The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Volume 01Smollett, T. (Tobias)
General
The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Volume 01
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Adventure stories; Gothic fiction
He was, indeed, allured by the roses of her complexion, and the innocence
of her aspect, and began to repent of having pretended ignorance of the
language, by which he was restrained from exercising his eloquence upon
her heart; he resolved, however, to ingratiate himself, if possible, by
the courtesy and politeness of dumb show, and for that purpose put his
eyes in motion without farther delay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ANOTHER PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCE FROM THE EFFECTS OF THE SMUGGLER'S
INGENIOUS CONJECTURE.
During these deliberations, the wine merchant, with a view to make a
parade of his superior parts and breeding, as well as to pave the way for
a match at backgammon, made a tender of his snuff-box to our adventurer,
and asked, in bad French, how he travelled from Paris. This question
produced a series of interrogations concerning the place of Ferdinand's
abode in that city, and his business in England, so that he was fain to
practise the science of defence, and answered with such ambiguity, as
aroused the suspicion of the smuggler, who began to believe our hero had
some very cogent reason for evading his curiosity; he immediately set his
reflection at work, and, after various conjectures, fixed upon Fathom's
being the Young Pretender. Big with this supposition, he eyed him with
the most earnest attention, comparing his features with those of the
Chevalier's portrait which he had seen in France, and though the faces
were as unlike as any two human faces could be, found the resemblance so
striking as to dispel all his doubts, and persuade him to introduce the
stranger to some justice on the road; a step by which he would not only
manifest his zeal for the Protestant succession, but also acquire the
splendid reward proposed by parliament to any person who should apprehend
that famous adventurer.
These ideas intoxicated the brain of this man to such a pitch of
enthusiasm, that he actually believed himself in possession of the thirty
thousand pounds, and amused his fancy with a variety of magnificent
projects to be executed by means of that acquisition, until his reverie
was interrupted by the halting of the coach at the inn where the
passengers used to eat their breakfasts. Waked as he was from the dream
of happiness, it had made such impression upon his mind, that, seeing
Fathom rise up with an intention to alight, he took it for granted his
design was to escape, and seizing him by the collar, called aloud for
assistance in the King's name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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