by T. Smollett
They meet with a dreadful Alarm on the Road--Arrive at their Journey'send--Peregrine is introduced to Emily's Brother--These two youngGentlemen misunderstand each other--Pickle departs for the Garrison.
As they travelled at an easy rate, they had performed something morethan one half of their journey, when they were benighted near an inn,at which they resolved to lodge; the accommodation was very good, theysupped together with great mirth and enjoyment, and it was not tillafter he had been warned by the yawns of the ladies, that he conductedthem to their apartment; where, wishing them good night, he retired tohis own, and went to rest. The house was crowded with country-people whohad been at a neighbouring fair, and now regaled themselves with ale andtobacco in the yard; so that their consideration, which at any time wasbut slender, being now overwhelmed by this debauch, they staggered intotheir respective kennels, and left a lighted candle sticking to one ofthe wooden pillars that supported the gallery. The flame in a littletime laid hold on the wood, which was as dry as tinder; and the wholegallery was on fire, when Peregrine suddenly waked, and found himselfalmost suffocated. He sprang up in an instant, slipped on his breeches,and, throwing open the door of his chamber, saw the whole entry in ablaze.
Heavens! what were the emotions of his soul, when he beheld the volumesof flame and smoke rolling towards the room where his dear Emilia lay!Regardless of his own danger, he darted himself through the thickestof the gloom, when knocking hard, and calling at the same time to theladies, with the most anxious entreaty to be admitted, the door wasopened by Emilia in her shift, who asked, with the utmost trepidation,what was the matter? He made no reply, but snatching her up in his arms,like another Aeneas, bore her through the flames to a place of safety;where leaving her before she could recollect herself, or pronounce oneword, but "Alas; my Cousin Sophy!" he flew back to the rescue of thatyoung lady, and found her already delivered by Pipes, who having beenalarmed by the smell of fire, had got up, rushed immediately to thechamber where he knew these companions lodged, and Emily being saved byher lover brought off Miss Sophy with the loss of his own shock-head ofhair, which was singed off in his retreat.
By this time the whole inn was alarmed; every lodger, as well asservant, exerted himself, in order to stop the progress of thiscalamity: and there being a well-replenished horse-pond in the yard, inless than an hour the fire was totally extinguished, without having doneany other damage than that of consuming about two yards of the woodengallery.
All this time our young gentleman closely attended his fair charge, eachof whom had swooned with apprehension; but as their constitutions weregood, and their spirits not easily dissipated, when upon reflectionthey found themselves and their company safe, and that the flames werehappily quenched, the tumult of their fears subsided, they put on theirclothes, recovered their good humour, and began to rally each other onthe trim in which they had been secured. Sophy observed that nowMr. Pickle had an indisputable claim to her cousin's affection; andtherefore she ought to lay aside all affected reserve for the future,and frankly avow the sentiments of her heart. Emily retorted theargument, putting her in mind, that by the same claim Mr. Pipes wasentitled to the like return from her. Her friend admitted the forceof the conclusion, provided she could not find means of satisfying hisdeliverer in another shape; and, turning, to the valet, who happened tobe present, asked if his heart was not otherwise engaged. Tom, who didnot conceive the meaning of the question, stood silent according tocustom; and the interrogation being repeated, answered, with a grin,"Heart-whole as a biscuit, I'll assure you, mistress."--"What!" saidEmilia, "have you never been in love, Thomas?"--"Yes, forsooth," repliedthe valet without hesitation, "sometimes of a morning."
Peregrine could not help laughing, and his mistress looked a littledisconcerted at this blunt repartee: while Sophy, slipping a purseinto his hand, told him there was something to purchase a periwig. Tom,having consulted his master's eyes, refused the present, saying, "No,thank ye as much as if I did;" and though she insisted upon his puttingit in his pocket, as a small testimony of her gratitude, he could not beprevailed upon to avail himself of her generosity; but following her tothe other end of the room, thrust it into her sleeve without ceremony,exclaiming, "I'll be d--d to hell if I do." Peregrine, having checkedhim for his boorish behaviour, sent him out of the room, and begged thatMiss Sophy would not endeavour to debauch the morals of his servant,who, rough and uncultivated as he was, had sense enough to perceive thathe had no pretension to any such acknowledgment. But she argued, withgreat vehemence, that she should never be able to make acknowledgmentadequate to the service he had done her, and that she should neverbe perfectly easy in her own mind until she found some opportunity ofmanifesting the sense she had of the obligation: "I do not pretend,"said she, "to reward Mr. Pipes; but I shall be absolutely unhappy,unless I am allowed to give him some token of my regard."
Peregrine, thus earnestly solicited, desired, that since she was bentupon displaying her generosity, she would not bestow upon him anypecuniary gratification, but honour him with some trinket, as a mark ofconsideration; because he himself had such a particular value for thefellow, on account of his attachment and fidelity, that he should besorry to see him treated on the footing of a common mercenary domestic.There was not one jewel in the possession of this grateful young lady,that she would not have gladly given as a recompense, or badge ofdistinction, to her rescuer; but his master pitched upon a seal ring ofno great value that hung at her watch, and Pipes, being called in, hadpermission to accept that testimony of Miss Sophy's favour. Tom receivedit accordingly with sundry scrapes; and, having kissed it with greatdevotion, put it on his little finger, and strutted off, extremely proudof his acquisition.
Emilia, with a most enchanting sweetness of aspect, told her lover thathe had instructed her how to behave towards him; and taking a diamondring from her finger, desired he would wear it for her sake. He receivedthe pledge as became him, and presented another in exchange, whichshe at first refused, alleging that it would destroy the intent of heracknowledgment; but Peregrine assured her he had accepted her jewel, notas a proof of her gratitude, but as the mark of her love; and that ifshe refused a mutual token, he should look upon himself as the object ofher disdain. Her eyes kindled, and her cheeks glowed with resentmentat this impudent intimation, which she considered as an unseasonableinsult, and the young gentleman, perceiving her emotion, stood correctedfor his temerity, and asked pardon for the liberty of his remonstrance,which he hoped she would ascribe to the prevalence of that principlealone, which he had always taken pride in avowing.
Sophy, seeing him disconcerted, interposed in his behalf, and chid hercousin for having practised such unnecessary affectation; upon which,Emilia, softened into compliance, held out her finger as a signal ofher condescension. Peregrine put on the ring with great eagerness, andmumbled her soft white hand in an ecstasy which would not allow him toconfine his embraces to that limb, but urged him to seize her by thewaist, and snatch a delicious kiss from her love-pouting lips; norwould he leave her a butt to the ridicule of Sophy, on whose mouth heinstantly committed a rape of the same nature: so that the two friends,countenanced by each other, reprehended him with such gentleness ofrebuke, that he was almost tempted to repeat the offence.
The morning being now lighted up, and the servants of the inn on foot,he ordered some chocolate for breakfast, and at the desire of theladies, sent Pipes to see the horses fed, and the chariot prepared,while he went to the bar, and discharged the bill.
These measures being taken, they set out about five o'clock, and havingrefreshed themselves and their cattle at another inn on the road,proceeded in the afternoon. Without meeting with any other accident,they safely arrived at the place of their destination, where Mrs.Gauntlet expressed her joy at seeing her old friend Mr. Pickle, whom,however, she kindly reproached for the long discontinuance of hisregard. Without explaining the cause of that interruption, he protestedthat his love and esteem had never been discontinued, and that for thefuture he shou
ld omit no occasion of testifying how much he had herfriendship at heart. She then made him acquainted with her son, who atthat time was in the house, being excused from his duty by furlough.
This young man, whose name was Godfrey, was about the age of twenty, ofa middling size, vigorous make, remarkably well-shaped, and the scarsof the small-pox, of which he bore a good number, added a peculiarmanliness to the air of his countenance. His capacity was good, and hisdisposition naturally frank and easy; but he had been a soldier fromhis infancy, and his education was altogether in the military style.He looked upon taste and letters as mere pedantry, beneath theconsideration of a gentleman, and every civil station of life as mean,when compared with the profession of arms. He had made great progress inthe gymnastic sciences of dancing, fencing, and riding; played perfectlywell on the German flute; and, above all things valued himself upon ascrupulous observance of all the points of honour.
Had Peregrine and he considered themselves upon equal footing, inall probability they would have immediately entered into a league ofintimacy and friendship: but this sufficient soldier looked upon hissister's admirer as a young student raw from the university, and utterlyignorant of mankind; while Squire Pickle beheld Godfrey in the light ofa needy volunteer, greatly inferior to himself in fortune, as well asevery other accomplishment. This mutual misunderstanding could not failof animosities. The very next day after Peregrine's arrival, some sharprepartees passed between them in presence of the ladies, before whomeach endeavoured to assert his own superiority. In these contests ourhero never failed of obtaining the victory, because his genius was moreacute, and his talents better cultivated, than those of his antagonist,who therefore took umbrage at his success, became jealous of hisreputation, and began to treat him with marks of scorn and disrespect.
His sister saw, and, dreading the consequence of his ferocity, notonly took him to task in private for his impolite behaviour, butalso entreated her lover to make allowances for the roughness of herbrother's education. He kindly assured her, that whatever pains it mightcost him to vanquish his own impetuous temper, he would, for her sake,endure all the mortifications to which her brother's arrogance mightexpose him; and, after having stayed with her two days, and enjoyedseveral private interviews, during which he acted the part of a mostpassionate lover, he took his leave of Mrs. Gauntlet overnight, and toldthe young ladies he would call early next morning to bid them farewell.He did not neglect this piece of duty, and found the two friends andbreakfast already prepared in the parlour. All three being extremelyaffected with the thoughts of parting, a most pathetic silence for sometime prevailed, till Peregrine put an end to it by lamenting his fate,in being obliged to exile himself so long from the dear object of hismost interesting wish. He begged, with the most earnest supplications,that she would now, in consideration of the cruel absence he mustsuffer, give him the consolation which she had hitherto refused; namely,that of knowing he possessed a place within her heart. The confidanteseconded his request, representing that it was now no time to disguiseher sentiments, when her lover was about to leave the kingdom, and mightbe in danger of contracting other connections, unless he was confirmedin his constancy, by knowing how far he could depend upon her love; and,in short, she was plied with such irresistible importunities, thatshe answered in the utmost confusion, "Though I have avoided literalacknowledgments, methinks the circumstances of my behaviour mighthave convinced Mr. Pickle that I do not regard him as a commonacquaintance."--"My charming Emily," cried the impatient lover, throwinghimself at her feet, "why will you deal out my happiness in such scantyportions? Why will you thus mince the declaration which would overwhelmme with pleasure, and cheer my lonely reflection, while I sigh amidthe solitude of separation?" His fair mistress, melted by this image,replied, with the tears gushing from her eyes, "I'm afraid I shall feelthat separation more severely than you imagine." Transported at thisflattering confession, he pressed her to his breast, and while her headreclined upon his neck, mingled his tears with hers in great abundance,breathing the most tender vows of eternal fidelity. The gentle heartof Sophy could not bear this scene unmoved: she wept with sympathy,and encouraged the lovers to resign themselves to the will of fate, andsupport their spirits with the hope of meeting again on happier terms.Finally, after mutual promises, exhortations, and endearments, Peregrinetook his leave, his heart being so full that he could scarce pronouncethe word Adieu! and, mounting his horse at the door, set out with Pipesfor the garrison.
CHAPTER XXVIII.