Japhet, in Search of a Father | Page 4

one corner. He was stout in his body, and carried a considerable protuberance before him, which he was in the habit of patting with his left hand very complacently; but although stout in his body, his legs were mere spindles, so that, in his appearance, he reminded you of some bird of the crane genus. Indeed, I may say, that his whole figure gave you just such an impression as an orange might do, had it taken to itself a couple of pieces of tobacco pipes as vehicles of locomotion. He was dressed in a black coat and waistcoat, white cravat and high collar to his shirt, blue cotton net pantaloons and Hessian boots, both fitting so tight, that it appeared as if he was proud of his spindle shanks. His hat was broad-brimmed and low, and he carried a stout black cane with a gold top in his right hand, almost always raising the gold top to his nose when he spoke, just as we see doctors represented at a consultation in the caricature prints. But if his figure was strange, his language and manners were still more so. He spoke, as some birds fly, in jerks, intermixing his words, for he never completed a whole sentence, with _um--um--_and ending it with "_so on,_" leaving his hearers to supply the context from the heads of his discourse. Almost always in motion, he generally changed his position as soon as he had finished speaking, walking to any other part of the room, with his cane to his nose, and his head cocked on one side, with a self-sufficient tiptoe gait. When I was ushered into his presence, he was standing with two of the governors. "This is the lad," said one of them, "his name is Japhet."
"Japhet," replied Mr Cophagus; "um, scriptural--Shem, Ham, _um_--and so on. Boy reads?"
"Very well, and writes a very good hand. He is a very good boy, Mr Cophagus."
"Read--write--spell--good, and so on. Bring him up--rudiments--spatula--write labels--um--M.D. one of these days--make a man of him--and so on," said this strange personage, walking round and round me with his cane to his nose, and scrutinising my person with his twinkling eyes. I was dismissed after this examination and approval, and the next day, dressed in a plain suit of clothes, was delivered by the porter at the shop of Mr Phineas Cophagus, who was not at home when I arrived.

Chapter II
Like all Tyros, I find the rudiments of learning extremely difficult and laborious, but advance so rapidly than I can do without my Master.
A tall, fresh-coloured, but hectic looking young man, stood behind the counter, making up prescriptions, and a dirty lad, about thirteen years old, was standing near with his basket to deliver the medicines to the several addresses, as soon as they were ready. The young man behind the counter, whose name was Brookes, was within eighteen months of serving his time, when his friends intended to establish him on his own account, and this was the reason which induced Mr Cophagus to take me, that I might learn the business, and supply his place when he left. Mr Brookes was a very quiet, amiable person, kind to me and the other boy who carried out the medicines, and who had been taken by Mr Cophagus, for his food and raiment. The porter told Mr Brookes who I was, and left me. "Do you think that you will like to be an apothecary?" said Mr Brookes to me, with a benevolent smile.
"Yes; I do not see why I should not," replied I.
"Stop a moment," said the lad who was waiting with the basket, lookly archly at me, "you hav'n't got through your rudimans yet."
"Hold your tongue, Timothy," said Mr Brookes. "That you are not very fond of the rudiments, as Mr Cophagus calls them, is very clear. Now walk off as fast as you can with these medicines, sir--14, Spring Street; 16, Cleaver Street, as before; and then to John Street, 55, Mrs Smith's. Do you understand?"
"To be sure I do--can't I read? I reads all the directions, and all your Latin stuff into the bargain--all your summen dusses, horez, dìez, cockly hairy. I mean to set up for myself one of these days."
"I'll knock you down one of these days, Mr Timothy, if you stay so long as you do, looking at the print shops; that you may depend upon."
"I keep up all my learning that way," replied Timothy, walking off with his load, turning his head round and laughing at me, as he quitted the shop. Mr Brookes smiled, but said nothing.
As Timothy went out, in came Mr Cophagus. "Heh! Japhet--I see," said he, putting up his cane, "nothing to do--bad--must work--um--and so on. Mr Brookes--boy learn rudiments--good--and so on." Hereupon Mr Cophagus took