History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

by Henry Fielding

  Chapter vii.

  A strange resolution of Sophia, and a more strange stratagem of MrsHonour.

  Though Mrs Honour was principally attached to her own interest, shewas not without some little attachment to Sophia. To say truth, it wasvery difficult for any one to know that young lady without loving her.She no sooner therefore heard a piece of news, which she imagined tobe of great importance to her mistress, than, quite forgetting theanger which she had conceived two days before, at her unpleasantdismission from Sophia's presence, she ran hastily to inform her ofthe news.

  The beginning of her discourse was as abrupt as her entrance into theroom. "O dear ma'am!" says she, "what doth your la'ship think? To besure I am frightened out of my wits; and yet I thought it my duty totell your la'ship, though perhaps it may make you angry, for weservants don't always know what will make our ladies angry; for, to besure, everything is always laid to the charge of a servant. When ourladies are out of humour, to be sure we must be scolded; and to besure I should not wonder if your la'ship should be out of humour; nay,it must surprize you certainly, ay, and shock you too."--"Good Honour,let me know it without any longer preface," says Sophia; "there arefew things, I promise you, which will surprize, and fewer which willshock me."--"Dear ma'am," answered Honour, "to be sure, I overheard mymaster talking to parson Supple about getting a licence this veryafternoon; and to be sure I heard him say, your la'ship should bemarried to-morrow morning." Sophia turned pale at these words, andrepeated eagerly, "To-morrow morning!"--"Yes, ma'am," replied thetrusty waiting-woman, "I will take my oath I heard my master sayso."--"Honour," says Sophia, "you have both surprized and shocked meto such a degree that I have scarce any breath or spirits left. Whatis to be done in my dreadful situation?"--"I wish I was able to adviseyour la'ship," says she. "Do advise me," cries Sophia; "pray, dearHonour, advise me. Think what you would attempt if it was your owncase."--"Indeed, ma'am," cries Honour, "I wish your la'ship and Icould change situations; that is, I mean without hurting your la'ship;for to be sure I don't wish you so bad as to be a servant; but becausethat if so be it was my case, I should find no manner of difficulty init; for, in my poor opinion, young Squire Blifil is a charming, sweet,handsome man."--"Don't mention such stuff," cries Sophia. "Suchstuff!" repeated Honour; "why, there. Well, to be sure, what's oneman's meat is another man's poison, and the same is altogether as trueof women."--"Honour," says Sophia, "rather than submit to be the wifeof that contemptible wretch, I would plunge a dagger into myheart."--"O lud! ma'am!" answered the other, "I am sure you frightenme out of my wits now. Let me beseech your la'ship not to suffer suchwicked thoughts to come into your head. O lud! to be sure I trembleevery inch of me. Dear ma'am, consider, that to be denied Christianburial, and to have your corpse buried in the highway, and a stakedrove through you, as farmer Halfpenny was served at Ox Cross; and, tobe sure, his ghost hath walked there ever since, for several peoplehave seen him. To be sure it can be nothing but the devil which canput such wicked thoughts into the head of anybody; for certainly it isless wicked to hurt all the world than one's own dear self; and so Ihave heard said by more parsons than one. If your la'ship hath such aviolent aversion, and hates the young gentleman so very bad, that youcan't bear to think of going into bed to him; for to be sure there maybe such antipathies in nature, and one had lieverer touch a toad thanthe flesh of some people."--

  Sophia had been too much wrapt in contemplation to pay any greatattention to the foregoing excellent discourse of her maid;interrupting her therefore, without making any answer to it, she said,"Honour, I am come to a resolution. I am determined to leave myfather's house this very night; and if you have the friendship for mewhich you have often professed, you will keep me company."--"That Iwill, ma'am, to the world's end," answered Honour; "but I beg yourla'ship to consider the consequence before you undertake any rashaction. Where can your la'ship possibly go?"--"There is," repliedSophia, "a lady of quality in London, a relation of mine, who spentseveral months with my aunt in the country; during all which time shetreated me with great kindness, and expressed so much pleasure in mycompany, that she earnestly desired my aunt to suffer me to go withher to London. As she is a woman of very great note, I shall easilyfind her out, and I make no doubt of being very well and kindlyreceived by her."--"I would not have your la'ship too confident ofthat," cries Honour; "for the first lady I lived with used to invitepeople very earnestly to her house; but if she heard afterwards theywere coming, she used to get out of the way. Besides, though this ladywould be very glad to see your la'ship, as to be sure anybody would beglad to see your la'ship, yet when she hears your la'ship is run awayfrom my master--" "You are mistaken, Honour," says Sophia: "she looksupon the authority of a father in a much lower light than I do; forshe pressed me violently to go to London with her, and when I refusedto go without my father's consent, she laughed me to scorn, called mesilly country girl, and said, I should make a pure loving wife, sinceI could be so dutiful a daughter. So I have no doubt but she will bothreceive me and protect me too, till my father, finding me out of hispower, can be brought to some reason."

  "Well, but, ma'am," answered Honour, "how doth your la'ship think ofmaking your escape? Where will you get any horses or conveyance? Foras for your own horse, as all the servants know a little how mattersstand between my master and your la'ship, Robin will be hanged beforehe will suffer it to go out of the stable without my master's expressorders." "I intend to escape," said Sophia, "by walking out of thedoors when they are open. I thank Heaven my legs are very able tocarry me. They have supported me many a long evening"--"Yes, to besure," cries Honour, "I will follow your la'ship through the world;but your la'ship had almost as good be alone: for I should not be ableto defend you, if any robbers, or other villains, should meet withyou. Nay, I should be in as horrible a fright as your la'ship; for tobe certain, they would ravish us both. Besides, ma'am, consider howcold the nights are now; we shall be frozen to death."--"A good briskpace," answered Sophia, "will preserve us from the cold; and if youcannot defend me from a villain, Honour, I will defend you; for I willtake a pistol with me. There are two always charged in thehall."--"Dear ma'am, you frighten me more and more," cries Honour:"sure your la'ship would not venture to fire it off! I had rather runany chance than your la'ship should do that."--"Why so?" says Sophia,smiling; "would not you, Honour, fire a pistol at any one who shouldattack your virtue?"--"To be sure, ma'am," cries Honour, "one's virtueis a dear thing, especially to us poor servants; for it is ourlivelihood, as a body may say: yet I mortally hate fire-arms; for somany accidents happen by them."--"Well, well," says Sophia, "I believeI may ensure your virtue at a very cheap rate, without carrying anyarms with us; for I intend to take horses at the very first town wecome to, and we shall hardly be attacked in our way thither. Look'ee,Honour, I am resolved to go; and if you will attend me, I promise youI will reward you to the very utmost of my power."

  This last argument had a stronger effect on Honour than all thepreceding. And since she saw her mistress so determined, she desistedfrom any further dissuasions. They then entered into a debate on waysand means of executing their project. Here a very stubborn difficultyoccurred, and this was the removal of their effects, which was muchmore easily got over by the mistress than by the maid; for when a ladyhath once taken a resolution to run to a lover, or to run from him,all obstacles are considered as trifles. But Honour was inspired by nosuch motive; she had no raptures to expect, nor any terrors to shun;and besides the real value of her clothes, in which consisted a greatpart of her fortune, she had a capricious fondness for several gowns,and other things; either because they became her, or because they weregiven her by such a particular person; because she had bought themlately, or because she had had them long; or for some other reasonsequally good; so that she could not endure the thoughts of leaving thepoor things behind her exposed to the mercy of Western, who, shedoubted not, would in his rage make them suffer martyrdom.

  The ingenious Mrs Honour having applied all her oratory to dissuad
eher mistress from her purpose, when she found her positivelydetermined, at last started the following expedient to remove herclothes, viz., to get herself turned out of doors that very evening.Sophia highly approved this method, but doubted how it might bebrought about. "O, ma'am," cries Honour, "your la'ship may trust thatto me; we servants very well know how to obtain this favour of ourmasters and mistresses; though sometimes, indeed, where they owe usmore wages than they can readily pay, they will put up with all ouraffronts, and will hardly take any warning we can give them; but thesquire is none of those; and since your la'ship is resolved uponsetting out to-night, I warrant I get discharged this afternoon." Itwas then resolved that she should pack up some linen and a night-gownfor Sophia, with her own things; and as for all her other clothes, theyoung lady abandoned them with no more remorse than the sailor feelswhen he throws over the goods of others, in order to save his ownlife.