Julia was no sooner certified of this melancholy event, than she
ran to her aunt's chamber, weeping aloud; and immediately a very
decent concert was performed by the good widow and her attendants.
Peregrine and Hatchway retired till the corpse should be laid
out; and Pipes having surveyed the body, with a face of rueful
attention,--"Well fare thy soul! old Hawser Trunnion," said he:
"man and boy I have known thee these five-and-thirty years, and
sure a truer heart never broke biscuit. Many a hard gale hast thou
weathered; but now thy spells are all over, and thy hull fairly
laid up. A better commander I'd never desire to serve; and who knows
but I may help to set up thy standing rigging in another world?"
All the servants of the house were affected with the loss of their
old master; and the poor people in the neighbourhood assembled at
the gate, and, by repeated howlings, expressed their sorrow for
the death of their charitable benefactor. Peregrine, though he felt
everything which love and gratitude could inspire on this occasion,
was not so much overwhelmed with affliction as to be incapable of
taking the management of the family into his own hands.
Pages:
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767