Japhet, in Search of a Father

ng extremely difficult and laborious, but adva

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,

ee why I should

ing with the basket, lookly archly at me,

hagus calls them, is very clear. Now walk off as fast as you can with these medicines, sir-14, Spring

your Latin stuff into the bargain-all your summen dusses, horez,

mothy, if you stay so long as you do, looking

g off with his load, turning his head round and laughing at m

if I did not. He wiped out the mortar, threw in some drugs, and, showing me how to use the pestle, left me to my work. In half an hour I discovered why it was that Timothy had such an objection to what Mr Cophagus facetiously termed the rudiments of the profession. It was dreadful hard work for a boy; the perspiration ran down me in streams,

ow your other name," said

he children at the Foundling, and in consequence of the bank note found in my basket, I had been name

name-and have plenty of them in his pockets too-um-very co

mpty basket. He laughed when he saw me at work. "Well, how do you

" replied I, w

more than a year, and never have got out of th

d me to leave off, an order which I gladly obey

his basket; "no more work for me ha

t prandium, you'l

s narrative. Timothy was short in stature for his age, but very strongly built. He had an oval face, with a very dark complexion, grey eyes flashing from under their long eyelashes, and eyebrows nearly meeting each other. He was marked with the small-pox, not so much as to disfigur

said he, "where d

dling," r

e no friends

ow where to find them,"

a year old then. They call me a foundling, but I don't care what they call me, so long as they don't call me too late for dinner. Father and mother, whoever they were, when they ran away fro

wla

it as good a name to give me as any other; so I was christened after the pump-maker with some of the pump water. As soon as I was big enough, they employed me to pump all the water for the us

little to tell you," replied I; "but, tel

when he is, he is just as odd as ever. He very often threatens me, but I h

Mr Brookes i

I put down my basket to play. It's very true; but I can't give up 'peg in the ring' on that account. But then I only get a box of the ear from Mr Brookes, and that goes for not

ry well this time: we went into the parlour, when the housekeeper sat down with us and helped us. She was a terribly cross, little old woman, but as honest as she was cross, which is all that I shall say in her favour. Timothy was no favourite, because he had such a good appetite; and it appeared that I was not ver

the art of labelling and tying up, and in a very short time I was very expert; and as Timothy predicted, the rudiments were once more handed over to him.

nes, I desired them to wait the return of Mr Brookes, who would be in very soon. One day, when Mr Brookes was out, and I was sitting behind the counter, Timothy sitting on it, and swinging his legs to and fro, both lamenting that we had no po

an old woman came in, and addressing Timothy, said, "That

ust apply to that gentleman, Mr Newland, who is behind the cou

e-and so young too! Why

I; "what is it you require-a

se hard words, but I wa

per," replied I, assuming an important air. "

lied Timothy, v

the medicine bottles generally used by Mr Brookes, filled it up with water, poured the mixture into the

it, or is it to rub outsi

on the label;-but yo

do you understand Latin?

d it advisable and safer, that the application should be external, so I translated the l

mean all that? How mu

an; it ought to be eighteen-pence, but as you are

old woman, putting down the money, and wish

ubbing his hands; "it's h

and I suppose the stuff I have taken is not worth a penny more. Now, if we put aside two-pence for Mr Cophagus, we d

nt for receiving the tw

ead of one: they are ne

anaged until Timothy had run out and changed the sixpence; we then each had our three-