History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

by Henry Fielding

  Chapter vii.

  In which are concluded the adventures that happened at the inn atUpton.

  In the first place, then, this gentleman just arrived was no otherperson than Squire Western himself, who was come hither in pursuit ofhis daughter; and, had he fortunately been two hours earlier, he hadnot only found her, but his niece into the bargain; for such was thewife of Mr Fitzpatrick, who had run away with her five years before,out of the custody of that sage lady, Madam Western.

  Now this lady had departed from the inn much about the same time withSophia; for, having been waked by the voice of her husband, she hadsent up for the landlady, and being by her apprized of the matter, hadbribed the good woman, at an extravagant price, to furnish her withhorses for her escape. Such prevalence had money in this family; andthough the mistress would have turned away her maid for a corrupthussy, if she had known as much as the reader, yet she was no moreproof against corruption herself than poor Susan had been.

  Mr Western and his nephew were not known to one another; nor indeedwould the former have taken any notice of the latter if he had knownhim; for, this being a stolen match, and consequently an unnatural onein the opinion of the good squire, he had, from the time of hercommitting it, abandoned the poor young creature, who was then no morethan eighteen, as a monster, and had never since suffered her to benamed in his presence.

  The kitchen was now a scene of universal confusion, Western enquiringafter his daughter, and Fitzpatrick as eagerly after his wife, whenJones entered the room, unfortunately having Sophia's muff in hishand.

  As soon as Western saw Jones, he set up the same holla as is used bysportsmen when their game is in view. He then immediately run up andlaid hold of Jones, crying, "We have got the dog fox, I warrant thebitch is not far off." The jargon which followed for some minutes,where many spoke different things at the same time, as it would bevery difficult to describe, so would it be no less unpleasant to read.

  Jones having, at length, shaken Mr Western off, and some of thecompany having interfered between them, our heroe protested hisinnocence as to knowing anything of the lady; when Parson Supplestepped up, and said, "It is folly to deny it; for why, the marks ofguilt are in thy hands. I will myself asseverate and bind it by anoath, that the muff thou bearest in thy hand belongeth unto MadamSophia; for I have frequently observed her, of later days, to bear itabout her." "My daughter's muff!" cries the squire in a rage. "Hath hegot my daughter's muff? bear witness the goods are found upon him.I'll have him before a justice of peace this instant. Where is mydaughter, villain?" "Sir," said Jones, "I beg you would be pacified.The muff, I acknowledge, is the young lady's; but, upon my honour, Ihave never seen her." At these words Western lost all patience, andgrew inarticulate with rage.

  Some of the servants had acquainted Fitzpatrick who Mr Western was.The good Irishman, therefore, thinking he had now an opportunity to doan act of service to his uncle, and by that means might possiblyobtain his favour, stept up to Jones, and cried out, "Upon myconscience, sir, you may be ashamed of denying your having seen thegentleman's daughter before my face, when you know I found you thereupon the bed together." Then, turning to Western, he offered toconduct him immediately to the room where his daughter was; whichoffer being accepted, he, the squire, the parson, and some others,ascended directly to Mrs Waters's chamber, which they entered with noless violence than Mr Fitzpatrick had done before.

  The poor lady started from her sleep with as much amazement as terror,and beheld at her bedside a figure which might very well be supposedto have escaped out of Bedlam. Such wildness and confusion were in thelooks of Mr Western; who no sooner saw the lady than he started back,shewing sufficiently by his manner, before he spoke, that this was notthe person sought after.

  So much more tenderly do women value their reputation than theirpersons, that, though the latter seemed now in more danger thanbefore, yet, as the former was secure, the lady screamed not with suchviolence as she had done on the other occasion. However, she no soonerfound herself alone than she abandoned all thoughts of further repose;and, as she had sufficient reason to be dissatisfied with her presentlodging, she dressed herself with all possible expedition.

  Mr Western now proceeded to search the whole house, but to as littlepurpose as he had disturbed poor Mrs Waters. He then returneddisconsolate into the kitchen, where he found Jones in the custody ofhis servants.

  This violent uproar had raised all the people in the house, though itwas yet scarcely daylight. Among these was a grave gentleman, who hadthe honour to be in the commission of the peace for the county ofWorcester. Of which Mr Western was no sooner informed than he offeredto lay his complaint before him. The justice declined executing hisoffice, as he said he had no clerk present, nor no book about justicebusiness; and that he could not carry all the law in his head aboutstealing away daughters, and such sort of things.

  Here Mr Fitzpatrick offered to lend him his assistance, informing thecompany that he had been himself bred to the law. (And indeed he hadserved three years as clerk to an attorney in the north of Ireland,when, chusing a genteeler walk in life, he quitted his master, cameover to England, and set up that business which requires noapprenticeship, namely, that of a gentleman, in which he hadsucceeded, as hath been already partly mentioned.)

  Mr Fitzpatrick declared that the law concerning daughters was out ofthe present case; that stealing a muff was undoubtedly felony, and thegoods being found upon the person, were sufficient evidence of thefact.

  The magistrate, upon the encouragement of so learned a coadjutor, andupon the violent intercession of the squire, was at length prevailedupon to seat himself in the chair of justice, where being placed, uponviewing the muff which Jones still held in his hand, and upon theparson's swearing it to be the property of Mr Western, he desired MrFitzpatrick to draw up a commitment, which he said he would sign.

  Jones now desired to be heard, which was at last, with difficulty,granted him. He then produced the evidence of Mr Partridge, as to thefinding it; but, what was still more, Susan deposed that Sophiaherself had delivered the muff to her, and had ordered her to conveyit into the chamber where Mr Jones had found it.

  Whether a natural love of justice, or the extraordinary comeliness ofJones, had wrought on Susan to make the discovery, I will notdetermine; but such were the effects of her evidence, that themagistrate, throwing himself back in his chair, declared that thematter was now altogether as clear on the side of the prisoner as ithad before been against him: with which the parson concurred, saying,the Lord forbid he should be instrumental in committing an innocentperson to durance. The justice then arose, acquitted the prisoner, andbroke up the court.

  Mr Western now gave every one present a hearty curse, and, immediatelyordering his horses, departed in pursuit of his daughter, withouttaking the least notice of his nephew Fitzpatrick, or returning anyanswer to his claim of kindred, notwithstanding all the obligations hehad just received from that gentleman. In the violence, moreover, ofhis hurry, and of his passion, he luckily forgot to demand the muff ofJones: I say luckily; for he would have died on the spot rather thanhave parted with it.

  Jones likewise, with his friend Partridge, set forward the moment hehad paid his reckoning, in quest of his lovely Sophia, whom he nowresolved never more to abandon the pursuit of. Nor could he bringhimself even to take leave of Mrs Waters; of whom he detested the verythoughts, as she had been, though not designedly, the occasion of hismissing the happiest interview with Sophia, to whom he now vowedeternal constancy.

  As for Mrs Waters, she took the opportunity of the coach which wasgoing to Bath; for which place she set out in company with the twoIrish gentlemen, the landlady kindly lending her her cloaths; inreturn for which she was contented only to receive about double theirvalue, as a recompence for the loan. Upon the road she was perfectlyreconciled to Mr Fitzpatrick, who was a very handsome fellow, andindeed did all she could to console him in the absence of his wife.

  Thus ended the many odd adventures which Mr Jon
es encountered at hisinn at Upton, where they talk, to this day, of the beauty and lovelybehaviour of the charming Sophia, by the name of the Somersetshireangel.