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Japhet, in Search of a Father by Frederick Marryat
page 20 of 532 (03%)
happy, devil-may-care expression in his face, that you liked him the
first minute that you were in his company, and I was intimate with him
immediately.

"I say, Japhet," said he, "where did you come from?"

"The Foundling," replied I.

"Then you have no friends or relations."

"If I have, I do not know where to find them," replied I, very gravely.

"Pooh! don't be grave upon it. I haven't any either. I was brought up by
the parish, in the workhouse. I was found at the door of a gentleman's
house, who sent me to the overseers--I was about 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 from me, didn't run away with my appetite. I wonder
how long master means to play with his knife and fork. As for Mr
Brookes, what he eats wouldn't physic a snipe. What's your other name,
Japhet?"

"Newland."

"Newland--now you shall have mine in exchange: Timothy Oldmixon at your
service. They christened me after the workhouse pump, which had 'Timothy
Oldmixon fecit' on it; and the overseers thought 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 use of the workhouse. I worked at my _papa_, as I
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