GREEDINESS 61 



When it came to my turn to get out of the boat, the 

 master and owner of it, in a coarse, rough manner, 

 demanded my fare. Accordingly I put my hand in my 

 pocket and presented the four Spanish dollars my kind 

 benefactor had so generously bestowed on me, when 

 sweeping them out of my hand, with a greedy look 

 at them and a contemptuous one at me, he said, 

 "You are only a poor devil of a midshipman of a 

 man-of-war," and left me penniless to my fate/ 



I set my foot on shore, and looked round me with an 

 almost vacant mind, not at all recalling my departure 

 from the same spot ; then slowly and moodily walking up 

 Broad Street, through Point Gates, as they were called, 

 into the High Street, I entered one of the princij)al inns. 

 Here I was much discomfited at finding myself the 

 object of the host's studied politeness, instead of his 

 hearty greeting as I foolishly expected. 



Just at the time when I was unable to disguise my 

 perjDlexity, an old female servant of my mother's coming 

 in, recognized me, when the tables were turned, and I 

 received from both host and hostess a generous hospitality. 

 From them I learned that the family were in London ; 

 and that my elder brother had left school, but was then 

 in the town. He, on hearing from them of my sudden 

 appearance, came and took me to my father's house. 



And here, gentle reader, terminated my career on the 

 ocean, whether for good or for ill it is not for me to say, 



1 I had an opportunity a few years afterwards of recalling this 

 gentleman to a sense of his politeness, when he called upon my 

 father for a further loan on his vessel, upon which, at the time 

 I speak of, the former had already advanced £300. 



