Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

however, all your languishing and wishing have done you no harm: for you never looked better in your life. Upon my faith! Jones, you might at this inftant fit for the picture of Adonis.'

There are certain words of provocation, which men of honour hold, can only properly be anfwered by a blow. Among lovers poffibly there may be fome expreffions which can only be answered by a kifs. The compliment which Lady Bellafton now made Jones, feems to be of this kind; efpecially as it was attended with a look in which the lady conveyed more foft ideas than it was poffible to exprefs with her tongue.

Jones was certainly at this inftant in one of the most difagreeable and diftreffed fituations imaginable; for, to carry on the comparifon we made ufe of before, though the provocation was given by the lady, Jones could not receive fatisfaction, nor fo much as offer to ask it, in the prefence of a third perfon; feconds in this kind of duels not being according to the law of arms. As this objection did not occur to Lady Bellafton, who was ignorant of any other woman being there but herfelf, the waited fome time in great aftonishment for an answer from Jones, who, confcious of the ridiculous figure he made, ftood at a diftance, and not daring to give the proper anfwer, gave none at all. Nothing can be imagined more comic, nor yet more tragical than this fcene would have been, if it had lafted much longer. The lady had already changed colour two or three times; had got up from the bed and fat down again, while Jones was withing the ground to fink under him, or the houfe to fall on his head, when an odd accident freed him from an embarraffment out of which neither the cloquence of a Cicero, nor the politics of a Machiavel, could have delivered him, without utter difgrace.

This was no other than the arrival of young Nightingale dead drunk: or rather in that fate of drunk nefs which deprives men of the ufe of their reason, without depriving them of the use of their limbs.

Mrs Miller and her daughters were in bed, and Partridge was smoking his pipe by the kitchen fire; so that he arrived at Mr Jones's chamber door without any interruption. This he burft open, and was entering with

out any ceremony, when Jones ftarted from his feat, and ran to oppofe him; which he did fo effectually, that Nightingale never came far enough within the door to fee who was fitting on the bed.

Nightingale had in reality miftaken Jones's apartment for that in which himfelf had lodged; he therefore ftrongly infifted on coming in, often fwearing that he would not be kept out from his own bed. Jones, however prevailed over him, and delivered him into the hands of Partridge, whom the noife on the ftairs foon fummoned to his master's affiftance.

And now Jones was unwillingly obliged to return to his own apartment, where at the very inftant of his entrance he heard Lady Bellafton venting an exclamation, though not a very loud one; and, at the fame time, faw her flinging herfelf into a chair in a vast agitation, which in a lady of a tender conftitution would have been an hysteric fit.

In reality, the lady frightened with the ftruggle between the the two men, of which fhe did not know what would be the iffue, as fhe heard Nightingale fwear many oaths he would come to his own bed, attempted to retrire to her known place of hiding, which, to her great confufion, the found already occupied by another.

[ocr errors]

Is this ufage to be borne, Mr Jones? cries the lady. Bafeft of men !- -What wretch is this to whom you have expofed me?" Wretch !' cries Honour, bursting in a violent rage from her place of concealment, " marry come up: -Wretch forfooth! as poor a wretch as I am, I am honeft; that is more than fome • folks who are richer can fay.'

Jones, inftead of applying himself directly to take off the edge of Mrs Honour's refentment, as a more experienced gallant would have done, fell to curfing his ftars, and lamenting himfelf as the most unfortunate man in the world; and prefently after, addrefsing himfelf to Lady Bellafton, he fell to fome very abfurd proteftations of in nocence. By this time the lady having recovered the use of her reafon, which the had as ready as any woman in the world, efpecially on fuch occafions, calmly replied,

Sir, you need make no apologies, I fee now who the • perfon is; I did not at firft know Mrs Honour; but

[ocr errors]

now I do, I can fufpect nothing wrong between her and you; and I am fure fhe is a woman of too good fenfe to put any wrong conftructions upon my vifit to you; I have been always her friend, and it may be in my power

to be much more fo hereafter.'

Mrs Honour was altogether as placable as he was paffionate. Hearing therefore, Lady Bellafton affume the foft tone, fhe likewife foftened her's.- - I'm fure, Madam,' fays fhe, I have been always ready to acknowledge your Ladyfhip's friendships to me: fure I never had fo good a friend as your Ladyship—and to be fure, now I fee it is your Ladyship that I spoke to, I could almost bite my tongue off for very mad.• I conftructions upon your Ladyship !- -to be fure, it • doth not become a fervant, as I am, to think about fuch a great lady- -I mean, I was a fervant : for indeed I am no body's fervant now, the more miferable wretch -I have loft the best miftrefs'Here Ho

is me.

nour thought fit to produce a fhower of tears.

[ocr errors]

Don't

cry, child,' fays the good lady,ways perhaps may be found to make you amends. Come to me to-morrow morning.' She then took up her fan which lay on the ground, and without even looking at Jones, walked very majestically out of the room; there being a kind of dignity in the impudence of women of quality, which their inferiors vainly afpire to attain to, in circumftances of this

nature.

Jones followed her down ftairs, often offering her his hand, which the abfolutely refufed him, and got into her chair without taking any notice of him, as he stood bowing before her.

At his return up ftairs, a long dialogue paffed between him and Mrs Hononr, while fhe was adjufting herself after the difcompofure fhe had undergone. The fubject of this was his infidelity to her young lady; on which fhe enlarged with great bitternefs; but Jones at left found means to reconcile her, and not only so, but to obtain a promise of moft inviolable fecrefy, and that the would the next morning endeavour to find out Sophia, and bring him a further account of the proceedings of the fquire.

Thus ended this unfortunate adventure to the fatisfac
VOL. III.

M

tion only of Mrs Honour; for a fecret (as fome of my readers will perhaps acknowledge from experience) is often a very valuable poffeffion; and that not only to those who faithfully keep it, but fometimes to fuch as whifper it about till it comes to the ears of every one, except the ignorant perfon, who pays for the fuppofed concealing of what is publicly known.

NOT

CHA P. VIII.

Short and Sweet.

OTWITHSTANDING all the obligations fhe had received from Jones, Mrs Miller could not forbear in the morning fome gentle remonftrances for the hurricane which had happened the preceding night in his chamber. These were, however, fo gentle and fo friendly, profeffing, and indeed truly, to aim at nothing more than the real good of Mr Jones himself, that he, far from being offen ded, thankfully received the admonition of the good wo man, expreffed much concern for what had paffed, excufed it as well as he could, and promised never more to bring the fame difturbances into the house.

But though Mrs Miller did not refrain from a fhort expoftulation in private at their firft meeting; yet the occafion of his being fummoned down ftairs that morning was of a much more agreeable kind; being indeed to perform the office of a father to Mifs Nancy, and to give her in wedlock to Mr Nightingale, who was now already dreffed, and full as fober as many of my readers will think a man ought to be who receives a wife in fo imprudent a manner.

And here, perhaps, it may be proper to account for the efcape which this young gentleman had made from his uncle, and for his appearance in the condition in which we have feen him the night before.

Now when the uncle had arrived to his ledgings with his nephew, partly to indulge his own inclinations, (for he dearly loved his bottle), and partly to difqualify his nephew from the immediate execution of his purpefe, he ordered wine to be fet on the table; with which he fo brifkly plyed the young gentleman, that this latter, who, though not fo much ufed to drinking did not deteft

it fo as to be guilty of difobedience, or of want of complaifance by refufing, was foon completely finished.

Just as the uncle had obtained this victory, and was preparing a bed for his nephew, a meffenger arrived with a piece of news, which fo entirely difconcerted and fhocked him, that he in a moment loft all confideration for his nephew, and his whole mind became entirely taken up with his own concerns.

This fudden and afflicting news was no lefs than that his daughter had taken the opportunity of almoft the first moment of his abfence, and had gone off with a neighbouring young clergyman; against whom though her father could have but one objection, namely, that he was worth nothing, yet he had never thought proper to communicate her amour even to that father; and so artfully had the managed, that it never had been once fufpected by any, till now that it was confummated.

Old Mr Nightingale no fooner received this account, than in the utmost confufion, he ordered a post-chaife to be inftantly got ready, and having recommended his nephew to the care of a fervant, he directly left the house, fcarce knowing what he did, nor whither he went.

The uncle being thus departed, when the fervant came to attend the nephew to bed, had waked him for that purpose, and had at laft made him fenfible that his uncle was gone, he inftead of accepting the kind offices tendered him, infifted on a chair being called: with this thẹ fervant, who had received no ftrict orders to the contrary, readily complied; and thus, being conducted back to the houfe of Mrs Miller, he had ftaggered up to Mr Jones's chamber, as hath been before recounted.

This bar of the uncle being now removed, (though young Nightingale knew not as yet in what manner), and all parties being quickly ready, the mother, Mr Jones, Mr Nightingale, and his love, ftepped into a hackney-coach, which conveyed him to Doctor's Commons; where Mifs Nancy was, in vulgar language, foon made an honeft woman, and the poor mother became, in the pureft fenfe of the word, one of the happiest of all human beings.

And now Mr Jones, having feen his good offices to that poor woman and her family brought to a happy

« AnteriorContinuar »