Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 7
Page 13
LETTER XII
MR. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.M. HALL, SAT. NIGHT, JUNE 15.
All undone, undone, by Jupiter!--Zounds, Jack, what shall I do now! acurse upon all my plots and contrivances!--But I have it----in the veryheart and soul of me I have it!
Thou toldest me, that my punishments were but beginning--Canst thou, Ofatal prognosticator, cans thou tell me, where they will end?
Thy assistance I bespeak. The moment thou receivest this, I bespeak thyassistance. This messenger rides for life and death--and I hope he'llfind you at your town-lodgings; if he meet not with you at Edgware;where, being Sunday, he will call first.
This cursed, cursed woman, on Friday dispatched man and horse with thejoyful news (as she thought it would be to me) in an exulting letter fromSally Martin, that she had found out my angel as on Wednesday last; andon Friday morning, after she had been at prayers at Covent-Garden church--praying for my reformation perhaps--got her arrested by two sheriff'sofficers, as she was returning to her lodgings, who (villains!) put herinto a chair they had in readiness, and carried her to one of the cursedfellow's houses.
She has arrested her for 150L. pretendedly due for board and lodging: asum (besides the low villany of the proceeding) which the dear soul couldnot possibly raise: all her clothes and effects, except what she had onand with her when she went away, being at the old devil's.
And here, for an aggravation, has the dear creature lain already twodays; for I must be gallanting my two aunts and my two cousins, andgiving Lord M. an airing after his lying-in--pox upon the whole familyof us! and returned not till within this hour: and now returned to mydistraction, on receiving the cursed tidings, and the exulting letter.
Hasten, hasten, dear Jack; for the love of God, hasten to the injuredcharmer! my heart bleeds for her!--she deserved not this!--I dare notstir. It will be thought done by my contrivance--and if I am absent fromthis place, that will confirm the suspicion.
Damnation seize quick this accursed woman!--Yet she thinks she has madeno small merit with me. Unhappy, thrice unhappy circumstances!--At atime too, when better prospects were opening for the sweet creature!
Hasten to her!--Clear me of this cursed job. Most sincerely, by allthat's sacred, I swear you may!----Yet have I been such a villanousplotter, that the charming sufferer will hardly believe it: although theproceeding be so dirtily low.
Set her free the moment you see her: without conditioning, free!--On yourknees, for me, beg her pardon: and assure her, that, wherever she goes, Iwill not molest her: no, nor come near her without her leave: and be sureallow not any of the d----d crew to go near her--only let her permit youto receive her commands from time to time.--You have always been herfriend and advocate. What would I now give, had I permitted you to havebeen a successful one!
Let her have all her clothes and effects sent her instantly, as a smallproof of my sincerity. And force upon the dear creature, who must bemoneyless, what sums you can get her to take. Let me know how she hasbeen treated. If roughly, woe be to the guilty!
Take thy watch in thy hand, after thou hast freed her, and d--n the wholebrood, dragon and serpents, by the hour, till thou'rt tired; and tellthem, I bid thee do so for their cursed officiousness.
They had nothing to do when they had found her, but to wait my orders howto proceed.
The great devil fly away with them all, one by one, through the roof oftheir own cursed house, and dash them to pieces against the tops ofchimneys as he flies; and let the lesser devils collect the scatteredscraps, and bag them up, in order to put them together again in theirallotted place, in the element of fire, with cements of molten lead.
A line! a line! a kingdom for a line! with tolerable news, the firstmoment thou canst write!--This fellow waits to bring it.