Erema; Or, My Father's SinBlackmore, R. D. (Richard Doddridge)
History
Erema; Or, My Father's Sin
Blackmore, R. D. (Richard Doddridge)
California -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Fathers and daughters -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
“Then for the present we will seal it down again,” the banker answered,
quietly; “we can see that there is no other will, and a later one would
scarcely be put under this. The other little packets, whatever they may
be, are objects of curiosity, perhaps, rather than of importance. They
will keep till we have more leisure.”
“We have taken up a great deal of your time, Sir, I am sure,” said the
Major, finding that he could take no more. “We ought to be, and we are,
most grateful.”
“Well,” the banker answered, as we began to move, “such things do not
happen every day. But there is no friend like an old friend, Erema, as I
mean to call you now. I was to have been your godfather; but I fear that
you never have been baptized.”
“What!” cried the Major, staring at us both. “Is such a thing possible
in a Christian land? Oh, how I have neglected my duty to the Church!
Come back with me to Bruntsea, and my son shall do it. The church there
is under my orders, I should hope; and we will have a dinner party
afterward. What a horrible neglect of duty!”
“But how could I help it?” I exclaimed, with some terror at Major
Hockin's bristling hair. “I can not remember--I am sure I can not say.
It may have been done in France, or somewhere, if there was no time in
England. At any rate, my father is not to be blamed.”
“Papistical baptism is worse than none,” the Major said, impressively.
“Never mind, my dear, we will make that all right. You shall not be a
savage always. We will take the opportunity to change your name. Erema
is popish and outlandish; one scarcely knows how to pronounce it. You
shall have a good English Christian name--Jemima, Jane, or Sophy. Trust
me to know a good name. Trust me.”
“Jemima!” I cried. “Oh, Mr. Shovelin, save me from ever being called
Jemima! Rather would I never be baptized at all.”
“I am no judge of names,” he answered, smiling, as he shook hands with
us; “but, unless I am a very bad judge of faces, you will be called just
what you please.”
“And I please to be called what my father called me. It may be unlucky,
as a gentleman told me, who did not know how to pronounce it. However,
it will do very well for me. You wish to see me, then, to-morrow, Mr.
Shovelin?”
“If you please; but later in the day, when I am more at leisure. I do
not run away very early. Come at half past four to this door, and
knock. I hear every sound at this door in my room; and the place will be
growing quiet then.”
He showed us out into a narrow alley through a heavy door sheathed with
iron, and soon we recovered the fair light of day, and the brawl and
roar of a London street.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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