The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle

by T. Smollett

  Sees his Sister happily married--Visits Emilia, who receives himaccording to his Deserts.

  Her brother being of opinion, that Mr. Clover's proposal was not tobe neglected, especially as Julia's heart was engaged in his favour,communicated the affair to his uncle, who, with the approbation ofMrs. Trunnion, declared himself well satisfied with the young man'saddresses, and desired that they might be buckled with all expedition,without the knowledge or concurrence of her parents, to whom (on accountof their unnatural barbarity) she was not bound to pay the least regard.Though our adventurer entertained the same sentiments of the matter,and the lover, dreading some obstruction, earnestly begged the immediatecondescension of his mistress, she could not be prevailed upon to takesuch a material step, without having first solicited the permission ofher father; resolved, nevertheless, to comply with the dictates of herown heart, should his objections be frivolous or unjust.

  Urged by this determination, her admirer waited upon Mr. Gamaliel at thepublic-house, and, with the appearance of great deference and respect,made him acquainted with his affection for his daughter, communicatedthe particulars of his fortune, with the terms of settlement he wasready to make; and in conclusion told him, that he would marry herwithout a portion. This last offer seemed to have some weight with thefather, who received it with civility, and promised in a day or two tofavour him with a final answer to his demand. He, accordingly, that sameevening consulted his wife, who, being exasperated at the prospect ofher daughter's independency, argued with the most virulent expostulationagainst the match, as an impudent scheme of her own planning, with aview of insulting her parents, towards whom she had already been guiltyof the most vicious disobedience. In short, she used such remonstrances,as not only averted this weak husband's inclination from the proposalwhich he had relished before, but even instigated him to apply for awarrant to apprehend his daughter, on the supposition that she was aboutto bestow herself in marriage without his privity or consent.

  The justice of peace to whom this application was made, though he couldnot refuse the order, yet, being no stranger to the malevolence of themother, which, together with Gamaliel's simplicity, was notorious in thecounty, he sent an intimation of what had happened to the garrison; uponwhich a couple of sentinels were placed on the gate, and at the pressingsolicitation of the lover, as well as the desire of the commodore, herbrother, and aunt, Julia was wedded without further delay, the ceremonybeing performed by Mr. Jolter, because the parish priest prudentlydeclined any occasion of giving offence, and the curate was too much inthe interest of their enemies to be employed in that office.

  This domestic concern being settled to the satisfaction of our hero, heescorted her next day to the house of her husband, who immediately wrotea letter to her father, declaring his reasons for having thus supersededhis authority; and Mrs. Pickle's mortification was unspeakable.

  That the new-married couple might be guarded against all insult, ouryoung gentleman and his friend Hatchway, with their adherents, lodgedin Mr. Clover's house for some weeks; during which they visited theiracquaintance in the neighbourhood, according to custom. When thetranquility of their family was perfectly established, and the contractof the marriage executed in the presence of the old commodore and hislady, who gave her niece five hundred pounds to purchase jewels andclothes, Mr. Peregrine could no longer restrain his impatience to seehis dear Emily; and told his uncle, that next day he proposed to rideacross the country, in order to visit his friend Gauntlet, whom he hadnot heard of for a long time.

  The old gentleman, looking steadfastly in his face, "Ah! D--n yourcunning!" said he, "I find the anchor holds fast! I did suppose as howyou would have slipt your cable, and changed your berth; but, I see,when a young fellow is once brought up by a pretty wench, he may man hiscapstans and viol block, if he wool; but he'll as soon heave up the Pikeof Teneriffe, as bring his anchor aweigh! Odds heartlikins! had I knownthe young woman was Ned Gauntlet's daughter, I shouldn't have thrown outsignal for leaving off chase."

  Our adventurer was not a little surprised to hear the commodore talkin this style; and immediately conjectured that his friend Godfreyhad informed him of the whole affair. Instead of listening to thisapprobation of his flame, with those transports of joy which he wouldhave felt, had he retained his former sentiments, he was chagrined atTrunnion's declaration, and offended at the presumption of the youngsoldier, in presuming to disclose the secret with which he had entrustedhim. Reddening with these reflections, he assured the commodore that henever had serious thoughts of matrimony; so that if any person had toldhim he was under any engagement of that kind, he had abused his ear; forhe protested that he would never contract such attachments without hisknowledge and express permission.

  Trunnion commended him for his prudent resolution, and observed, that,though no person mentioned to him what promises had passed betwixt himand his sweetheart, it was very plain that he had made love to her, andtherefore it was to be supposed that his intentions were honourable; forhe could not believe he was such a rogue in his heart, as to endeavourto debauch the daughter of a brave officer, who had served his countrywith credit and reputation. Notwithstanding this remonstrance, whichPickle imputed to the commodore's ignorance of the world, he set out forthe habitation of Mrs. Gauntlet, with the unjustifiable sentiments of aman of pleasure, who sacrifices every consideration to the desire of hisruling appetite; and, as Winchester lay in his way, resolved to visitsome of his friends who lived in that place. It was in the house of oneof these that he was informed of Emilia's being then in town with hermother; upon which he excused himself from staying to drink tea, andimmediately repaired to their lodgings, according to the directions hehad received.

  When he arrived at the door, instead of undergoing that perturbation ofspirits, which a lover in his interesting situation might be supposed tofeel, he suffered no emotion but that of vanity and pride, favoured withan opportunity of self-gratification, and entered his Emilia's apartmentwith the air of a conceited petit-maitre, rather than that of therespectful admirer, when he visits the object of his passion, after anabsence of seventeen months.

  The young lady, having been very much disobliged at his mortifyingneglect of her brother's letter, had summoned all her own pride andresolution to her aid; and, by means of a happy disposition, so farovercame her chagrin at his indifference, that she was able to behave inhis presence with apparent tranquility and ease. She was even pleasedto find he had, by accident, chosen a time for his visit when she wassurrounded by two or three young gentlemen, who professed themselves heradmirers. Our gallant was no sooner announced, than she collected allher coquetry, put on the gayest air she could assume, and contrivedto giggle just as he appeared at the room door. The compliments ofsalutation being performed, she welcomed him to England in a carelessmanner, asked the news of Paris, and, before he could make any reply,desired one of the other gentlemen to proceed with the sequel of thatcomical adventure, in the relation of which he had been interrupted.

  Peregrine smiled within himself at this behaviour, which, without alldoubt, he believed she had affected to punish him for his unkind silencewhile he was abroad, being fully persuaded that her heart was absolutelyat his devotion. On this supposition, he practised his Parisianimprovements on the art of conversation, and uttered a thousandprettinesses in the way of compliment, with such incredible rotation oftongue, that his rivals were struck dumb with astonishment, and Emiliafretted out of all temper, at seeing herself deprived of the prerogativeof the sex. He persisted, however, in this surprising loquacity, untilthe rest of the company thought proper to withdraw, and then contractedhis discourse into the focus of love, which now put on a very differentappearance from that which it had formerly worn. Instead of awfulveneration, which her presence used to inspire, that chastity ofsentiment, and delicacy of expression, he now gazed upon her with theeyes of a libertine, he glowed with the impatience of desire, talked ina strain that barely kept within the bounds of decency, and attemptedto snatch such favours, a
s she, in the tenderness of mutualacknowledgments, had once vouchsafed to bestow.

  Grieved and offended as she was, at this palpable alteration in hiscarriage, she disdained to remind him of his former deportment, and,with dissembled good-humour, rallied him on the progress he had madein gallantry and address. But, far from submitting to the liberties hewould have taken, she kept her person sacred from his touch, and wouldnot even suffer him to ravish a kiss of her fair hand; so that hereaped no other advantage from the exercise of his talents, duringthis interview, which lasted a whole hour, than that of knowing he hadoverrated his own importance, and that Emily's heart was not a garrisonlikely to surrender at discretion.

  At length his addresses were interrupted by the arrival of the mother,who had gone abroad to visit by herself; and the conversation becomingmore general, he understood that Godfrey was at London, soliciting for alieutenancy that had fallen vacant in the regiment to which he belonged;and that Miss Sophy was at home with her father.

  Though our adventurer had not met with all the success he expected byhis first visit, he did not despair of reducing the fortress, believingthat in time there would be a mutiny in his favour, and accordinglycarried on the siege for several days, without profiting by hisperseverance; till, at length, having attended the ladies to theirown house in the country, he began to look upon this adventure as timemisspent, and resolved to discontinue his attack, in hopes of meetingwith a more favourable occasion; being, in the meantime, ambitious ofdisplaying in a higher sphere, those qualifications which his vanitytold him were at present misapplied.

  CHAPTER LXVIII.