He is amazed when the bucket holds water,
or the stone perches on the summit. He professes but a
limited belief in his star, - and success with him is
almost a disappointment. His countenance corresponds
with the prevailing character of his thoughts, always
hopelessly chapfallen; his voice is as of the tomb. He
brushes my clothes, lays the cloth, opens the champagne,
with the air of one advancing to his execution. I have
never seen him smile but once, when he came to report to
me that a sea had nearly swept his colleague, the steward,
overboard. The son of a gardener at Chiswick, he first
took to horticulture; then emigrated as a settler to the
Cape, where he acquired his present complexion, which is
of a grass-green; and finally served as a steward on
board an Australian steam-packet.
Thinking to draw consolation from his professional
experiences, I heard Fitz's voice, now very weak, say in
a tone of coaxing cheerfulness, -
"Well, Wilson, I suppose this kind of thing does not last
long?"
The Voice, as of the tomb. "I don't know, Sir."
Fitz. - "But you must have often seen passengers sick."
The Voice. - "Often, Sir; very sick."
Fitz. - "Well; and on an average, how soon did they
recover?"
The Voice. - "Some of them didn't recover, Sir."
Fitz.
