by T. Smollett
Peregrine receives a letter from Hatchway, in consequence of which herepairs to the Garrison, and performs the last Offices to his Aunt--Heis visited by Mr. Gauntlet, who invites him to his Marriage.
In this circle of amusements our hero's time was parcelled out, andfew young gentlemen of the age enjoyed life with greater relish,notwithstanding those intervening checks of reason, which served onlyto whet his appetite for a repetition of the pleasures she so prudentlycondemned; when he received the following letter, by which he wasdetermined to visit his estate in the country:
Cousin Pickle,--I hope you are in a better trim than your aunt, who hath been fast moored to her bed these seven weeks, by several feet of under-water lodging in her hold and hollop, whereby I doubt her planks are rotted, so that she cannot choose but fall to pieces in a short time. I have done all in my power to keep her tight and easy, and free from sudden squalls that might overstrain her. And here have been the doctors, who have scuttled her lower deck, and let out six gallons of water. For my own part, I wonder how the devil it came there; for you know as how it was a liquor she never took in. But as for those fellows the doctors, they are like unskilful carpenters, that in mending one leak make a couple; and so she fills again apace. But the worst sign of all is this here, she won't let a drop of Nantz go between the combings of her teeth, and has quite lost the rudder of her understanding, whereby she yaws woundily in her speech palavering about some foreign part called the New Geereusalem, and wishing herself in a safe berth in the river Geordun. The parson, I must say, strives to keep her steady, concerning the navigation of her soul, and talks very sensibly of charity and the poor, whereof she hath left a legacy of two hundred pounds in her will. And here has been Mr. Gamaliel and your brother my lord, demanding entrance at the gate, in order to see her; but I would not suffer them to come aboard, and pointed my patereroes, which made them sheer off. Your sister, Mrs. Clover, keeps close watch upon her kinswoman, without ever turning in, and a kind-hearted young woman it is. I should be glad to see you at the garrison, if the wind of your inclination sits that way; and mayhap it may be a comfort to your aunt, to behold you alongside of her, when her anchor is apeak. So no more at present, but rests your friend and humble servant to command, "John Hatchway."
Next morning, after the receipt of this epistle, Peregrine, in order tomanifest his regard to his aunt, as well as his friendship for honestJack, set out on horseback for their habitation, attended by Pipes, wholonged to see his old messmate; but before he had reached the garrison,Mrs. Hatchway had given up the ghost, in the threescore and fifth yearof her age. The widower seemed to bear his loss with resignation, andbehaved very decently upon the occasion, though he did not undergo thosedangerous transports of sorrow, which some tender-hearted husbands havefelt at the departure of their wives. The lieutenant was naturally aphilosopher, and so well disposed to acquiesce in the dispensations ofProvidence, that in this, as well as in every other emergency of hislife, he firmly believed, that everything which happened was for thebest.
Peregrine's task, therefore, was not so great in comforting him, as inconsoling his own sister, who, with great poignancy and sincerityof grief, lamented the death of the only relation with whom she hadmaintained any intimacy of correspondence; for her mother was asimplacable as ever, in her enmity against her and Peregrine, and rathermore determined in her rancour; that which was originally a suddentransport of indignation, being by this time settled into a confirmedinveteracy of hate. As for Gam, who was now dignified by the countrypeople with the appellation of the young squire, he still acted in thecapacity of minister to the caprice and vengeance of his mother,taking all opportunities of disturbing Julia's peace, slandering herreputation, and committing outrages against the tenants and domestics ofher husband, who was a man of quiet and timorous disposition.
But the chief amusement of young Pickle, in his later years, wasthe chase, in which he acquired some renown by his intrepidity andremarkable figure, which improved every day in deformity; insomuch,as to suggest a ludicrous scheme of revenge to a gentleman in theneighbourhood. Having been affronted by the insolence of Crookback,he clothed a large baboon that was in his possession, in a dress thatresembled the hunting equipage of Gam; and ordering the animal to be setastride, and tied upon the back of his keenest hunter, turned them outone day after the hounds. The horse in a little time outstripping allthe rest in the field, the rider was mistaken for Gam by the wholecompany, who saluted him as he passed with a halloo, observing, thatthe squire had his usual good luck, in being better mounted than hisneighbours. Pickle afterwards appearing in his own person, createdgreat astonishment in the spectators, one of whom asked if he had splithimself in twain, and pointed out his representative, who was, by thistime, almost up with the hounds. Upon which the identical Gam went inpursuit of the impostor. When he overtook him, he was so much enraged atthe counterfeit, that he attacked the baboon whip in hand, and, in allprobability, would have sacrificed him to his resentment, had not hebeen prevented by the other fox-hunters. They interposed, in orderto make up the difference betwixt two brothers of the sport, and wereequally surprised and diverted when they distinguished the quality ofCrookback's antagonist, which they rescued from his rage, and reconveyedto its master.
Peregrine, at the request of his friend Jack, took charge of his aunt'sfuneral, to which his parents were invited, though they did not thinkproper to appear, or pay the least regard to his solicitations, whenhe desired permission to wait upon them in person. Nevertheless, oldGamaliel, at the instigation of his wife, afterwards obtained an orderfrom Doctors' Commons, obliging Hatchway to produce the will of hiswife, on the supposition that she had bequeathed to him some part of themoney, which, he knew, was at her own disposal. But from this step hereaped no other satisfaction than that of finding himself altogetherneglected by the testatrix, who had left all her effects to her husband,except one thousand pounds, with her jewels, to Julia's daughter,the benefaction mentioned in the lieutenant's letter, and someinconsiderable legacies to her favourite domestics.
A few days after the interment of this good lady, our hero was agreeablysurprised with a visit from his friend Godfrey, who had come to Englandin consequence of that promotion which he owed to his interest, thoughthe soldier himself placed it to the credit of a certain courtier whohad formerly promised to befriend him, and now finding his advancementunowned, very modestly arrogated the merit of it to himself. Hecommunicated his good-fortune to Pickle, who complimented him upon it asan event of which he had no precognition; and at the same time toldhim, that, in consequence of his preferment, his cousin at Windsor hadconsented to his being immediately united in the bands of wedlock withhis lovely Sophy; that the wedding-day was already fixed; and thatnothing would be wanting to his happiness, if Peregrine would honour thenuptials with his presence.
Our hero accepted the invitation with great eagerness, when he learnedthat Emilia would be there in quality of bridesmaid; and now repeatedwhat he had formerly written to his friend, namely, that he was not onlywilling, but extremely impatient to atone for his mad behaviour to thatyoung lady, by laying himself and his whole fortune at her feet. Godfreythanked him for his honourable intention, and promised to use hisinfluence, and that of Sophy, in his behalf, though he seemed dubiousof their success, on account of his sister's delicacy which could notpardon the least shadow of disrespect. He owned, indeed, he was notcertain that she would appear in the same company with Pickle; but, asshe made no stipulation on that score, he would interpret her silencein the most favourable manner, and keep her in ignorance of his design,until she should find it too late to retract with any decency. The hopeof seeing and conversing with Emilia, and perhaps of being reconciledto her, after having suffered so much and so long from her displeasure,raised a tumult of ideas in his breast, and produced a strangeinquietude of joy and perturbation. Gauntlet
having stayed with him afew days, and signified the time appointed for his spousals, took hisleave, in order to prepare for the occasion; while Peregrine, with hisfriend Hatchway, made a tour among his acquaintance in the country, witha view of sounding their inclinations touching a project which he hadlately conceived, of offering himself as a candidate for a certainborough in the neighbourhood, at the ensuing election for members ofparliament.
This scheme, which was suggested to him by one of his quality patrons,would have succeeded according to his wish, had the election taken placeimmediately; but, before that happened, his interest was overbalancedby some small accidents that will be recorded in the sequel. In themeantime, he repaired to Windsor on the eve of his friend's marriage,and understood from Godfrey that it was with the utmost difficulty heand Sophy could prevail upon his sister to be present at the wedding.when she was informed that her lover was invited; and that her consenthad not been obtained until they had promised, on the part of Peregrine,that he should not renew the old topic, nor even speak to her in thestyle of a former acquaintance.
Our young gentleman was nettled at this preliminary, to which, however,he said he would adhere; and so well did he think himself fortified withpride and resentment, that he resolved to behave towards her with suchindifference, as would, he hoped, mortify her vanity, and therebypunish her for the implacability of her disposition. Armed with thesesentiments, he was next day introduced by Godfrey to the bride, whoreceived him with her usual sweetness of temper and affability; andEmilia being present, he saluted her with a distant bow, which sheacknowledged with a cold courtesy, and an aspect of ice. Thoughthis deportment confirmed his displeasure, her beauty undermined hisresolution; he thought her charms infinitely improved since their lastparting, and a thousand fond images recurring to his imagination, hefelt his whole soul dissolving into tenderness and love.
In order to banish those dangerous ideas, he endeavoured to enter into agay conversation with Sophy, on the subject of the approaching ceremony;but his tongue performed its office awkwardly, his eyes were attractedtowards Emilia, as if they had been subject to the power of fascination;in spite of all his efforts, a deep sigh escaped from his bosom, andhis whole appearance indicated anxiety and confusion. The bridegroom,perceiving his condition, abridged the visit, and having conducted hiscompanion to his own lodgings, expressed his concern at having been theinnocent occasion of his uneasiness, by exposing him to the sight ofEmilia, which he perceived had given him pain. Peregrine, who had bythis time recollected the dictates of his pride, assured him, that hewas very much mistaken in the cause of his disorder, which was no otherthan a sudden qualm, to which he had been for some time subject; and toshow him how philosophically he could bear the disdain of Emilia, which,with all deference to her conduct, he could not help thinking a littletoo severe, he desired, as the bridegroom had made preparation for aprivate ball in the evening, that he would provide him with an agreeablepartner; in which case he would exhibit undoubted proofs of thetranquility of his heart. "I was in hopes," answered Godfrey, "of beingable, with the assistance of Sophy, to make up matters between you andmy sister, and for that reason kept her unengaged to any other gentlemanfor the night; but since she was so peevishly obstinate, I shall takecare to accommodate you with a very handsome young lady, whose partnerwill not be sorry to exchange her for Emilia."
The thoughts of having an opportunity to coquette with another woman,under the eye of this implacable mistress, supported his spirits duringthe ceremony, which put Gauntlet in possession of his heart's desire;and, by means of this cordial, he found himself so undisturbed atdinner, though he sat opposite to his fair enemy, that he was ableto pass some occasional jokes upon the new-married couple, with someappearance of mirth and good-humour. Nor did Emily any otherwise seemaffected by his presence, than by excepting him from the participationof those genial regards which she distributed to the rest of thecompany. This easiness of behaviour on her side reinforced hisresolution, by giving him pretence to call her sensibility in question;for he could not conceive how any woman of acute feelings could situnmoved in presence of a man with whom she had such recent and intimateconnection; not considering that she had much more reason to condemn hisaffectation of unconcern, and that her external deportment might, likehis own, be an effort of pride and resentment.
This contest, in point of dissimulation, continued till night, when thecompany was paired for dancing, and Peregrine began the ball by walkinga minuet with the bride; then he took out the young lady to whom he wasrecommended by Gauntlet, being very well pleased to see that her personwas such as might have inspired even Emily herself with jealousy,though, at the same time, he perceived his mistress coupled with a gayyoung officer, whom, with all due deference to his own qualifications,he considered as no despicable rival. However, he himself first beganhostilities, by becoming all of a sudden particular with his partner,whom he forthwith assailed with flattering compliments, that soonintroduced the subject of love, upon which he expatiated with greatart and elocution, using not only the faculty of speech, but also thelanguage of the eyes, in which he was a perfect connoisseur.
This behaviour soon manifested itself to the whole assembly, thegreatest part of whom believed that he was in good earnest captivatedby the charms of his partner; while Emilia, penetrating into hisdesign, turned his own artillery upon himself, by seeming to listen withpleasure to the addresses of his rival, who was no novice in the art ofmaking love. She even affected uncommon vivacity, and giggled aloud atevery whisper which he conveyed into her ear, insomuch that she, inher turn, afforded speculation to the company, who imagined the youngsoldier had made a conquest of the bridegroom's sister. Picklehimself began to cherish the same opinion, which gradually invaded hisgood-humour, and at length filled his bosom with rage. He strove tosuppress his indignation, and called every consideration of vanityand revenge to his aid. He endeavoured to wean his eyes from the fatalobject that disturbed him, but they would not obey his direction andcommand. He wished himself deprived of all sensation, when he heardher laugh, and saw her smile upon the officer; and, in the course ofcountry-dancing, when he was obliged to join hands with her, the touchthrilled through all his nerves, and kindled a flame within him which hecould not contain. In a word, his endeavours to conceal the situation ofhis thoughts were so violent, that his constitution could not endure theshock; the sweat ran down his forehead in a stream, the colour vanishedfrom his cheeks, his knees began to totter, and his eyesight to fail; sothat he must have fallen at his full length upon the floor, had not heretired very abruptly into another room, where he threw himself upon acouch, and fainted.
In this condition he was found by his friend, who, seeing him withdrawwith such symptoms of disorder, followed him thither; and, when herecovered the use of his faculties, pressed him to make use of a bed inthat house, rather than expose himself in the night air, by going hometo his own lodgings; but not being able to prevail upon him to acceptthe offer, he wrapped him up in a cloak, and, conducting him to theinn where he lodged, helped him to undress and go to bed, where he wasimmediately seized with a violent fit of the ague. Godfrey behaved withgreat tenderness, and would have actually borne him company all night,notwithstanding the circumstances of his own situation, had not hisfriend insisted upon his returning to the company, and making hisapology to his partner for his sudden departure. This was a stepabsolutely necessary towards maintaining the quiet of the assembly,which he found in great consternation, occasioned by his absence; forsome of the ladies, seeing the bridegroom follow the stranger in hisretreat, the meaning of which they did not comprehend, began to beafraid of a quarrel. Emilia, upon pretence of that supposition, was somuch alarmed, that she could not stand, and was fain to have recourse toa smelling-bottle.
The bride, who understood the whole mystery, was the only person thatacted with deliberation and composure; she imputed Emilia's disorder tothe right cause, which was no other than concern for the condition ofher lover, and assured the ladies there was nothin
g extraordinary in Mr.Pickle's going off, he being subject to fainting fits, by which he wasoften overtaken without any previous notice. The arrival of Gauntletconfirmed the truth of this declaration. He made an apology to thecompany in the name of his friend, who, he told them, was suddenlytaken ill; and they returned to their diversion of dancing, with thisvariation: Emilia was so disordered and fatigued, that she begged tobe excused from continuing the exercise; and Peregrine's partnerbeing disengaged, was paired with the young officer, for whom shewas originally designed. Meanwhile, the bride withdrew into anotherapartment with her sister, and expostulated with her upon her crueltyto Mr. Pickle, assuring her, from Godfrey's information, that he hadundergone a severe fit on her account, which, in all likelihoodwould have a dangerous effect upon his constitution. Though Emily wasinflexible in her answers to the kind remonstrances of the gentleSophy, her heart was melting with the impressions of pity and love; and,finding herself unable to perform the duty of her function, in puttingthe bride to bed, she retired to her own chamber, and in secretsympathized with the distemper of her lover.
In the morning, as early as decency would permit him to leave the armsof his dear wife, Captain Gauntlet made a visit to Peregrine, who hadpassed a very tedious and uneasy night, having been subject to shortintervals of delirium, during which Pipes had found it very difficult tokeep him fast belayed. He owned indeed to Godfrey, that his imaginationhad been haunted by the ideas of Emilia and her officer, which tormentedhim to an unspeakable degree of anguish and distraction; and thathe would rather suffer death than a repetition of such excruciatingreflections. He was, however, comforted by his friend, who assuredhim, that his sister's inclinations would in time prevail over all theendeavours of resentment and pride, illustrating this asseveration by anaccount of the manner in which she was affected by the knowledge ofhis disorder, and advising him to implore the mediation of Sophy, in aletter which she should communicate to Emilia.
This was an opportunity which our hero thought too favourable to beneglected: calling for paper, he sat up in his bed, and, in the firsttransports of his emotion, wrote the following petition to Godfrey'samiable wife:--
Dear Madam--The affliction of a contrite heart can never appeal to your benevolence in vain, and, therefore, I presume to approach you in this season of delight, with the language of sorrow, requesting that you will espouse the cause of an unhappy lover, who mourns with unutterable anguish over his ruined hope, and intercede for my pardon with that divine creature, whom, in the intemperance and excess of passion, I have so mortally offended. Good Heaven! is my guilt inexpiable? Am I excluded from all hope of remission? Am I devoted to misery and despair? I have offered all the atonement which the most perfect and sincere penitence could suggest, and she rejects my humility and repentance. If her resentment would pursue me to the grave, let her signify her pleasure; and may I be branded with the name of villain, and remembered with infamy and detestation to all posterity, if I hesitate one moment in sacrificing a life which is odious to Emilia. Ah! madam, while I thus pour forth the effusions of my grief and distraction, I look around the apartment in which I lie, and every well-known object that salutes my view, recalls to my remembrance that fond, that happy day, on which the fair, the good, the tender-hearted Sophy became my advocate, though I was a stranger to her acquaintance, and effected a transporting reconciliation between me and that same enchanting beauty, that is now so implacably incensed. If she is not satisfied with the pangs of remorse and disappointment, the transports of madness I have undergone, let her prescribe what further penance she thinks I ought to endure, and when I decline her sentence, let me be the object of her eternal disdain.
I commit myself, dear madam! dear Sophy! dear partner of my Friend! to your kind interposition. I know you will manage my cause, as a concern on which my happiness entirely depends; and I hope everything from your compassion and beneficence, while I fear everything from her rigour and barbarity. Yes! I call it barbarity, a savageness of delicacy altogether inconsistent with the tenderness of human nature; and may the most abject contempt be my portion, if I live under its scourge! But I begin to rave. I conjure you by your own humanity and sweetness of disposition, I conjure you by your love for the man whom Heaven hath decreed your protector, to employ your influence with that angel of wrath, in behalf of your obliged and obedient servant. "P. PICKLE."
This epistle was immediately transmitted by Godfrey to his wife, whoperused it with marks of the most humane sympathy; and, carrying itinto her sister's chamber, "Here is something," said she, presenting thepaper, "which I must recommend to your serious attention." Emilia, whoimmediately guessed the meaning of this address, absolutely refused tolook upon it, or even to hear it read, till her brother, entering herapartment, reprimanded her sharply for her obstinacy and pride, accusedher of folly and dissimulation, and entered so warmly into the interestsof his friend, that she thought him unkind in his remonstrances, and,bursting into a flood of tears, reproached him with partiality andwant of affection. Godfrey, who entertained the most perfect love andveneration for his sister, asked pardon for having given offence, and,kissing the drops from her fair eyes, begged she would, for his sake,listen to the declaration of his friend.
Thus solicited, she could not refuse to hear the letter, which, when hehad repeated, she lamented her own fate in being the occasion of so muchuneasiness, desired her brother to assure Mr. Pickle that she was nota voluntary enemy to his peace; on the contrary, she wished him allhappiness, though she hoped he would not blame her for consulting herown, in avoiding any future explanation or connection with a personwhose correspondence she found herself under a necessity to renounce. Invain did the new-married couple exhaust their eloquence in attemptingto prove, that the reparation which our hero had offered was adequate tothe injury she had sustained: that in reconciling herself to a penitentlover, who subscribed to her own terms of submission, her honour wouldbe acquitted by the most scrupulous and severe judges of decorum;and that her inflexibility would be justly ascribed to the prideand insensibility of her heart. She turned a deaf ear to all theirarguments, exhortations, and entreaties, and threatened to leave thehouse immediately, if they would not promise to drop that subject ofdiscourse.
Godfrey, very much chagrined at the bad success of his endeavours,returned to his friend, and made as favourable a report of the affair,as the nature of his conversation with Emilia would permit; but as hecould not avoid mentioning her resolution in the close, Peregrine wasobliged to drink again the bitter draught of disappointment, which puthis passions into such a state of agitation, as produced a short ecstasyof despair, in which he acted a thousand extravagances. This paroxysm,however, soon subsided into a settled reserve of gloomy resentment,which he in secret indulged, detaching himself, as soon as possible,from the company of the soldier, on pretence of retiring to rest.
While he lay ruminating upon the circumstances of his present situation,his friend Pipes, who knew the cause of his anxiety, and firmly believedthat Emilia loved his master at her heart, howsoever she might attemptto disguise her sentiments; I say, Thomas was taken with a conceitwhich he thought would set everything to rights, and therefore put it inexecution without further delay. Laying aside his hat, he ran directlyto the house of Sophy's father, and, affecting an air of surprise andconsternation, to which he had never before been subject, thundered atthe door with such an alarming knock, as in a moment brought the wholefamily into the hall. When he was admitted, he began to gape, stare, andpant at the same time, and made no reply, when Godfrey asked what wasthe matter, till Mrs. Gauntlet expressed her apprehensions about hismaster. When Pickle's name was mentioned, he seemed to make an effort tospeak, and, in a bellowing tone, pronounced, "Brought himself up, splitmy topsails!" So saying, he pointed to his own neck, and rose upon histiptoes, by way of explaining the meaning of hi
s words.
Godfrey, without staying to ask another question, rushed out, and flewtowards the inn, with the utmost horror and concern; while Sophy, whodid not rightly understand the language of the messenger, addressingherself to him a second time, said, "I hope no accident has happenedto Mr. Pickle?"--"No accident at all," replied Tom; "he has only hangedhimself for love." These words had scarcely proceeded from his mouth,when Emilia, who stood listening at the parlour door, shrieked aloud,and dropped down senseless upon the floor; while her sister, whowas almost equally shocked at the intelligence, had recourse to theassistance of her maid, by whom she was supported from falling. Pipes,hearing Emily's voice, congratulated himself upon the success of hisstratagem. He sprung to her assistance, and, lifting her up into an easychair, stood by her, until he saw her recover from her swoon, and heardher call upon his master's name, with all the frenzy of despairing love.Then he bent his course back to the inn, overjoyed at the opportunity oftelling Peregrine what a confession he had extorted from his mistress,and extremely vain of this proof of his own sagacity.
In the meantime Godfrey arriving at the house in which he supposed thisfatal catastrophe had happened, ran upstairs to Peregrine's chamber,without staying to make any inquiry below; and, finding the door locked,burst it open with one stroke of his foot. But what was his amazement,when, upon entrance, our hero, starting up from the bed, saluted himwith a boisterous exclamation of "Zounds! who's there?" He was struckdumb with astonishment, which also riveted him to the place where hestood, scarce crediting the testimony of his own senses, till Peregrine,with an air of discontent, which denoted him displeased with hisintrusion, dispelled his apprehension by a second address, saying, "Isee you consider me as a friend, by your using me without ceremony."The soldier, thus convinced of the falsehood of the information he hadreceived, began to imagine, that Pickle had projected the plan which wasexecuted by his servant; and looking upon it as a piece of unjustifiablefinesse, which might be attended with very melancholy consequences tohis sister or wife, he answered, in a supercilious tone, that Mr.Pickle must blame himself for the interruption of his repose, which wasentirely owing to the sorry jest he had set on foot.
Pickle, who was the child of passion, and more than half mad withimpatience before this visit, hearing himself treated in such a cavaliermanner, advanced close up to Godfrey's breast, and assuming a stern, orrather frantic countenance, "Hark ye, sir," said he, "you are mistakenif you think I jest; I am in downright earnest, I assure you." Gauntlet,who was not a man to be browbeaten, seeing himself thus bearded by aperson of whose conduct he had, he thought, reason to complain, put onhis military look of defiance, and, erecting his chest, replied withan exalted voice, "Mr. Pickle, whether you were in jest or earnest,you must give me leave to tell you, that the scheme was childish,unseasonable, and unkind, not to give it a harsher term."--"Death, sir!"cried our adventurer, "you trifle with my disquiet; if there is anymeaning in your insinuation, explain yourself, and then I shall knowwhat answer it will befit me to give."--"I came with very differentsentiments," resumed the soldier, "but since you urge me toexpostulation, and behave with such unprovoked loftiness of displeasure,I will, without circumlocution, tax you with having committed an outrageupon the peace of my family, in sending your fellow to alarm us withsuch an abrupt account of your having done violence upon yourself."Peregrine, confounded at this imputation, stood silent, with a mostsavage aspect of surprise, eager to know the circumstance to whichhis accuser alluded, and incensed to find it beyond the sphere of hiscomprehension.
While these two irritated friends stood fronting each other with mutualindignation in their eyes and attitudes, they were joined by Pipes, who,without taking the least notice of the situation in which he found them,told his master, that he might up with the top-gallant masts of hisheart, and out with his rejoicing pendants; for as to Miss Emily, hehad clapped her helm aweather, the vessel wore, and now she was upon theother tack, standing right into the harbour of his good-will. Peregrine,who was not yet a connoisseur in the terms of his lacquey, commandedhim, upon pain of his displeasure, to be more explicit in hisintelligence; and by dint of divers questions, obtained a perfectknowledge of the scheme which he had put in execution for his service.This information perplexed him not a little; he would have chastisedhis servant upon the spot for his temerity, had he not plainly perceivedthat the fellow's intention was to promote his case and satisfaction;and, on the other hand, he knew not how to acquit himself of thesuspicion which he saw Godfrey entertain of his being the projector ofthe plan, without condescending to an explanation, which his presentdisposition could not brook. After some pause, however, turning to Pipeswith a severe frown, "Rascal!" said he, "this is the second time I havesuffered in the opinion of that lady, by your ignorance and presumption;if ever you intermeddle in my affairs for the future, without expressorder and direction, by all that's sacred, I will put you to deathwithout mercy! Away, and let my horse be saddled this instant."
Pipes having withdrawn, in order to perform this piece of duty, ouryoung gentleman, addressing himself again to the soldier, and layinghis hand upon his breast, said, with a solemnity of regard, "CaptainGauntlet, upon my honour, I am altogether innocent of that shallowdevice which you impute to my invention; and I don't think you dojustice either to my intellect or honour, in supposing me capable ofsuch insolent absurdity. As for your sister, I have once in my lifeaffronted her in the madness and impetuosity of desire; but I have madesuch acknowledgments, and offered such atonement, as few women of hersphere would have refused; and before God I am determined to endureevery torment of disappointment and despair, rather than prostratemyself again to the cruelty of her unjustifiable pride." So saying, hestalked suddenly down-stairs, and took horse immediately, his spiritsbeing supported by resentment, which prompted him to vow within himself,that he would seek consolation for the disdain of Emilia, in thepossession of the first willing wench he should meet upon the road.
While he set out for the garrison with these sentiments, Gauntlet, in asuspense between anger, shame, and concern, returned to the house of hisfather-in-law, where he found his sister still violently agitatedfrom the news of Peregrine's death; the mystery of which he forthwithunravelled, recounting at the same time the particulars of theconversation which had happened at the inn, and describing the demeanourof Pickle with some expressions of asperity, which were neitheragreeable to Emilia, nor approved by the gentle Sophy, who tenderly chidhim, for allowing Peregrine to depart in terms of misunderstanding.
CHAPTER LXXXVII.