Honeyman comes to
lodge in Walpole Street, and brings a set of Scott's novels, for which he
subscribed when at Oxford; and young John James, who at first waits upon
him and does little odd jobs for the reverend gentleman, lights upon the
volumes, and reads them with such a delight and passion of pleasure as
all the delights of future days will scarce equal. A fool, is he?--an
idle feller, out of whom no good will ever come, as his father says.
There was a time when, in despair of any better chance for him, his
parents thought of apprenticing him to a tailor, and John James was waked
up from a dream of Rebecca and informed of the cruelty meditated against
him. I forbear to describe the tears and terror, and frantic desperation
in which the poor boy was plunged. Little Miss Cann rescued him from that
awful board, and Honeyman likewise interceded for him, and Mr. Bagshot
promised that, as soon as his party came in, he would ask the Minister
for a tide-waitership for him; for everybody liked the solemn,
soft-hearted, willing little lad, and no one knew him less than his
pompous and stupid and respectable father.
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