The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle
Page 77
He endeavours to Reconcile himself to his Mistress, and Expostulateswith the Uncle, who forbids him the House.
In this state of division, he went home to his own lodgings in a chair;and while he deliberated with himself whether he should relinquishthe pursuit, and endeavour to banish her idea from his breast, or goimmediately and humble himself before his exasperated mistress, andoffer his hand as an atonement for his crime, his servant put in hishand a packet, which had been delivered by a ticket porter at thedoor. He no sooner perceived that the superscription was in Emilia'shandwriting, than he guessed the nature of the contents; and, openingthe seal with disordered eagerness, found the jewels he had given to herenclosed in a billet, couched in these words:--
"That I may have no cause to reproach myself with having retained the least memorial of a wretch whom I equally despise and abhor, I take this opportunity of restoring these ineffectual instruments of his infamous design upon the honour of
"Emilia."
His chagrin was so much galled and inflamed at the bitterness of thiscontemptuous message, that he gnawed his fingers till the blood ranover his nails, and even wept with vexation. Sometimes he vowed revengeagainst her haughty virtue, and reviled himself for his precipitatedeclaration, before his scheme was brought to maturity; then he wouldconsider her behaviour with reverence and regard, and bow before theirresistible power of her attractions. In short, his breast was torn byconflicting passions: love, shame, and remorse, contended with vanity,ambition, and revenge; and the superiority was still doubtful whenheadstrong desire interposed, and decided in favour of an attempttowards a reconciliation with the offended fair.
Impelled by this motive, he set out in the afternoon for the house ofher uncle, not without hopes of that tender enjoyment, which never failsto attend an accommodation betwixt two lovers of taste and sensibility.Though the consciousness of his trespass encumbered him with an air ofawkward confusion, he was too confident of his own qualifications andaddress to despair of forgiveness; and, by that time he arrived at thecitizen's gate, he had conned a very artful and pathetic harangue, whichhe proposed to utter in his own behalf, laying the blame of his conducton the impetuosity of his passion, increased by the burgundy which hehad too liberally drunk; but he did not meet with an opportunity toavail himself of this preparation. Emilia, suspecting that he wouldtake some step of this kind to retrieve her favour, had gone abroadon pretence of visiting, after having signified to her kinsman herresolution to avoid the company of Peregrine, on account of someambiguities which, she said, were last night remarkable in his demeanourat the masquerade. She chose to insinuate her suspicion in these hints,rather than give an explicit detail of the young man's dishonourablecontrivance, which might have kindled the resentment of the family tosome dangerous pitch of animosity and revenge.
Our adventurer, finding himself baffled in his expectation of seeingher, inquired for the old gentleman, with whom he thought he hadinfluence enough to make his apology good, in case he should findhim prepossessed by the young lady's information. But here too he wasdisappointed, the uncle having gone to dine in the country, and his wifewas indisposed; so that he had no pretext for staying in the house tillthe return of his charmer. Being, however, fruitful of expedients, hedismissed his chariot, and took possession of a room in a tavern, thewindows of which fronted the merchant's gate; and there he proposed towatch until he should see her approach. This scheme he put in practicewith indefatigable patience, though it was not attended with theexpected success.
Emilia, whose caution was equally vigilant and commendable, foreseeingthat she might be exposed to the fertility of his invention, came homeby a private passage, and entered by a postern, which was altogetherunknown to her admirer; and her uncle did not arrive until it was solate that he could not, with any decency, demand a conference.
Next morning, he did not fail to present himself at the door, and hismistress being denied by her own express direction, insisted uponseeing the master of the house, who received him with such coldness ofcivility, as plainly gave him to understand that he was acquainted withthe displeasure of his niece. He, therefore, with an air of candour,told the citizen, he could easily perceive by his behaviour that he wasthe confidant of Miss Emily, of whom he was come to ask pardon for theoffence he had given; and did not doubt, if he could be admitted to herpresence, that he should be able to convince her that he had not erredintentionally, or at least propose such reparation as would effectuallyatone for his fault.
To this remonstrance the merchant, without any ceremony orcircumlocution, answered, that though he was ignorant of the nature ofhis offence, he was very certain, that it must have been somethingvery flagrant that could irritate his niece to such a degree, against aperson for whom she had formerly a most particular regard. He owned, shehad declared her intention to renounce his acquaintance for ever, and,doubtless, she had good reason for so doing; neither would he undertaketo promote an accommodation, unless he would give him full power totreat on the score of matrimony, which he supposed would be the onlymeans of evincing his own sincerity, and obtaining Emilia's forgiveness.Peregrine's pride was kindled by this blunt declaration, which he couldnot help considering as the result of a scheme concerted betwixt theyoung lady and her uncle, in order to take advantage of his heat. Hetherefore replied, with manifest signs of disgust, that he did notapprehend there was any occasion for a mediator to reconcile thedifference betwixt Emilia and him; and that all he desired was anopportunity of pleading in his own behalf. The citizen frankly toldhim, that, as his niece had expressed an earnest desire of avoiding hiscompany, he would not put the least constraint upon her inclination;and, in the meantime, gave him to know, that he was particularlyengaged. Our hero, glowing with indignation at this supercilioustreatment, "I was in the wrong," said he, "to look for good manners sofar on this side of Temple-bar; but you must give me leave to tell you,sir, that unless I am favoured with an interview with Miss Gauntlet,I shall conclude that you have actually laid a constraint upon herinclination, for some sinister purposes of your own."--"Sir," repliedthe old gentleman, "you are welcome to make what conclusions shall seemgood unto your own imagination; but pray be so good as to allow methe privilege of being master in my own house." So saying, he verycomplaisantly showed him to the door; and our lover being diffident ofhis own temper, as well as afraid of being used with greater indignity,in a place where his personal prowess would only serve to heighten hisdisgrace, quitted the house in a transport of rage, which he could notwholly suppress, telling the landlord, that if his age did not protecthim, he would have chastised him for his insolent behaviour.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.