by Daniel Defoe
husband.
However, the day she was to go on shipboard, she breakfasted with mylord, and as soon as it was over, and my lord was gone into his study tofetch something out, I followed him there, and asked him if he wouldgive me leave to present a gold repeating watch to my daughter beforeshe went away. I thought he seemed somewhat pleased with this piece ofcondescension in me, though it was done more to gain his goodwill thanto express any value I had for her. He told me that he did not know whoI could better make such a present to, and I might give it to her if Ipleased. Accordingly I went and got it out of my cabinet in a moment,and bringing it to my lord, desired he would give it her from me. Heasked me if I would not give it her myself. I told him no; I wished hervery well, but had nothing to say to her till I was restored to hislordship's bed and board.
About two hours after all this, the coach was ordered to the door, andmy daughter and her new husband, the husband's sister, and my sonThomas, all went into it, in order to go to the house of a rich uncle ofthe bridegroom's, where they were to dine before they went on board, andmy lord went there in a sedan about an hour after. And having eatentheir dinner, which on this occasion was the most elegant, they all wenton board the Indiaman, where my lord and my son Thomas stayed till theship's crew was hauling in their anchors to sail, and then came hometogether in the coach, and it being late in the evening, he told Thomashe should sup with him that night, after which they went to bed intheir several apartments.
Next morning when I went to see my lord as usual, he told me that as hehad handsomely provided for my daughter, and sent her to the Indies witha man of merit and fortune, he sincerely wished her great prosperity."And," he added, "to let you see, madam, that I should never have partedfrom my first engagements of love to you, had you not laid yourself soopen to censure for your misconduct, my next care shall be to providefor your son Thomas in a handsome manner, before I concern myself withmy son by you."
This was the subject of our discourse, with which I was very wellpleased. I only wished my daughter had been married and sent to theIndies before I had married myself; but I began to hope that the worstwould be over when Thomas was provided for too, and the son my lord hadby me, who was now at the university, was at home; which I would havebrought to pass could my will be obeyed, but I was not to enjoy thathappiness.
My lord and I lived with a secret discontent of each other for near atwelvemonth before I saw any provision made for my son Thomas, and thenI found my lord bought him a very large plantation in Virginia, and wasfurnishing him to go there in a handsome manner; he also gave him fourquarter parts in four large trading West India vessels, in which heboarded a great quantity of merchandise to traffic with when he came tothe end of his journey, so that he was a very rich man before he (whatwe call) came into the world.
The last article that was to be managed, was to engage my son to a wifebefore he left Holland; and it happened that the gentleman who was theseller of the plantation my husband bought, had been a Virginia planterin that colony a great many years; but his life growing on the decline,and his health very dubious, he had come to Holland with an intent tosell his plantation, and then had resolved to send for his wife, son,and daughter, to come to him with the return of the next ships. Thisgentleman had brought over with him the pictures of all his family,which he was showing to my lord at the same time he was paying for theeffects; and on seeing the daughter's picture, which appeared to himvery beautiful, my lord inquired if she was married. "No, my lord," saysthe planter, "but I believe I shall dispose of her soon after she comesto me." "How old is your daughter?" said my lord. "Why, my lord,"replied the planter, "she is twenty-two years of age." Then my lordasked my son if he should like that young lady for a wife. "Nothing, mylord," said Thomas, "could lay a greater obligation upon me than yourlordship's providing me with a wife."
"Now, sir," said my lord to the planter, "what do you say to a matchbetween this young gentleman and your daughter? Their ages areagreeable, and if you can, or will, give her more fortune than he has,his shall be augmented. You partly know his substance, by the money Ihave now paid you."
This generous proposal of my lord's pleased the planter to a greatdegree, and he declared to my lord that he thought nothing could be agreater favour done him, for two reasons; one of which was, that he wascertain the young gentleman was as good as he appeared, because he hadtaken for his plantation so large a sum of money as none but a gentlemancould pay. The next reason was, that this marriage, to be performed assoon as my son arrived there, would be a great satisfaction to his wife,whose favourite the daughter was. "For," added he, "my wife will notonly have the pleasure of seeing her daughter settled on what was ourown hereditary estate, but also see her married to a man of substance,without the danger of crossing the seas to be matched to a person equalto herself."
"Pray, sir," said my lord, "let me hear what fortune you are willing togive with your daughter; you have but two children, and I know you mustbe rich." "Why, my lord," replied the planter, "there is no denyingthat; but you must remember I have a son as well as a daughter toprovide for, and he I intend to turn into the mercantile way as soon ashe arrives safe from Virginia. I have, my lord," continued he, "a verylarge stock-in-trade there, as warehouses of tobacco, &c., lodged in thecustom-houses of the ports, to the value of L7000, to which I will addL3000 in money, and I hope you will look upon that as a very competentestate; and when the young gentleman's fortune is joined to that, Ibelieve he will be the richest man in the whole American colonies of hisage."
It was then considered between my lord and Thomas, that no woman with aquarter of that fortune would venture herself over to the West Indieswith a man that had ten times as much; so it being hinted to the planterthat my lord had agreed to the proposals, they promised to meet the nextmorning to settle the affair.
In the evening, my lord, with Thomas in his company, hinted the abovediscourse to me. I was frightened almost out of my wits to think what alarge sum of money had been laid out for my son, but kept what I thoughtto myself. It was agreed that my son was to marry the old planter'sdaughter, and a lawyer was sent for, with instructions to draw up allthe writings for the marriage-settlement, &c., and the next morning amessenger came from the planter with a note to my lord, letting himknow, if it was not inconvenient, he would wait on his lordship tobreakfast. He came soon after with a Dutch merchant of great estate, whowas our neighbour at The Hague, where they settled every point inquestion, and the articles were all drawn up and signed by the severalparties the next day before dinner.
There was nothing now remaining but my son's departure to his newplantation in Virginia. Great despatch was made that he might be readyto sail in one of his own ships, and take the advantage of an Englishconvoy, which was almost ready to sail. My lord sent several valuablepresents to my son's lady, as did her father; and as I was at liberty inthis case to do as I would, and knowing my lord had a very great valuefor my son, I thought that the richer my presents were, the more hewould esteem me (but there was nothing in it, the enmity he took againstme had taken root in his heart); so I sent her a curious set of china,the very best I could buy, with a silver tea-kettle and lamp, tea-pot,sugar-dish, cream-pot, teaspoons, &c., and as my lord had sent a goldenrepeater, I added to it a golden equipage, with my lord's picturehanging to it, finely painted; (This was another thing I did purposelyto please him, but it would not do.) A few days after, he came to takehis leave of me, by my lord's order, and at my parting with him I shedabundance of tears, to think I was then in an almost strange place, nochild that could then come near me, and under so severe a displeasure ofmy lord, that I had very little hopes of ever being friends with himagain.
My life did not mend after my son was gone; all I could do would notpersuade my lord to have any free conversation with me. And at thisjuncture it was that the foolish jade Amy, who was now advanced inyears, was catched in a conversation with one of my lord's men, whichwas not to her credit; for, it coming to his ears, she was turned out ofthe house by my lord's
orders, and was never suffered to come into itagain during his lifetime, and I did not dare to speak a word in herfavour for fear he should retort upon me, "Like mistress, like maid."
I could hear nothing of Amy for the first three months after she hadleft me, till one day, as I was looking out of a dining-room window, Isaw her pass by, but I did not dare ask her to come in, for fear my lordshould hear of her being there, which would have been adding fuel to thefire; however, she, looking up at the house, saw me. I made a motion toher to stay a little about the door, and in the meantime I wrote a note,and dropped it out of the window, in which I told her how I had lived inher absence, and desired her to write me a letter, and carry it the nextday to my sempstress's house, who would