第6章

Theresheis。’

’Why，sister，’saysthegentlemanvery

gravely，’whatdoyoumean？

Ionlydesirehertodointothe

HighStreet’(andthenhepullsoutaturnover)，’tosuchashop’；

andthenhetellsthemalongstoryoftwofineneckclothshe

hadbidmoneyfor，andhewantedtohavemegoandmakean

errandtobuyanecktotheturnoverthatheshowed，toseeif

theywouldtakemymoneyfortheneckcloths；tobidashilling

more，andhagglewiththem；andthenhemademoreerrands，

andsocontinuedtohavesuchpettybusinesstodo，thatIshould

besuretostayagoodwhile。

Whenhehadgivenmemyerrands，hetoldthemalongstory

ofavisithewasgoingtomaketoafamilytheyallknew，and

wherewastobesuch-and-suchgentlemen，andhowmerry

theyweretobe，andveryformallyaskshissisterstogowith

him，andtheyasformallyexcusedthemselves，becauseof

companythattheyhadnoticewastocomeandvisitthemthat

afternoon；which，bytheway，hehadcontrivedonpurpose。

Hehadscarcedonespeakingtothem，andgivingmemy

errand，buthismancameuptotellhimthatSirW——H——’s

coachstoppedatthedoor；soherunsdown，andcomesup

againimmediately。

’Alas！’sayshealoud，’there’sallmy

mirthspoiledatonce；sirW——hassenthiscoachforme，

anddesirestospeakwithmeuponsomeearnestbusiness。’

ItseemsthisSirW——wasagentlemanwholivedaboutthree

milesoutoftown，towhomhehadspokenonpurposetheday

before，tolendhimhischariotforaparticularoccasion，and

hadappointedittocallforhim，asitdid，aboutthreeo’clock。

Immediatelyhecallsforhisbestwig，hat，andsword，and

orderinghismantogototheotherplacetomakehisexcuse——

thatwastosay，hemadeanexcusetosendhismanaway——he

preparestogointothecoach。

Ashewasgoing，hestoppeda

while，andspeaksmightyearnestlytomeabouthisbusiness，

andfindsanopportunitytosayverysoftlytome，’Comeaway，

mydear，assoonaseveryoucan。’

Isaidnothing，butmadea

curtsy，asifIhaddonesotowhathesaidinpublic。

Inabout

aquarterofanhourIwentouttoo；Ihadnodressotherthan

before，exceptthatIhadahood，amask，afan，andapairof

glovesinmypocket；sothattherewasnottheleastsuspicion

inthehouse。

Hewaitedformeinthecoachinaback-lane，

whichheknewImustpassby，andhaddirectedthecoachman

whithertogo，whichwastoacertainplace，calledMileEnd，

wherelivedaconfidantofhis，wherewewentin，andwhere

wasalltheconvenienceintheworldtobeaswickedaswe

pleased。

Whenweweretogetherhebegantotalkverygravelytome，

andtotellmehedidnotbringmetheretobetrayme；thathis

passionformewouldnotsufferhimtoabuseme；thathe

resolvedtomarrymeassoonashecametohisestate；thatin

themeantime，ifIwouldgranthisrequest，hewouldmaintain

meveryhonourably；andmademeathousandprotestations

ofhissincerityandofhisaffectiontome；andthathewould

neverabandonme，andasImaysay，madeathousandmore

preamblesthanheneedtohavedone。

However，ashepressedmetospeak，ItoldhimIhadno

reasontoquestionthesincerityofhislovetomeaftersomany

protestations，but——andthereIstopped，asifIlefthimto

guesstherest。

’Butwhat，mydear？’sayshe。

’Iguesswhat

youmean:

whatifyoushouldbewithchild？

Isnotthatit？

Why，then，’sayshe，’I’lltakecareofyouandprovideforyou，

andthechildtoo；andthatyoumayseeIamnotinjest，’says

he，’here’sanearnestforyou，’andwiththathepullsoutasilk

purse，withanhundredguineasinit，andgaveitme。

’AndI’ll

giveyousuchanother，’sayshe，’everyyeartillImarryyou。’

Mycolourcameandwent，atthesightofthepurseandwith

thefireofhisproposaltogether，sothatIcouldnotsayaword，

andheeasilyperceivedit；soputtingthepurseintomybosom，

Imadenomoreresistancetohim，butlethimdojustwhathe

pleased，andasoftenashepleased；andthusIfinishedmy

owndestructionatonce，forfromthisday，beingforsakenof

myvirtueandmymodesty，Ihadnothingofvalueleftto

recommendme，eithertoGod’sblessingorman’sassistance。

Butthingsdidnotendhere。

Iwentbacktothetown，didthe

businesshepubliclydirectedmeto，andwasathomebefore

anybodythoughtmelong。

Asformygentleman，hestayed

out，ashetoldmehewould，tilllateatnight，andtherewas

nottheleastsuspicioninthefamilyeitheronhisaccountor

onmine。

Wehad，afterthis，frequentopportunitiestorepeatourcrime——

chieflybyhiscontrivance——especiallyathome，whenhis

motherandtheyoungladieswentabroada-visiting，whichhe

watchedsonarrowlyasnevertomiss；knowingalways

beforehandwhentheywentout，andthenfailednottocatch

meallalone，andsecurelyenough；sothatwetookourfillof

ourwickedpleasurefornearhalfayear；andyet，whichwas

themosttomysatisfaction，Iwasnotwithchild。

Butbeforethishalf-yearwasexpired，hisyoungerbrother，of

whomIhavemadesomementioninthebeginningofthestory，

fallstoworkwithme；andhe，findingmealonginthegarden

oneevening，beginsastoryofthesamekindtome，made

goodhonestprofessionsofbeinginlovewithme，andinshort，

proposesfairlyandhonourablytomarryme，andthatbefore

hemadeanyotheroffertomeatall。

Iwasnowconfounded，anddriventosuchanextremityas

thelikewasneverknown；atleastnottome。

Iresistedthe

proposalwithobstinacy；andnowIbegantoarmmyselfwith

arguments。

Ilaidbeforehimtheinequalityofthematch；the

treatmentIshouldmeetwithinthefamily；theingratitudeit

wouldbetohisgoodfatherandmother，whohadtakenme

intotheirhouseuponsuchgenerousprinciples，andwhenI

wasinsuchalowcondition；and，inshort，Isaideverything

todissuadehimfromhisdesignthatIcouldimagine，except

tellinghimthetruth，whichwouldindeedhaveputanendto

Itall，butthatIdurstnotthinkofmentioning。

ButherehappenedacircumstancethatIdidnotexpect

indeed，whichputmetomyshifts；forthisyounggentleman，

ashewasplainandhonest，sohepretendedtonothingwith

mebutwhatwassotoo；and，knowinghisowninnocence，he

wasnotsocarefultomakehishavingakindnessforMrs。Betty

asecretIthehouse，ashisbrotherwas。

Andthoughhedid

notletthemknowthathehadtalkedtomeaboutit，yethe

saidenoughtolethissistersperceivehelovedme，andhis

mothersawittoo，which，thoughtheytooknonoticeofitto

me，yettheydidtohim，animmediatelyIfoundtheircarriage

tomealtered，morethaneverbefore。

Isawthecloud，thoughIdidnotforeseethestorm。

Itwas

easy，Isay，toseethattheircarriagetomewasaltered，and

thatitgrewworseandworseeveryday；tillatlastIgot

informationamongtheservantsthatIshould，inaverylittle

while，bedesiredtoremove。

Iwasnotalarmedatthenews，havingafullsatisfactionthat

Ishouldbeotherwiseprovidedfor；andespeciallyconsidering

thatIhadreasoneverydaytoexpectIshouldbewithchild，

andthatthenIshouldbeobligedtoremovewithoutany

pretencesforit。

Aftersometimetheyoungergentlemantookanopportunity

totellmethatthekindnesshehadformehadgotventinthe

family。

Hedidnotchargemewithit，hesaid，forheknow

wellenoughwhichwayitcameout。

Hetoldmehisplainway

of

talkinghadbeentheoccasionofit，forthathedidnotmake

hisrespectformesomuchasecretashemighthavedone，

andthereasonwas，thathewasatapoint，thatifIwould

consenttohavehim，hewouldtellthemallopenlythathe

lovedme，andthatheintendedtomarryme；thatitwastrue

hisfatherandmothermightresentit，andbeunkind，butthat

hewasnowinawaytolive，beingbredtothelaw，andhedid

notfearmaintainingmeagreeabletowhatIshouldexpect；

andthat，inshort，ashebelievedIwouldnotbeashamedof

him，sohewasresolvednottobeashamedofme，andthathe

scornedtobeafraidtoownmenow，whomheresolvedto

ownafterIwashiswife，andthereforeIhadnothingtodobut

togivehimmyhand，andhewouldanswerforalltherest。

Iwasnowinadreadfulconditionindeed，andnowIrepented

heartilymyeasinesswiththeeldestbrother；notfromany

reflectionofconscience，butfromaviewofthehappinessI

mighthaveenjoyed，andhadnowmadeimpossible；forthough

Ihadnogreatscruplesofconscience，asIhavesaid，tostruggle

with，yetIcouldnotthinkofbeingawhoretoonebrotherand

awifetotheother。

Butthenitcameintomythoughtsthatthe

firstbrotherhadpromisedtomademehiswifewhenhecame

tohisestate；butIpresentlyrememberedwhatIhadoften

thoughtof，thathehadneverspokenawordofhavingmefor

awifeafterhehadconqueredmeforamistress；andindeed，

tillnow，thoughIsaidIthoughtofitoften，yetitgavemeno

disturbanceatall，forashedidnotseemintheleasttolessen

hisaffectiontome，soneitherdidhelessenhisbounty，though

hehadthediscretionhimselftodesiremenottolayouta

pennyofwhathegavemeinclothes，ortomaketheleastshow

extraordinary，becauseitwouldnecessarilygivejealousyin

thefamily，sinceeverybodyknowIcouldcomeatsuchthings

nomannerofordinaryway，butbysomeprivatefriendship，

whichtheywouldpresentlyhavesuspected。

ButIwasnowinagreatstrait，andknewnotwhatto

do。

Themaindifficultywasthis:

theyoungerbrothernot

onlylaidclosesiegetome，butsufferedittobeseen。