Varney the Vampyre by James Malcolm Rymer

Author:James Malcolm Rymer [Rymer, James Malcolm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Limited
Published: 2011-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 97

The Admiral’s preparations, and the visit to Dearbrook

It was quite finally settled between the admiral and the Bannerworths that he was to have the whole conducting of the marriage business, and he even succeeded in getting a concession from Flora Bannerworth, that he might invite more than twenty guests as had at first been stipulated. Indeed, she told him that he might ask forty if he pleased.

The admiral had asked for this enlargement of his of powers, because he had received from the lawyer such a satisfactory list of people who were eligible to be invited, that he found it extremely difficult to draw any invidious distinction; and, accordingly, he felt fully inclined, as far as he was concerned, to invite them all, which was a piece of liberality he scarcely expected Flora would accede to.

When, however, he got leave to double the number, he considered that he was all right, and he said to Jack Pringle, to whom, as usual, he had got completely reconciled – ‘I say, Jack, my boy, we’ll have the whole ship’s crew, and no mistake; for, at a wedding, the more the merrier, you know.’

‘Ay, ay, sir,’ said Jack, ‘that’s true. I have not been married more than a dozen times myself, at the outside, and I always took care to have lots of fun.’

‘A dozen times, Jack! you don’t mean that?’

‘I rather think I does. You know I was married at different ports of India twice; and then wasn’t I married in Jamaky; and then after that wasn’t I married in the South Seas, in one of the Friendly Islands?’

‘A deuced deal too friendly, I should say. Why, confound you, Jack, you must have the impudence of the very devil.’

‘Yes, I believe ye I have. I look upon it that it’s our impudence has got us on in the world.’

‘How dare you say our, you vagabond? But, however, I won’t quarrel with you now, at any rate, for I expect you to dance a hornpipe at the wedding. But mind me now, Jack, I am serious – I won’t have any drunkenness.’

‘Well, it’s rather a hard thing that a fellow can’t get drunk at a wedding; but I suppose I must put up with that deadly injury, and do the best I can. And now, admiral, as you have looked over that little affair of mine, in going to the lawyer’s when you didn’t want me, I’ll make you a voluntary promise, and that is, that I’ll only take two bottles all the day long.’

‘Two bottles of what?’

‘Oh, rum, of course.’

‘Well, that’s moderate; for as I have known you, I think, take about five, of course I can’t very well say anything to two; so you may take that much, Jack, for I really think you won’t be much the worse of it.’

‘The worse of it! I should think not, sir. It rather strikes me that two bottles of rum wouldn’t hurt a new-born baby.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.