History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
Page 160
Chapter v.
A short account of the history of Mrs Miller.
Jones this day eat a pretty good dinner for a sick man, that is tosay, the larger half of a shoulder of mutton. In the afternoon hereceived an invitation from Mrs Miller to drink tea; for that goodwoman, having learnt, either by means of Partridge, or by some othermeans natural or supernatural, that he had a connexion with MrAllworthy, could not endure the thoughts of parting with him in anangry manner.
Jones accepted the invitation; and no sooner was the tea-kettleremoved, and the girls sent out of the room, than the widow, withoutmuch preface, began as follows: "Well, there are very surprizingthings happen in this world; but certainly it is a wonderful businessthat I should have a relation of Mr Allworthy in my house, and neverknow anything of the matter. Alas! sir, you little imagine what afriend that best of gentlemen hath been to me and mine. Yes, sir, I amnot ashamed to own it; it is owing to his goodness that I did not longsince perish for want, and leave my poor little wretches, twodestitute, helpless, friendless orphans, to the care, or rather to thecruelty, of the world.
"You must know, sir, though I am now reduced to get my living byletting lodgings, I was born and bred a gentlewoman. My father was anofficer of the army, and died in a considerable rank: but he lived upto his pay; and, as that expired with him, his family, at his death,became beggars. We were three sisters. One of us had the good luck todie soon after of the small-pox; a lady was so kind as to take thesecond out of charity, as she said, to wait upon her. The mother ofthis lady had been a servant to my grand-mother; and, having inheriteda vast fortune from her father, which he had got by pawnbroking, wasmarried to a gentleman of great estate and fashion. She used my sisterso barbarously, often upbraiding her with her birth and poverty,calling her in derision a gentlewoman, that I believe she at lengthbroke the heart of the poor girl. In short, she likewise died within atwelvemonth after my father. Fortune thought proper to provide betterfor me, and within a month from his decease I was married to aclergyman, who had been my lover a long time before, and who had beenvery ill used by my father on that account: for though my poor fathercould not give any of us a shilling, yet he bred us up as delicately,considered us, and would have had us consider ourselves, as highly asif we had been the richest heiresses. But my dear husband forgot allthis usage, and the moment we were become fatherless he immediatelyrenewed his addresses to me so warmly, that I, who always liked, andnow more than ever esteemed him, soon complied. Five years did I livein a state of perfect happiness with that best of men, till atlast--Oh! cruel! cruel fortune, that ever separated us, that deprivedme of the kindest of husbands and my poor girls of the tenderestparent.--O my poor girls! you never knew the blessing which yelost.--I am ashamed, Mr Jones, of this womanish weakness; but I shallnever mention him without tears." "I ought rather, madam," said Jones,"to be ashamed that I do not accompany you." "Well, sir," continuedshe, "I was now left a second time in a much worse condition thanbefore; besides the terrible affliction I was to encounter, I had nowtwo children to provide for; and was, if possible, more pennyless thanever; when that great, that good, that glorious man, Mr Allworthy, whohad some little acquaintance with my husband, accidentally heard of mydistress, and immediately writ this letter to me. Here, sir, here itis; I put it into my pocket to shew it you. This is the letter, sir; Imust and will read it to you.
"'Madam,
"'I heartily condole with you on your late grievous loss, which your own good sense, and the excellent lessons you must have learnt from the worthiest of men, will better enable you to bear than any advice which I am capable of giving. Nor have I any doubt that you, whom I have heard to be the tenderest of mothers, will suffer any immoderate indulgence of grief to prevent you from discharging your duty to those poor infants, who now alone stand in need of your tenderness.
"`However, as you must be supposed at present to be incapable of much worldly consideration, you will pardon my having ordered a person to wait on you, and to pay you twenty guineas, which I beg you will accept till I have the pleasure of seeing you, and believe me to be, madam, &c.'
"This letter, sir, I received within a fortnight after the irreparableloss I have mentioned; and within a fortnight afterwards, MrAllworthy--the blessed Mr Allworthy, came to pay me a visit, when heplaced me in the house where you now see me, gave me a large sum ofmoney to furnish it, and settled an annuity of L50 a-year upon me,which I have constantly received ever since. Judge, then, Mr Jones, inwhat regard I must hold a benefactor, to whom I owe the preservationof my life, and of those dear children, for whose sake alone my lifeis valuable. Do not, therefore, think me impertinent, Mr Jones (sinceI must esteem one for whom I know Mr Allworthy hath so much value), ifI beg you not to converse with these wicked women. You are a younggentleman, and do not know half their artful wiles. Do not be angrywith me, sir, for what I said upon account of my house; you must besensible it would be the ruin of my poor dear girls. Besides, sir, youcannot but be acquainted that Mr Allworthy himself would never forgivemy conniving at such matters, and particularly with you."
"Upon my word, madam," said Jones, "you need make no farther apology;nor do I in the least take anything ill you have said; but give meleave, as no one can have more value than myself for Mr Allworthy, todeliver you from one mistake, which, perhaps, would not be altogetherfor his honour; I do assure you, I am no relation of his."
"Alas! sir," answered she, "I know you are not, I know very well whoyou are; for Mr Allworthy hath told me all; but I do assure you, hadyou been twenty times his son, he could not have expressed more regardfor you than he hath often expressed in my presence. You need not beashamed, sir, of what you are; I promise you no good person willesteem you the less on that account. No, Mr Jones, the words`dishonourable birth' are nonsense, as my dear, dear husband used tosay, unless the word `dishonourable' be applied to the parents; forthe children can derive no real dishonour from an act of which theyare intirely innocent."
Here Jones heaved a deep sigh, and then said, "Since I perceive,madam, you really do know me, and Mr Allworthy hath thought proper tomention my name to you; and since you have been so explicit with me asto your own affairs, I will acquaint you with some more circumstancesconcerning myself." And these Mrs Miller having expressed great desireand curiosity to hear, he began and related to her his whole history,without once mentioning the name of Sophia.
There is a kind of sympathy in honest minds, by means of which theygive an easy credit to each other. Mrs Miller believed all which Jonestold her to be true, and exprest much pity and concern for him. Shewas beginning to comment on the story, but Jones interrupted her; for,as the hour of assignation now drew nigh, he began to stipulate for asecond interview with the lady that evening, which he promised shouldbe the last at her house; swearing, at the same time, that she was oneof great distinction, and that nothing but what was intirely innocentwas to pass between them; and I do firmly believe he intended to keephis word.
Mrs Miller was at length prevailed on, and Jones departed to hischamber, where he sat alone till twelve o'clock, but no Lady Bellastonappeared.
As we have said that this lady had a great affection for Jones, and asit must have appeared that she really had so, the reader may perhapswonder at the first failure of her appointment, as she apprehended himto be confined by sickness, a season when friendship seems most torequire such visits. This behaviour, therefore, in the lady, may, bysome, be condemned as unnatural; but that is not our fault; for ourbusiness is only to record truth.