An Unknown Destination

An Unknown Destination

Sometimes, the wherever it is we are going is different from that we expected.  And, whilst reading  Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, I discovered the following anecdote.

Nicholas Nickleby was involved in an accident. He was on his way from London to Yorkshire. The coach upon which he was travelling overturned and Nicholas Nickleby was thrown into a snow drift. Everyone survived. Then, whilst waiting in an inn, one of the passengers told the following story.

Once upon-a-time, there lived a German Baron. Baron Koeldwethout. He was a very happy man. He spent most of time hunting, getting drunk, and generally having lots of good fun. But, one day, he started getting fed up.  His life had become very boring. And so, to cut a long story short, the Baron got married.

But, 12 years later his thinking had changed. The Baron was sorely missing his former life of revelry and drunkenness.  He had foolishly sacrificed everything upon the altar of domestic happiness. His wife was always miserable and totally domineering.  And, he had13  horrible children to keep and to feed, 

Things were bad.  His money was spent. He was  depressed. The only way out, he believed, was the bringing about of a premature end to his life. Suicide.  And, so, there he was all alone in his room. All he had was a bottle of wine, a final pipe, and a knife to kill himself.  But, he was not all alone. The ghost of suicide was waiting for him!

The ghost of suicide was a  miserable apparition in a hurry. Many others were waiting for him. The next one on the list was a young man with too much money!  The Baron burst into laughter. How could someone kill himself because of  too much money?  Totally absurd!  The baron started thinking!

Was where he was  going better than where he was now?   Without any doubt at all, the ghost of suicide was not a very happy ghost. Was everyone else the same? The Baron changed his mind. He got his life back in order and became happy again.  He died many years later.

And, what about Nicholas Nickleby? He resumed his journey and became an assistant in the school which belonged to the notorious alcoholic and child hater Mr. Newman Noggs.

But, if you want to find out more, you must read the book.  Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens.