captain Cuttle was convinced that he was one of the most agreeable men he knew; even Mr. Dombey Taking him as an example will also benefit one's own conduct in the world.Therefore, the captain kindly stretched out his big hand like old wood again, and gave him a firm grip, leaving the impression of a large number of cracks and wrinkles in the captain's palm on his smoother flesh. "Good-bye!" said the captain. "I am not a long talker, but I appreciate your kindness and openness. Please forgive me for disturbing you," said the captain. "Words there," replied another. "Thank you. My present lodging is not very spacious," said the captain, turning again, "but it is quite comfortable. Whenever you pass by Brig Square, No. 9—will you mark it?— —no matter what the person who opens the door says, come upstairs, and I will have the honor of receiving you." After this hospitable invitation, the captain said, "Good-bye!" and went out of the room, and shut the door, leaving Mr. Carker still with his back against the mantelpiece.In his sly eyes and guarded gestures, in his protruding and unsmiling false mouth, in his unstained tie and sideburns, even in his stretched tender lips There was something cat-like in the silent movement of hands stroking the snow-white shirt and the smooth face. The ignorant captain came out of a state of narcissism, and even his baggy blue coat was affected by this mood and took on a new look. "Get ready, Ned!" said the captain to himself, "you've done something for the young man today, my boy!" The Captain, in a cheerful mood, with a feeling of closeness to the company now and in the future, could not help, when he went out into the office, to tease Mr. Perch, and ask him if he still thought everyone was busy.But the captain, not wanting to be unkind to a dutiful man, whispered in his ear that he would be glad to entertain him if he would go with him for a glass of rum and water. Before leaving the building, the captain made a general observation of the company's offices, looking around from one central point; Somewhat surprised.The treasury especially aroused his admiration, but, so as not to appear stingy, he gave only a cursory glance of approval; then, with a courteous and benevolent air, he thanked the whole staff with a dignified bow, and went to the courtyard.Mr. Perch soon followed; he led the gentleman into the tavern, and kept his promise without delay, for Perch's time was precious. "I propose a toast to Wall's health!" said the captain. "For whom?" asked Mr. Perch meekly. "Vol!" repeated the captain in a thunderous voice. Mr. Perch seemed to remember hearing in his boyhood that there had once been a poet of that name, and he made no objection.But he wondered why the captain came to town and suggested a toast to the health of a poet; indeed, if he suggested erecting a statue of a poet (say, Shakespeare) in one of the city's main streets, it would not have Beyond what Mr. Perch has seen and heard.In short.He was such a mysterious and inscrutable figure that Mr. Perch resolved not to speak of him at all to Mrs. Perch, in order to avoid any unpleasant consequences. -------- ① refers to the British poet Edmund Waller (Edmund Waller, AD 1606-1687). The captain, with the cheerful feeling that he had done something for the young man, maintained an air of mystery and inscrutability all day long even to his closest friend.Walter saw him blinking, grinning, and other pantomime movements to lighten his mood, and thought he was flattered that they had tricked old Sol Giles into success in their innocence; In this way, he will definitely show his feet before night.In fact, however, he kept the secret; when he left the instrument maker's house late at night for his return home, he put his glossed hat on one side, with a beaming look in his eyes, Max Mrs. Sage (who may have been brought up in Dr. Blimber's school, for she was so like an ancient Roman housewife) immediately took a defensive stance upon seeing him from behind the open front door, and did not Stepping out like her innocent toddlers expected until he was actually settled in his room.