Godfrey Morgan | Page 8

"Not near me, Godfrey! Not in this room! But far far away, over the
seas, is it not so?"
And mechanically Phina's hand sought the key-board and rippled along
a series of sinking sevenths, which spoke of a plaintive sadness,
unintelligible perhaps to the nephew of William W. Kolderup.
For such was this young man, such was the relationship he bore
towards the master of the house. The son of a sister of this buyer of
islands, fatherless and motherless for a good many years, Godfrey

Morgan, like Phina, had been brought up in the house of his uncle, in
whom the fever of business had still left a place for the idea of
marrying these two to each other.
Godfrey was in his twenty-third year. His education now finished, had
left him with absolutely nothing to do. He had graduated at the
University, but had found it of little use. For him life opened out but
paths of ease; go where he would, to the right or the left, whichever
way he went, fortune would not fail him.
Godfrey was of good presence, gentlemanly, elegant--never tying his
cravat in a ring, nor starring his fingers, his wrists or his shirt-front with
those jewelled gimcracks so dear to his fellow-citizens.
I shall surprise no one in saying that Godfrey Morgan was going to
marry Phina Hollaney. Was he likely to do otherwise? All the
proprieties were in favour of it. Besides, William W. Kolderup desired
the marriage. The two people whom he loved most in this world were
sure of a fortune from him, without taking into consideration whether
Phina cared for Godfrey, or Godfrey cared for Phina. It would also
simplify the bookkeeping of the commercial house. Ever since their
births an account had been opened for the boy, another for the girl. It
would then be only necessary to rule these off and transfer the balances
to a joint account for the young couple. The worthy merchant hoped
that this would soon be done, and the balances struck without error or
omission.
But it is precisely that there had been an omission and perhaps an error
that we are about to show.
An error, because at the outset Godfrey felt that he was not yet old
enough for the serious undertaking of marriage; an omission, because
he had not been consulted on the subject.
In fact, when he had finished his studies Godfrey had displayed a quite
premature indifference to the world, in which he wanted for nothing, in
which he had no wish remaining ungratified, and nothing whatever to
do. The thought of travelling round the world was always present to

him. Of the old and new continents he knew but one spot--San
Francisco, where he was born, and which he had never left except in a
dream. What harm was there in a young man making the tour of the
globe twice or thrice--especially if he were an American? Would it do
him any good? Would he learn anything in the different adventures he
would meet with in a voyage of any length? If he were not already
satiated with a life of adventure, how could he be answered? Finally,
how many millions of leagues of observation and instruction were
indispensable for the completion of the young man's education?
Things had reached this pass; for a year or more Godfrey had been
immersed in books of voyages of recent date, and had passionately
devoured them. He had discovered the Celestial Empire with Marco
Polo, America with Columbus, the Pacific with Cook, the South Pole
with Dumont d'Urville. He had conceived the idea of going where these
illustrious travellers had been without him. In truth, he would not have
considered an exploring expedition of several years to cost him too dear
at the price of a few attacks of Malay pirates, several ocean collisions,
and a shipwreck or two on a desert island where he could live the life of
a Selkirk or a Robinson Crusoe! A Crusoe! To become a Crusoe! What
young imagination has not dreamt of this in reading as Godfrey had
often, too often done, the adventures of the imaginary heroes of Daniel
de Foe and De Wyss?
Yes! The nephew of William W. Kolderup was in this state when his
uncle was thinking of binding him in the chains of marriage. To travel
in this way with Phina, then become Mrs. Morgan, would be clearly
impossible! He must go alone or leave it alone. Besides, once his fancy
had passed away, would not she be better disposed to sign the
settlements? Was it for the good of his wife that he had not been to
China or Japan, not even to Europe? Decidedly not.
And hence it was that Godfrey was now absent in