The Adventures of Peregrine PickleSmollett, T. (Tobias)
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The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Adventure stories; Fiction; Picaresque literature
This gentleman being destined to the charge of superintending Perry's
education, everything was prepared for their departure; and Tom Pipes,
in consequence of his own petition, put into livery, and appointed
footman to the young squire. But, before they set out, the commodore
paid the compliment of communicating his design to Mr. Pickle, who
approved of the plan, though he durst not venture to see the boy; so
much was he intimidated by the remonstrances of his wife, whose aversion
to her first-born became every day more inveterate and unaccountable.
This unnatural caprice seemed to be supported by a consideration which,
one would imagine, might have rather vanquished her disgust. Her second
son Gam, who was now in the fourth year of his age, had been rickety
from the cradle, and as remarkably unpromising in appearance as Perry
was agreeable in his person. As the deformity increased, the mother's
fondness was augmented, and the virulence of her hate against the other
son seemed to prevail in the same proportion.
Far from allowing Perry to enjoy the common privileges of a child,
she would not suffer him to approach his father's house, expressed
uneasiness whenever his name happened to be mentioned, sickened at his
praise, and in all respects behaved like a most rancorous step-mother.
Though she no longer retained that ridiculous notion of his being an
impostor, she still continued to abhor him, as if she really believed
him to be such; and when any person desired to know the cause of her
surprising dislike, she always lost her temper, and peevishly replied,
that she had reasons of her own, which she was not obliged to declare:
nay, so much was she infected by this vicious partiality, that she broke
off all commerce with her sister-in-law and the commodore, because they
favoured the poor child with their countenance and protection.
Her malice, however, was frustrated by the love and generosity
of Trunnion, who, having adopted him as his own son, equipped him
accordingly, and carried him and his governor in his own coach to the
place of destination, where they were settled on a very genteel footing,
and everything regulated according to their desires.
Mrs. Trunnion with great decency at the departure of her nephew, to
whom, with a great many pious advices and injunctions to behave with
submission and reverence towards his tutor, she presented a diamond ring
of small value, and a gold medal, as tokens of her affection and esteem.
As for the lieutenant, he accompanied them in the coach; and such was
the friendship he had contracted for Perry, that when the commodore
proposed to return, after having accomplished the intent of his journey,
Jack absolutely refused to attend him, and signified his resolution to
stay where he was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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