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CHAP. VIII

Short and fweet.

TWITHSTANDING all the' Obligations he 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. Thefe 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 offended, thankfully received the Admonition of the good Woman, expreffed much Concern for what had paft, excufed it as well as he could, and promifed never more to bring the fame Disturbances into the Houfe.

But though Mrs. Miller did not refrain from a fhort Expoftulation in private at their first meeting, yet the Occafion of his being fummoned down Stairs 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 ready drest,

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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 seen him the Night before.

Now when the Uncle had arrived at his Lodgings 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 Purpose, he ordered Wine to be fet on the Table; with which he fo brifkly ply'd the young Gentleman, that this latter, who, though not much ufed to Drinking, did not deteft it fo as to be guilty of Dif obedience or of want of Complaifance by. refufing, was foon completely finished.

Juft as the Uncle had obtained this Vic tory, 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 lost all Confideration for his Nephew, and his

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whole

whole Mind became entirely taken up with his own Concerns.

This fadden and afflicting News was no lefs than that his Daughter had taken the Opportunity of almost the first Moment of his Abfence, and had gone off with a Neigh bouring young Clergyman; against whom tho' her Father could have had but one Objection, namely, that he was worth nothing, yet fhe had never thought proper to communicate her Amour. even to that Father; and fo artfully had the managed, that it had never 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 Poft-Chaife to be inftantly got ready, and having recommended his Nephew to the Care of a Servant, he directly left the Houfe, fcarce knowing what he did, nor whither he went.

The Uncle being thus departed, when the Servant 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

Chair being called; with this the Servant, 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 remov. ed (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 ftept 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 Senfe 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 Conclufion, began to apply himself to his own Concerns; but

here left many of my Readers fhould cenfure his Folly for thus troubling himself with the Affairs of others, and left fome few fhould think he acted more difinterestedly than indeed he did, we think proper to affure our Reader, that he was fo far from being unconcerned in this Matter, that he

had

had indeed a very confiderable Interest in bringing it to that final Confummation.

To explain this feeming Paradox at once, he was one who could truly fay with him in Terence, Homo fum: Nihil humani a me alienum pulo. He was never an indifferent Spectator of the Mifery or Happiness of any one; and he felt either the one or the other in greater Proportion as he himself contributed to either. He could not therefore be the Inftrument of raising a whole Family from the lowest State of Wretchedness to the highest Pitch of Joy without conveying great Felicity to himfelf; more perhaps than worldly Men often purchase to themselves by undergoing the moft fevere Labour, and often by wading through the deepest Iniquity.

Thofe Readers who are of the fame Com, plexion with him will perhaps think this fhort Chapter contains abundance of Matter ; while others may probably wifh, fhort as it

that it had been totally fpared as impertinent to the main Defign, which I fuppofe they conclude is to bring Mr. Jones to the Gallows, or if poffible, to a more deplo rable Catastrophe.