History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

by Henry Fielding

  Chapter xi.

  The history draws nearer to a conclusion.

  When Mr Western was departed, Jones began to inform Mr Allworthy andMrs Miller that his liberty had been procured by two noble lords, who,together with two surgeons and a friend of Mr Nightingale's, hadattended the magistrate by whom he had been committed, and by whom, onthe surgeons' oaths, that the wounded person was out of all manner ofdanger from his wound, he was discharged.

  One only of these lords, he said, he had ever seen before, and that nomore than once; but the other had greatly surprized him by asking hispardon for an offence he had been guilty of towards him, occasioned,he said, entirely by his ignorance who he was.

  Now the reality of the case, with which Jones was not acquainted tillafterwards, was this:--The lieutenant whom Lord Fellamar had employed,according to the advice of Lady Bellaston, to press Jones as avagabond into the sea-service, when he came to report to his lordshipthe event which we have before seen, spoke very favourably of thebehaviour of Mr Jones on all accounts, and strongly assured that lordthat he must have mistaken the person, for that Jones was certainly agentleman; insomuch that his lordship, who was strictly a man ofhonour, and would by no means have been guilty of an action which theworld in general would have condemned, began to be much concerned forthe advice which he had taken.

  Within a day or two after this, Lord Fellamar happened to dine withthe Irish peer, who, in a conversation upon the duel, acquainted hiscompany with the character of Fitzpatrick; to which, indeed, he didnot do strict justice, especially in what related to his lady. He saidshe was the most innocent, the most injured woman alive, and that fromcompassion alone he had undertaken her cause. He then declared anintention of going the next morning to Fitzpatrick's lodgings, inorder to prevail with him, if possible, to consent to a separationfrom his wife, who, the peer said, was in apprehensions for her life,if she should ever return to be under the power of her husband. LordFellamar agreed to go with him, that he might satisfy himself moreconcerning Jones and the circumstances of the duel; for he was by nomeans easy concerning the part he had acted. The moment his lordshipgave a hint of his readiness to assist in the delivery of the lady, itwas eagerly embraced by the other nobleman, who depended much on theauthority of Lord Fellamar, as he thought it would greatly contributeto awe Fitzpatrick into a compliance; and perhaps he was in the right;for the poor Irishman no sooner saw these noble peers had undertakenthe cause of his wife than he submitted, and articles of separationwere soon drawn up and signed between the parties.

  Fitzpatrick, who had been so well satisfied by Mrs Waters concerningthe innocence of his wife with Jones at Upton, or perhaps, from someother reasons, was now become so indifferent to that matter, that hespoke highly in favour of Jones to Lord Fellamar, took all the blameupon himself, and said the other had behaved very much like agentleman and a man of honour; and upon that lord's further enquiryconcerning Mr Jones, Fitzpatrick told him he was nephew to a gentlemanof very great fashion and fortune, which was the account he had justreceived from Mrs Waters after her interview with Dowling.

  Lord Fellamar now thought it behoved him to do everything in his powerto make satisfaction to a gentleman whom he had so grossly injured,and without any consideration of rivalship (for he had now given overall thoughts of Sophia), determined to procure Mr Jones's liberty,being satisfied, as well from Fitzpatrick as his surgeon, that thewound was not mortal. He therefore prevailed with the Irish peer toaccompany him to the place where Jones was confined, to whom hebehaved as we have already related.

  When Allworthy returned to his lodgings, he immediately carried Jonesinto his room, and then acquainted him with the whole matter, as wellwhat he had heard from Mrs Waters as what he had discovered from MrDowling.

  Jones expressed great astonishment and no less concern at thisaccount, but without making any comment or observation upon it. Andnow a message was brought from Mr Blifil, desiring to know if hisuncle was at leisure that he might wait upon him. Allworthy startedand turned pale, and then in a more passionate tone than I believe hehad ever used before, bid the servant tell Blifil he knew him not."Consider, dear sir," cries Jones, in a trembling voice. "I haveconsidered," answered Allworthy, "and you yourself shall carry mymessage to the villain. No one can carry him the sentence of his ownruin so properly as the man whose ruin he hath so villanouslycontrived." "Pardon me, dear sir," said Jones; "a moment's reflectionwill, I am sure, convince you of the contrary. What might perhaps bebut justice from another tongue, would from mine be insult; and towhom?--my own brother and your nephew. Nor did he use me sobarbarously--indeed, that would have been more inexcusable thananything he hath done. Fortune may tempt men of no very baddispositions to injustice; but insults proceed only from black andrancorous minds, and have no temptations to excuse them. Let mebeseech you, sir, to do nothing by him in the present height of youranger. Consider, my dear uncle, I was not myself condemned unheard."Allworthy stood silent a moment, and then, embracing Jones, he said,with tears gushing from his eyes, "O my child! to what goodness have Ibeen so long blind!"

  Mrs Miller entering the room at that moment, after a gentle rap whichwas not perceived, and seeing Jones in the arms of his uncle, the poorwoman in an agony of joy fell upon her knees, and burst forth into themost ecstatic thanksgivings to heaven for what had happened; then,running to Jones, she embraced him eagerly, crying, "My dearestfriend, I wish you joy a thousand and a thousand times of this blestday." And next Mr Allworthy himself received the same congratulations.To which he answered, "Indeed, indeed, Mrs Miller, I am beyondexpression happy." Some few more raptures having passed on all sides,Mrs Miller desired them both to walk down to dinner in the parlour,where she said there were a very happy set of people assembled--beingindeed no other than Mr Nightingale and his bride, and his cousinHarriet with her bridegroom.

  Allworthy excused himself from dining with the company, saying he hadordered some little thing for him and his nephew in his own apartment,for that they had much private business to discourse of; but would notresist promising the good woman that both he and Jones would make partof her society at supper.

  Mrs Miller then asked what was to be done with Blifil? "for indeed,"says she, "I cannot be easy while such a villain is in myhouse."--Allworthy answered, "He was as uneasy as herself on the sameaccount." "Oh!" cries she, "if that be the case, leave the matter tome, I'll soon show him the outside out of my doors, I warrant you.Here are two or three lusty fellows below-stairs." "There will be noneed of any violence," cries Allworthy; "if you will carry him amessage from me, he will, I am convinced, depart of his own accord.""Will I?" said Mrs Miller; "I never did anything in my life with abetter will." Here Jones interfered, and said, "He had considered thematter better, and would, if Mr Allworthy pleased, be himself themessenger. I know," says he, "already enough of your pleasure, sir,and I beg leave to acquaint him with it by my own words. Let mebeseech you, sir," added he, "to reflect on the dreadful consequencesof driving him to violent and sudden despair. How unfit, alas! is thispoor man to die in his present situation." This suggestion had not theleast effect on Mrs Miller. She left the room, crying, "You are toogood, Mr Jones, infinitely too good to live in this world." But itmade a deeper impression on Allworthy. "My good child," said he, "I amequally astonished at the goodness of your heart, and the quickness ofyour understanding. Heaven indeed forbid that this wretch should bedeprived of any means or time for repentance! That would be a shockingconsideration indeed. Go to him, therefore, and use your owndiscretion; yet do not flatter him with any hopes of my forgiveness;for I shall never forgive villany farther than my religion obliges me,and that extends not either to our bounty or our conversation."

  Jones went up to Blifil's room, whom he found in a situation whichmoved his pity, though it would have raised a less amiable passion inmany beholders. He cast himself on his bed, where he lay abandoninghimself to despair, and drowned in tears; not in such tears as flowfrom contrition, and wash away guilt from minds which have beenseduce
d or surprized into it unawares, against the bent of theirnatural dispositions, as will sometimes happen from human frailty,even to the good; no, these tears were such as the frighted thiefsheds in his cart, and are indeed the effects of that concern whichthe most savage natures are seldom deficient in feeling forthemselves.

  It would be unpleasant and tedious to paint this scene in full length.Let it suffice to say, that the behaviour of Jones was kind to excess.He omitted nothing which his invention could supply, to raise andcomfort the drooping spirits of Blifil, before he communicated to himthe resolution of his uncle that he must quit the house that evening.He offered to furnish him with any money he wanted, assured him of hishearty forgiveness of all he had done against him, that he wouldendeavour to live with him hereafter as a brother, and would leavenothing unattempted to effectuate a reconciliation with his uncle.

  Blifil was at first sullen and silent, balancing in his mind whetherhe should yet deny all; but, finding at last the evidence too strongagainst him, he betook himself at last to confession. He then askedpardon of his brother in the most vehement manner, prostrated himselfon the ground, and kissed his feet; in short he was now as remarkablymean as he had been before remarkably wicked.

  Jones could not so far check his disdain, but that it a littlediscovered itself in his countenance at this extreme servility. Heraised his brother the moment he could from the ground, and advisedhim to bear his afflictions more like a man; repeating, at the sametime, his promises, that he would do all in his power to lessen them;for which Blifil, making many professions of his unworthiness, pouredforth a profusion of thanks; and then, he having declared he wouldimmediately depart to another lodging, Jones returned to his uncle.

  Among other matters, Allworthy now acquainted Jones with the discoverywhich he had made concerning the L500 bank-notes. "I have," said he,"already consulted a lawyer, who tells me, to my great astonishment,that there is no punishment for a fraud of this kind. Indeed, when Iconsider the black ingratitude of this fellow toward you, I think ahighwayman, compared to him, is an innocent person."

  "Good Heaven!" says Jones, "is it possible?--I am shocked beyondmeasure at this news. I thought there was not an honester fellow inthe world.----The temptation of such a sum was too great for him towithstand; for smaller matters have come safe to me through his hand.Indeed, my dear uncle, you must suffer me to call it weakness ratherthan ingratitude; for I am convinced the poor fellow loves me, andhath done me some kindnesses, which I can never forget; nay, I believehe hath repented of this very act; for it is not above a day or twoago, when my affairs seemed in the most desperate situation, that hevisited me in my confinement, and offered me any money I wanted.Consider, sir, what a temptation to a man who hath tasted such bitterdistress, it must be, to have a sum in his possession which must puthim and his family beyond any future possibility of suffering thelike."

  "Child," cries Allworthy, "you carry this forgiving temper too far.Such mistaken mercy is not only weakness, but borders on injustice,and is very pernicious to society, as it encourages vice. Thedishonesty of this fellow I might, perhaps, have pardoned, but neverhis ingratitude. And give me leave to say, when we suffer anytemptation to atone for dishonesty itself, we are as candid andmerciful as we ought to be; and so far I confess I have gone; for Ihave often pitied the fate of a highwayman, when I have been on thegrand jury; and have more than once applied to the judge on the behalfof such as have had any mitigating circumstances in their case; butwhen dishonesty is attended with any blacker crime, such as cruelty,murder, ingratitude, or the like, compassion and forgiveness thenbecome faults. I am convinced the fellow is a villain, and he shall bepunished; at least as far as I can punish him."

  This was spoken with so stern a voice, that Jones did not think properto make any reply; besides, the hour appointed by Mr Western now drewso near, that he had barely time left to dress himself. Here thereforeended the present dialogue, and Jones retired to another room, wherePartridge attended, according to order, with his cloaths.

  Partridge had scarce seen his master since the happy discovery. Thepoor fellow was unable either to contain or express his transports. Hebehaved like one frantic, and made almost as many mistakes while hewas dressing Jones as I have seen made by Harlequin in dressinghimself on the stage.

  His memory, however, was not in the least deficient. He recollectednow many omens and presages of this happy event, some of which he hadremarked at the time, but many more he now remembered; nor did he omitthe dreams he had dreamt the evening before his meeting with Jones;and concluded with saying, "I always told your honour something bodedin my mind that you would one time or other have it in your power tomake my fortune." Jones assured him that this boding should ascertainly be verified with regard to him as all the other omens hadbeen to himself; which did not a little add to all the raptures whichthe poor fellow had already conceived on account of his master.