eadded,“andallaboutit.Iamcomeontogiveyounotice,thatpapaandmammaareoutofspiritsthisevening,especiallymammasheisthinkingsomuchofpoorRichard!Andweagreeditwouldbebesttohavetheharp,foritseemstoamusehermorethanthepiano-forte.Iwilltellyouwhysheisoutofspirits.WhentheCroftscalledthismorning,(theycalledhereafterwards,didnotthey?),theyhappenedtosay,thatherbrother,CaptainWentworth,isjustreturnedtoEngland,orpaidoff,orsomething,andiscomingtoseethemalmostdirectlyandmostunluckilyitcameintomamma’shead,whentheyweregone,thatWentworth,orsomethingverylikeit,wasthenameofpoorRichard’scaptainatonetimeIdonotknowwhenorwhere,butagreatwhilebeforehedied,poorfellow!Anduponlookingoverhislettersandthings,shefounditwasso,andisperfectlysurethatthismustbetheveryman,andherheadisquitefullofit,andofpoorRichard!Sowemustbeasmerryaswecan,thatshemaynotbedwellinguponsuchgloomythings.”
Therealcircumstancesofthispatheticpieceoffamilyhistorywere,thattheMusgroveshadhadtheillfortuneofaverytroublesome,hopelesssonandthegoodfortunetolosehimbeforehereachedhistwentiethyearthathehadbeensenttoseabecausehewasstupidandunmanageableonshorethathehadbeenverylittlecaredforatanytimebyhisfamily,thoughquiteasmuchashedeservedseldomheardof,andscarcelyatallregretted,whentheintelligenceofhisdeathabroadhadworkeditswaytoUppercross,twoyearsbefore.
Hehad,infact,thoughhissisterswerenowdoingalltheycouldforhim,bycallinghim“poorRichard,”beennothingbetterthanathick-headed,unfeeling,unprofitableDickMusgrove,whohadneverdoneanythingtoentitlehimselftomorethantheabbreviationofhisname,livingordead.
Hehadbeenseveralyearsatsea,andhad,inthecourseofthoseremovalstowhichallmidshipmenareliable,andespeciallysuchmidshipmenaseverycaptainwishestogetridof,beensixmonthsonboardCaptainFrederickWentworth’sfrigate,theLaconiaandfromtheLaconiahehad,undertheinfluenceofhiscaptain,writtentheonlytwoletterswhichhisfatherandmotherhadeverreceivedfromhimduringthewholeofhisabsencethatistosay,theonlytw