The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel JackDefoe, Daniel
General
The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories, English; England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Picaresque fiction
“Why,” says I, “and what will you do with the bill? Will you throw it
away? If you do, somebody else will find it,” says I, “and they will go
and take the money.” “No, no,” says he; “then they will be stopped and
examined, as I tell you I should be.” I did not know well what all this
meant, so I talked no more about that; but we fell to handling the
money. As for me, I had never seen so much together in all my life, nor
did I know what in the world to do with it, and once or twice I was
a-going to bid him keep it for me, which would have been done like a
child indeed, for, to be sure, I had never heard a word more of it,
though nothing had befallen him.
However, as I happened to hold my tongue as to that part, he shared the
money very honestly with me; only at the end he told me, that though it
was true he promised me half, yet as it was the first time, and I had
done nothing but look on, so he thought it was very well if I took a
little less than he did; so he divided the money, which was £12, 10s.,
into two exact parts, viz., £6, 5s. in each part; then he took £1, 5s.
from my part, and told me I should give him that for hansel. “Well,”
says I, “take it, then, for I think you deserve it all:” so, however, I
took up the rest, and “What shall I do with this now,” says I, “for I
have nowhere to put it?” “Why, have you no pockets?” says he. “Yes,”
says I; “but they are full of holes.” I have often thought since that,
and with some mirth too, how I had really more wealth than I knew what
to do with; for lodging I had none, nor any box or drawer to hide my
money in; nor had I any pocket, but such as I say was full of holes. I
knew nobody in the world that I could go and desire them to lay it up
for me; for, being a poor naked, ragged boy, they would presently say I
had robbed somebody, and perhaps lay hold of me, and my money would be
my crime, as they say it often is in foreign countries. And now, as I
was full of wealth, behold I was full of care, for what to do to secure
my money I could not tell; and this held me so long, and was so
vexatious to me the next day, that I truly sat down and cried.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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