第15章

Ifortifiedhermindagainstsuchameanness，asIcalledit；I

toldher，thataslowasIwasintheworld，Iwouldhave

despisedamanthatshouldthinkIoughttotakehimuponhis

ownrecommendationonly，withouthavingthelibertyto

informmyselfofhisfortuneandofhischaracter；alsoItold

her，thatasshehadagoodfortune，shehadnoneedtostoop

tothedisasterofthetime；thatitwasenoughthatthemen

couldinsultusthathadbutlittlemoneytorecommendus，but

ifshesufferedsuchanaffronttopassuponherwithoutresenting

it，shewouldberenderedlow-prizeduponalloccasions，and

wouldbethecontemptofallthewomeninthatpartofthetown；

thatawomancanneverwantanopportunitytoberevenged

ofamanthathasusedherill，andthattherewerewaysenough

tohumblesuchafellowasthat，orelsecertainlywomenwere

themostunhappycreaturesintheworld。

Ifoundshewasverywellpleasedwiththediscourse，andshe

toldmeseriouslythatshewouldbeverygladtomakehim

sensibleofherjustresentment，andeithertobringhimonagain，

orhavethesatisfactionofherrevengebeingaspublicaspossible。

Itoldher，thatifshewouldtakemyadvice，Iwouldtellher

howsheshouldobtainherwishesinboththosethings，and

thatIwouldengageIwouldbringthemantoherdooragain，

andmakehimbegtobeletin。

Shesmiledatthat，andsoon

letmesee，thatifhecametoherdoor，herresentmentwas

notsogreatastogiveherleavetolethimstandlongthere。

However，shelistenedverywillinglytomyofferofadvice；

soItoldherthatthefirstthingsheoughttodowasapiece

ofjusticetoherself，namely，thatwhereasshehadbeentold

byseveralpeoplethathehadreportedamongtheladiesthat

hehadlefther，andpretendedtogivetheadvantageofthe

negativetohimself，sheshouldtakecaretohaveitwellspread

amongthewomen——whichshecouldnotfailofanopportunity

todoinaneighbourhoodsoaddictedtofamilynewsasthat

sheliveinwas——thatshehadinquiredintohiscircumstances，

andfoundhewasnotthemanastoestatehepretendedtobe。

’Letthembetold，madam，’saidI，’thatyouhadbeenwell

informedthathewasnotthemanthatyouexpected，andthat

youthoughtitwasnotsafetomeddlewithhim；thatyouheard

hewasofanilltemper，andthatheboastedhowhehadused

thewomenilluponmanyoccasions，andthatparticularlyhe

wasdebauchedinhismorals’，etc。

Thelastofwhich，indeed，

hadsometruthinit；butatthesametimeIdidnotfindthat

sheseemedtolikehimmuchtheworseforthatpart。

AsIhadputthisintoherhead，shecamemostreadilyintoit。

Immediatelyshewenttoworktofindinstruments，andshe

hadverylittledifficultyinthesearch，fortellingherstoryin

generaltoacoupleofgossipsintheneighbourhood，itwasthe

chatofthetea-tablealloverthatpartofthetown，andImet

withitwhereverIvisited；also，asitwasknownthatIwas

acquaintedwiththeyoungladyherself，myopinionwasasked

veryoften，andIconfirmeditwithallthenecessaryaggravations，

andsetouthischaracterintheblackestcolours；butthenasa

pieceofsecretintelligence，Iadded，aswhattheothergossips

knewnothingof，viz。thatIhadheardhewasinverybad

circumstances；thathewasunderanecessityofafortuneto

supporthisinterestwiththeownersoftheshiphecommanded；

thathisownpartwasnotpaidfor，andifitwasnotpaidquickly，

hisownerswouldputhimoutoftheship，andhischiefmate

waslikelytocommandit，whoofferedtobuythatpartwhich

thecaptainhadpromisedtotake。

Iadded，forIconfessIwasheartilypiquedattherogue，asI

calledhim，thatIhadheardarumour，too，thathehadawife

aliveatPlymouth，andanotherintheWestIndies，athingwhich

theyallknewwasnotveryuncommonforsuchkindofgentlemen。

Thisworkedaswebothdesireit，forpresentlytheyounglady

nextdoor，whohadafatherandmotherthatgovernedboth

herandherfortune，wasshutup，andherfatherforbidhimthe

house。

Alsoinoneplacemorewherehewent，thewomanhad

thecourage，howeverstrangeitwas，tosayNo；andhecould

trynowherebuthewasreproachedwithhispride，andthathe

pretendednottogivethewomenleavetoinquireintohis

character，andthelike。

Well，bythistimehebegantobesensibleofhismistake；and

havingalarmedallthewomenonthatsideofthewater，he

wentovertoRatcliff，andgotaccesstosomeoftheladies

there；butthoughtheyoungwomentheretoowere，according

tothefateoftheday，prettywillingtobeasked，yetsuchwas

hisill-luck，thathischaracterfollowedhimoverthewaterand

hisgoodnamewasmuchthesamethereasitwasonourside；

sothatthoughhemighthavehadwivesenough，yetitdidnot

happenamongthewomenthathadgoodfortunes，whichwas

whathewanted。

Butthiswasnotall；sheveryingeniouslymanagedanother

thingherself，forshegotayounggentleman，whoasarelation，

andwasindeedamarriedman，tocomeandvisithertwoor

threetimesaweekinaveryfinechariotandgoodliveries，and

hertwoagents，andIalso，presentlyspreadareportallover，

thatthisgentlemancametocourther；thathewasagentleman

ofa#1000ayear，andthathewasfalleninlovewithher，and

thatshewasgoingtoheraunt’sinthecity，becauseitwas

inconvenientforthegentlemantocometoherwithhiscoach

inRedriff，thestreetsbeingsonarrowanddifficult。

Thistookimmediately。

Thecaptainwaslaughedatinall

companies，andwasreadytohanghimself。

Hetriedallthe

wayspossibletocomeatheragain，andwrotethemost

passionateletterstoherintheworld，excusinghisformer

rashness；andinshort，bygreatapplication，obtainedleaveto

waitonheragain，ashesaid，toclearhisreputation。

Atthismeetingshehadherfullrevengeofhim；forshetold

himshewonderedwhathetookhertobe，thatsheshould

admitanymantoatreatyofsomuchconsequenceasthatto

marriage，withoutinquiringverywellintohiscircumstances；

thatifhethoughtshewastobehuffedintowedlock，andthat

shewasinthesamecircumstanceswhichherneighboursmight

bein，viz。totakeupwiththefirstgoodChristianthatcame，

hewasmistaken；that，inaword，hischaracterwasreallybad，

orhewasveryillbeholdentohisneighbours；andthatunless

hecouldclearupsomepoints，inwhichshehadjustlybeen

prejudiced，shehadnomoretosaytohim，buttodoherself

justice，andgivehimthesatisfactionofknowingthatshewas

notafraidtosayNo，eithertohimoranymanelse。

Withthatshetoldhimwhatshehadheard，orratherraised

herselfbymymeans，ofhischaracter；hisnothavingpaidfor

theparthepretendedtoownoftheshiphecommanded；of

theresolutionofhisownerstoputhimoutofthecommand，

andtoputhismateinhisstead；andofthescandalraisedon

hismorals；hishavingbeenreproachedwithsuch-and-such

women，andhavingawifeatPlymouthandintheWestIndies，

andthelike；andsheaskedhimwhetherhecoulddenythatshe

hadgoodreason，ifthesethingswerenotclearedup，torefuse

him，andinthemeantimetoinsistuponhavingsatisfactionin

pointstosignificantastheywere。

Hewassoconfoundedatherdiscoursethathecouldnot

answeraword，andshealmostbegantobelievethatallwas

true，byhisdisorder，thoughatthesametimesheknewthat

shehadbeentheraiserofallthosereportsherself。

Aftersometimeherecoveredhimselfalittle，andfromthat

timebecamethemosthumble，themostmodest，andmost

importunatemanaliveinhiscourtship。

Shecarriedherjestonagreatway。

Sheaskedhim，ifhe

thoughtshewassoatherlastshiftthatshecouldoroughtto

bearsuchtreatment，andifhedidnotseethatshedidnot

wantthosewhothoughtitworththeirwhiletocomefarther

toherthanhedid；meaningthegentlemanwhomshehad

broughttovisitherbywayofsham。

Shebroughthimbythesetrickstosubmittoallpossible

measurestosatisfyher，aswellofhiscircumstancesasofhis

behaviour。

Hebroughtherundeniableevidenceofhishaving

paidforhispartoftheship；hebroughthercertificatesfrom

hisowners，thatthereportoftheirintendingtoremovehim

fromthecommandoftheshipandputhischiefmateinwas

falseandgroundless；inshort，hewasquitethereverseofwhat

hewasbefore。

ThusIconvincedher，thatifthemenmadetheiradvantage

ofoursexintheaffairofmarriage，uponthesuppositionof

therebeingsuchchoicetobehad，andofthewomenbeing

soeasy，itwasonlyowingtothis，thatthewomenwanted

couragetomaintaintheirgroundandtoplaytheirpart；and

that，accordingtomyLordRochester，

’Awoman’sne’ersoruinedbutshecan

Revengeherselfonherundoer，Man。’

Afterthesethingsthisyoungladyplayedherpartsowell，that

thoughsheresolvedtohavehim，andthatindeedhavinghim

wasthemainbentofherdesign，yetshemadehisobtaining

herbetohimthemostdifficultthingintheworld；andthisshe

did，notbyahaughtyreservedcarriage，butbyajustpolicy，

turningthetablesuponhim，andplayingbackuponhimhis

owngame；forashepretended，byakindofloftycarriage，to

placehimselfabovetheoccasionofacharacter，andtomake

inquiringintohischaracterakindofanaffronttohim，she

brokewithhimuponthatsubject，andatthesametimethat

shemakehimsubmittoallpossibleinquiryafterhisaffairs，

sheapparentlyshutthedooragainsthislookingintoherown。

Itwasenoughtohimtoobtainherforawife。

Astowhat

shehad，shetoldhimplainly，thatasheknewhercircumstances，

itwasbutjustsheshouldknowhis；andthoughatthesame

timehehadonlyknownhercircumstancesbycommonfame，

yethehadmadesomanyprotestationsofhispassionforher，

thathecouldasknomorebutherhandtohisgrandrequest，

andthelikerambleaccordingtothecustomoflovers。

Inshort，

helefthimselfnoroomtoaskanymorequestionsabouther

estate，andshetooktheadvantageofitlikeaprudentwoman，

forsheplacedpartofherfortunesointrustees，withoutletting

himknowanythingofit，thatitwasquiteoutofhisreach，and

madehimbeverywellcontentwiththerest。

Itistrueshewasprettywellbesides，thatistosay，shehad

aboutinmoney，whichshegavehim；andtheother，

aftersometime，shebroughttolightasaperquisitetoherself，

whichhewastoacceptasamightyfavour，seeingthoughit

wasnottobehis，itmighteasehiminthearticleofherparticular

expenses；andImustadd，thatbythisconductthegentleman

himselfbecamenotonlythemorehumbleinhisapplications

tohertoobtainher，butalsowasmuchthemoreanobliging

husbandtoherwhenhehadher。

Icannotbutremindtheladies。