Lovel. Only, my dearest life, resolve to attend the arrival and visit of Lady Betty; and permit her to arbitrate between us.
Capt. There can be no harm in that, Madam. You can suffer no inconvenience from that. If Mr. Lovelace"s offence be such, that a woman of Lady Betty"s character judges it to be unpardonable, why then--
Cl. [Interrupting; and to me,] If I am not invaded by you, Sir; if I am, (as I ought to be,) my own mistress, I think to stay here, in this honest house, [and then had I an eye-beam, as the Captain calls it, flashed at me,] till I receive a letter from Miss Howe. That, I hope, will be in a day or two. If in that time the ladies come whom you expect, and if they are desirous to see the creature whom you have made unhappy, I shall know whether I can or cannot receive their visit.
She turned short to the door, and, retiring, went up stairs to her chamber.
O Sir, said the Captain, as soon as she was gone, what an angel of a woman is this! I have been, and I am a very wicked man. But if any thing should happen amiss to this admirable lady, through my means, I shall have more cause for self-reproach than for all the bad actions of my life put together.
And his eyes glistened.
Nothing can happen amiss, thou sorrowful dog!--What can happen amiss?
Are we to form our opinion of things by the romantic notions of a girl, who supposes that to be the greatest which is the slightest of evils?
Have I not told thee our whole story? Has she not broken her promise?
Did I not generously spare her, when in my power? I was decent, though I had her at such advantage.--Greater liberties have I taken with girls of character at a common romping "bout, and all has been laughed off, and handkerchief and head-clothes adjusted, and petticoats shaken to rights, in my presence. Never man, in the like circ.u.mstances, and resolved as I was resolved, goaded on as I was goaded on, as well by her own s.e.x, as by the impulses of a violent pa.s.sion, was ever so decent.
Yet what mercy does she show me?
Now, Jack, this pitiful dog was such another unfortunate one as thyself --his arguments serving to confirm me in the very purpose he brought them to prevail upon me to give up. Had he left me to myself, to the tenderness of my own nature, moved as I was when the lady withdrew, and had he set down, and made odious faces, and said nothing--it is very possible that I should have taken the chair over against him, which she had quitted, and have cried and blubbered with him for half an hour together. But the varlet to argue with me!--to pretend to convince a man, who knows in is heart that he is doing a wrong thing!--He must needs think that this would put me upon trying what I could say for myself; and when the extended compunction can be carried from the heart to the lips it must evaporate in words.
Thou, perhaps, in this place, wouldst have urged the same pleas that he urged. What I answered to him therefore may do for thee, and spare thee the trouble of writing, and me of reading, a good deal of nonsense.
Capt. You were pleased to tell me, Sir, that you only proposed to try her virtue; and that you believed you should actually marry her.
Lovel. So I shall, and cannot help it. I have no doubt but I shall.
And as to trying her, is she not now in the height of her trial? Have I not reason to think that she is coming about? Is she not now yielding up her resentment for an attempt which she thinks she ought not to forgive?
And if she do, may she not forgive the last attempt?--Can she, in a word, resent that more than she does this? Women often, for their own sakes, will keep the last secret; but will ostentatiously din the ears of G.o.ds and men with their clamours upon a successless offer. It was my folly, my weakness, that I gave her not more cause for this her unsparing violence!
Capt. O Sir, you will never be able to subdue this lady without force.
Lovel. Well, then, puppy, must I not endeavour to find a proper time and place--
Capt. Forgive me, Sir! but can you think of force to such a fine creature?
Lovel. Force, indeed, I abhor the thought of; and for what, thinkest thou, have I taken all the pains I have taken, and engaged so many persons in my cause, but to avoid the necessity of violent compulsion?
But yet, imaginest thou that I expect direct consent from such a lover of forms as this lady is known to be! Let me tell thee, M"Donald, that thy master, Belford, has urged on thy side of the question all that thou canst urge. Must I have every sorry fellow"s conscience to pacify, as well as my own?--By my soul, Patrick, she has a friend here, [clapping my hand on my breast,] that pleads for her with greater and more irresistible eloquence than all the men in the world can plead for her.
And had she not escaped me--And yet how have I answered my first design of trying her,* and in her the virtue of the most virtuous of the s.e.x?-- Perseverance, man!--Perseverance!--What! wouldst thou have me decline a trial that they make for the honour of a s.e.x we all so dearly love?
* See Vol. III. Letter XVIII.
Then, Sir, you have no thoughts--no thoughts--[looking still more sorrowfully,] of marrying this wonderful lady?
Yes, yes, Patrick, but I have. But let me, first, to gratify my pride, bring down her"s. Let me see, that she loves me well enough to forgive me for my own sake. Has she not heretofore lamented that she staid not in her father"s house, though the consequence must have been, if she had, that she would have been the wife of the odious Solmes? If now she be brought to consent to be mine, seest thou not that the reconciliation with her detested relations is the inducement, as it always was, and not love of me?--Neither her virtue nor her love can be established but upon full trial; the last trial--but if her resistance and resentment be such as. .h.i.therto I have reason to expect they will be, and if I find in that resentment less of hatred of me than of the fact, then shall she be mine in her own way. Then, hateful as is the life of shackles to me, will I marry her.
Well, Sir, I can only say, that I am dough in your hands, to be moulded into what shape you please. But if, as I said before--
None of thy Said-before"s, Patrick. I remember all thou saidst--and I know all thou canst farther say--thou art only, Pontius Pilate like, washing thine own hands, (don"t I know thee?) that thou mayest have something to silence thy conscience with by loading me. But we have gone too far to recede. Are not all our engines in readiness? Dry up thy sorrowful eyes. Let unconcern and heart"s ease once more take possession of thy solemn features. Thou hast hitherto performed extremely well.-- Shame not thy past by thy future behaviour; and a rich reward awaits thee. If thou art dough be dough; and I slapt him on the shoulder-- Resume but thy former shape, and I"ll be answerable for the event.
He bowed a.s.sent and compliance; went to the gla.s.s; and began to untwist and unsadden his features; pulled his wig right, as if that, as well as his head and heart had been discomposed by his compunction, and once more became old Lucifer"s and mine.
But didst thou think, Jack, that there was so much--What-shall-I-call-it?
--in this Tomlinson? Didst thou imagine that such a fellow as that had bowels? That nature, so long dead and buried in him, as to all humane effects, should thus revive and exert itself?--Yet why do I ask this question of thee, who, to my equal surprise, hast shown, on the same occasion, the like compa.s.sionate sensibilities?
As to Tomlinson, it looks as if poverty had made him the wicked fellow he is; as plenty and wantonness have made us what we are. Necessity, after all, is the test of principle. But what is there in this dull word, or thing, called HONESTY, that even I, who cannot in my present views be served by it, cannot help thinking even the accidental emanations of it amiable in Tomlinson, though demonstrated in a female case; and judging better of him for being capable of such?
LETTER x.x.xVI
MR. LOVELACE, TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.
This debate between the Captain and me was hardly over when the three women, led by Miss Rawlins, entered, hoping no intrusion, but very desirous, the maiden said, to know if we were likely to accommodate.
O yes, I hope so. You know, Ladies, that your s.e.x must, in these cases, preserve their forms. They must be courted to comply with their own happiness. A lucky expedient we have hit upon. The uncle has his doubts of our marriage. He cannot believe, nor will any body, that it is possible that a man so much in love, the lady so desirable--
They all took the hint. It was a very extraordinary case, the two widows allowed. Women, Jack, [as I believe I have observed* elsewhere,] have a high opinion of what they can do for us. Miss Rawlins desired, if I pleased, to let them know the expedient; and looked as if there was no need to proceed in the rest of my speech.
* See Letter XXIV. of this volume.
I begged that they would not let the lady know I had told them what this expedient was; and they should hear it.
They promised.
It was this: that to oblige and satisfy Mr. Harlowe, the ceremony was to be again performed. He was to be privately present, and to give his niece to me with his own hands--and she was retired to consider of it.
Thou seest, Jack, that I have provided an excuse, to save my veracity to the women here, in case I should incline to marriage, and she should choose to have Miss Rawlins"s a.s.sistance at the ceremony. Nor doubted I to bring my fair-one to save my credit on this occasion, if I could get her to consent to be mine.
A charming expedient! cried the widow. They were all three ready to clap their hands for joy upon it. Women love to be married twice at least, Jack; though not indeed to the same man. And all blessed the reconciliatory scheme and the proposer of it; and, supposing it came from the Captain, they looked at him with pleasure, while his face shined with the applause implied. He should think himself very happy, if he could bring about a general reconciliation; and he flourished with his head like my man Will. on his victory over old Grimes; bridling by turns, like Miss Rawlins in the height of a prudish fit.
But now it was time for the Captain to think of returning to town, having a great deal of business to dispatch before morning. Nor was he certain that he should be able again to attend us at Hampstead before he went home.
And yet, as every thing was drawing towards a crisis, I did not intend that he should leave Hampstead that night.
A message to the above effect was carried up, at my desire, by Mrs.
Moore; with the Captain"s compliments, and to know if she had any commands for him to her uncle?
But I hinted to the women, that it would be proper for them to withdraw, if the lady did come down; lest she should not care to be so free before them on a proposal so particular, as she would be to us, who had offered it to her consideration.
Mrs. Moore brought down word that the lady was following her. They all three withdrew; and she entered at one door, as they went out at the other.
The Captain accosted her, repeating the contents of the message sent up; and desired that she would give him her commands in relation to the report he was to make to her uncle Harlowe.
I know not what to say, Sir, nor what I would have you to say, to my uncle--perhaps you may have business in town--perhaps you need not see my uncle till I have heard from Miss Howe; till after Lady Betty--I don"t know what to say.