History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
Page 149
Chapter vi.
What arrived while the company were at breakfast, with some hintsconcerning the government of daughters.
Our company brought together in the morning the same good inclinationstowards each other, with which they had separated the evening before;but poor Jones was extremely disconsolate; for he had just receivedinformation from Partridge, that Mrs Fitzpatrick had left her lodging,and that he could not learn whither she was gone. This news highlyafflicted him, and his countenance, as well as his behaviour, indefiance of all his endeavours to the contrary, betrayed manifestindications of a disordered mind.
The discourse turned at present, as before, on love; and MrNightingale again expressed many of those warm, generous, anddisinterested sentiments upon this subject, which wise and sober mencall romantic, but which wise and sober women generally regard in abetter light. Mrs Miller (for so the mistress of the house was called)greatly approved these sentiments; but when the young gentlemanappealed to Miss Nancy, she answered only, "That she believed thegentleman who had spoke the least was capable of feeling most."
This compliment was so apparently directed to Jones, that we shouldhave been sorry had he passed it by unregarded. He made her indeed avery polite answer, and concluded with an oblique hint, that her ownsilence subjected her to a suspicion of the same kind: for indeed shehad scarce opened her lips either now or the last evening.
"I am glad, Nanny," says Mrs Miller, "the gentleman hath made theobservation; I protest I am almost of his opinion. What can be thematter with you, child? I never saw such an alteration. What is becomeof all your gaiety? Would you think, sir, I used to call her my littleprattler? She hath not spoke twenty words this week."
Here their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of amaid-servant, who brought a bundle in her hand, which, she said, "wasdelivered by a porter for Mr Jones." She added, "That the manimmediately went away, saying, it required no answer."
Jones expressed some surprize on this occasion, and declared it mustbe some mistake; but the maid persisting that she was certain of thename, all the women were desirous of having the bundle immediatelyopened; which operation was at length performed by little Betsy, withthe consent of Mr Jones: and the contents were found to be a domino, amask, and a masquerade ticket.
Jones was now more positive than ever in asserting, that these thingsmust have been delivered by mistake; and Mrs Miller herself expressedsome doubt, and said, "She knew not what to think." But when MrNightingale was asked, he delivered a very different opinion. "All Ican conclude from it, sir," said he, "is, that you are a very happyman; for I make no doubt but these were sent you by some lady whom youwill have the happiness of meeting at the masquerade."
Jones had not a sufficient degree of vanity to entertain any suchflattering imagination; nor did Mrs Miller herself give much assent towhat Mr Nightingale had said, till Miss Nancy having lifted up thedomino, a card dropt from the sleeve, in which was written asfollows:--
To MR JONES.
The queen of the fairies sends you this; Use her favours not amiss.
Mrs Miller and Miss Nancy now both agreed with Mr Nightingale; nay,Jones himself was almost persuaded to be of the same opinion. And asno other lady but Mrs Fitzpatrick, he thought, knew his lodging, hebegan to flatter himself with some hopes, that it came from her, andthat he might possibly see his Sophia. These hopes had surely verylittle foundation; but as the conduct of Mrs Fitzpatrick, in notseeing him according to her promise, and in quitting her lodgings, hadbeen very odd and unaccountable, he conceived some faint hopes, thatshe (of whom he had formerly heard a very whimsical character) mightpossibly intend to do him that service in a strange manner, which shedeclined doing by more ordinary methods. To say the truth, as nothingcertain could be concluded from so odd and uncommon an incident, hehad the greater latitude to draw what imaginary conclusions from it hepleased. As his temper therefore was naturally sanguine, he indulgedit on this occasion, and his imagination worked up a thousandconceits, to favour and support his expectations of meeting his dearSophia in the evening.
Reader, if thou hast any good wishes towards me, I will fully repaythem by wishing thee to be possessed of this sanguine disposition ofmind; since, after having read much and considered long on thatsubject of happiness which hath employed so many great pens, I amalmost inclined to fix it in the possession of this temper; which putsus, in a manner, out of the reach of Fortune, and makes us happywithout her assistance. Indeed, the sensations of pleasure it givesare much more constant as well as much keener, than those which thatblind lady bestows; nature having wisely contrived, that some satietyand languor should be annexed to all our real enjoyments, lest weshould be so taken up by them, as to be stopt from further pursuits. Imake no manner of doubt but that, in this light, we may see theimaginary future chancellor just called to the bar, the archbishop incrape, and the prime minister at the tail of an opposition, more trulyhappy than those who are invested with all the power and profit ofthose respective offices.
Mr Jones having now determined to go to the masquerade that evening,Mr Nightingale offered to conduct him thither. The young gentleman, atthe same time, offered tickets to Miss Nancy and her mother; but thegood woman would not accept them. She said, "she did not conceive theharm which some people imagined in a masquerade; but that suchextravagant diversions were proper only for persons of quality andfortune, and not for young women who were to get their living, andcould, at best, hope to be married to a good tradesman."----"Atradesman!" cries Nightingale, "you shan't undervalue my Nancy. Thereis not a nobleman upon earth above her merit." "O fie! MrNightingale," answered Mrs Miller, "you must not fill the girl's headwith such fancies: but if it was her good luck" (says the mother witha simper) "to find a gentleman of your generous way of thinking, Ihope she would make a better return to his generosity than to give hermind up to extravagant pleasures. Indeed, where young ladies bringgreat fortunes themselves, they have some right to insist on spendingwhat is their own; and on that account I have heard the gentlemen say,a man has sometimes a better bargain with a poor wife, than with arich one.----But let my daughters marry whom they will, I shallendeavour to make them blessings to their husbands:----I beg,therefore, I may hear of no more masquerades. Nancy is, I am certain,too good a girl to desire to go; for she must remember when youcarried her thither last year, it almost turned her head; and she didnot return to herself, or to her needle, in a month afterwards."
Though a gentle sigh, which stole from the bosom of Nancy, seemed toargue some secret disapprobation of these sentiments, she did not dareopenly to oppose them. For as this good woman had all the tenderness,so she had preserved all the authority of a parent; and as herindulgence to the desires of her children was restrained only by herfears for their safety and future welfare, so she never suffered thosecommands which proceeded from such fears to be either disobeyed ordisputed. And this the young gentleman, who had lodged two years inthe house, knew so well, that he presently acquiesced in the refusal.
Mr Nightingale, who grew every minute fonder of Jones, was verydesirous of his company that day to dinner at the tavern, where heoffered to introduce him to some of his acquaintance; but Jones beggedto be excused, "as his cloaths," he said, "were not yet come to town."
To confess the truth, Mr Jones was now in a situation, which sometimeshappens to be the case of young gentlemen of much better figure thanhimself. In short, he had not one penny in his pocket; a situation inmuch greater credit among the antient philosophers than among themodern wise men who live in Lombard-street, or those who frequentWhite's chocolate-house. And, perhaps, the great honours which thosephilosophers have ascribed to an empty pocket may be one of thereasons of that high contempt in which they are held in the aforesaidstreet and chocolate-house.
Now if the antient opinion, that men might live very comfortably onvirtue only, be, as the modern wise men just above-mentioned pretendto have discovered, a notorious error; no less false is, I apprehend,that position of some wri
ters of romance, that a man can livealtogether on love; for however delicious repasts this may afford tosome of our senses or appetites, it is most certain it can afford noneto others. Those, therefore, who have placed too great a confidence insuch writers, have experienced their error when it was too late; andhave found that love was no more capable of allaying hunger, than arose is capable of delighting the ear, or a violin of gratifying thesmell.
Notwithstanding, therefore, all the delicacies which love had setbefore him, namely, the hopes of seeing Sophia at the masquerade; onwhich, however ill-founded his imagination might be, he hadvoluptuously feasted during the whole day, the evening no sooner camethan Mr Jones began to languish for some food of a grosser kind.Partridge discovered this by intuition, and took the occasion to givesome oblique hints concerning the bank-bill; and, when these wererejected with disdain, he collected courage enough once more tomention a return to Mr Allworthy.
"Partridge," cries Jones, "you cannot see my fortune in a moredesperate light than I see it myself; and I begin heartily to repentthat I suffered you to leave a place where you was settled, and tofollow me. However, I insist now on your returning home; and for theexpense and trouble which you have so kindly put yourself to on myaccount, all the cloaths I left behind in your care I desire you wouldtake as your own. I am sorry I can make you no other acknowledgment."
He spoke these words with so pathetic an accent, that Partridge, amongwhose vices ill-nature or hardness of heart were not numbered, burstinto tears; and after swearing he would not quit him in his distress,he began with the most earnest entreaties to urge his return home."For heaven's sake, sir," says he, "do but consider; what can yourhonour do?--how is it possible you can live in this town withoutmoney? Do what you will, sir, or go wherever you please, I am resolvednot to desert you. But pray, sir, consider--do pray, sir, for your ownsake, take it into your consideration; and I'm sure," says he, "thatyour own good sense will bid you return home."
"How often shall I tell thee," answered Jones, "that I have no home toreturn to? Had I any hopes that Mr Allworthy's doors would be open toreceive me, I want no distress to urge me--nay, there is no othercause upon earth, which could detain me a moment from flying to hispresence; but, alas! that I am for ever banished from. His last wordswere--O, Partridge, they still ring in my ears--his last words were,when he gave me a sum of money--what it was I know not, butconsiderable I'm sure it was--his last words were--`I am resolved fromthis day forward, on no account to converse with you any more.'"
Here passion stopt the mouth of Jones, as surprize for a moment didthat of Partridge; but he soon recovered the use of speech, and aftera short preface, in which he declared he had no inquisitiveness in histemper, enquired what Jones meant by a considerable sum--he knew nothow much--and what was become of the money.
In both these points he now received full satisfaction; on which hewas proceeding to comment, when he was interrupted by a message fromMr Nightingale, who desired his master's company in his apartment.
When the two gentlemen were both attired for the masquerade, and MrNightingale had given orders for chairs to be sent for, a circumstanceof distress occurred to Jones, which will appear very ridiculous tomany of my readers. This was how to procure a shilling; but if suchreaders will reflect a little on what they have themselves felt fromthe want of a thousand pounds, or, perhaps, of ten or twenty, toexecute a favourite scheme, they will have a perfect idea of what MrJones felt on this occasion. For this sum, therefore, he applied toPartridge, which was the first he had permitted him to advance, andwas the last he intended that poor fellow should advance in hisservice. To say the truth, Partridge had lately made no offer of thiskind. Whether it was that he desired to see the bank-bill broke inupon, or that distress should prevail on Jones to return home, or fromwhat other motive it proceeded, I will not determine.