Chapter viii.
In which the history goes backward.
Before we proceed any farther in our history, it may be proper to looka little back, in order to account for the extraordinary appearance ofSophia and her father at the inn at Upton.
The reader may be pleased to remember that, in the ninth chapter ofthe seventh book of our history, we left Sophia, after a long debatebetween love and duty, deciding the cause, as it usually, I believe,happens, in favour of the former.
This debate had arisen, as we have there shown, from a visit which herfather had just before made her, in order to force her consent to amarriage with Blifil; and which he had understood to be fully impliedin her acknowledgment "that she neither must nor could refuse anyabsolute command of his."
Now from this visit the squire retired to his evening potation,overjoyed at the success he had gained with his daughter; and, as hewas of a social disposition, and willing to have partakers in hishappiness, the beer was ordered to flow very liberally into thekitchen; so that before eleven in the evening there was not a singleperson sober in the house except only Mrs Western herself and thecharming Sophia.
Early in the morning a messenger was despatched to summon Mr Blifil;for, though the squire imagined that young gentleman had been muchless acquainted than he really was with the former aversion of hisdaughter, as he had not, however, yet received her consent, he longedimpatiently to communicate it to him, not doubting but that theintended bride herself would confirm it with her lips. As to thewedding, it had the evening before been fixed, by the male parties, tobe celebrated on the next morning save one.
Breakfast was now set forth in the parlour, where Mr Blifil attended,and where the squire and his sister likewise were assembled; and nowSophia was ordered to be called.
O, Shakespear! had I thy pen! O, Hogarth! had I thy pencil! then wouldI draw the picture of the poor serving-man, who, with palecountenance, staring eyes, chattering teeth, faultering tongue, andtrembling limbs,
(E'en such a man, so faint, so spiritless, So dull, so dead in look, so woe-begone, Drew Priam's curtains in the dead of night, And would have told him, half his Troy was burn'd)
entered the room, and declared--That Madam Sophia was not to be found.
"Not to be found!" cries the squire, starting from his chair; "Zoundsand d--nation! Blood and fury! Where, when, how, what--Not to befound! Where?"
"La! brother," said Mrs Western, with true political coldness, "youare always throwing yourself into such violent passions for nothing.My niece, I suppose, is only walked out into the garden. I protest youare grown so unreasonable, that it is impossible to live in the housewith you."
"Nay, nay," answered the squire, returning as suddenly to himself, ashe had gone from himself; "if that be all the matter, it signifies notmuch; but, upon my soul, my mind misgave me when the fellow said shewas not to be found." He then gave orders for the bell to be rung inthe garden, and sat himself contentedly down.
No two things could be more the reverse of each other than were thebrother and sister in most instances; particularly in this, That asthe brother never foresaw anything at a distance, but was mostsagacious in immediately seeing everything the moment it had happened;so the sister eternally foresaw at a distance, but was not soquick-sighted to objects before her eyes. Of both these the reader mayhave observed examples: and, indeed, both their several talents wereexcessive; for, as the sister often foresaw what never came to pass,so the brother often saw much more than was actually the truth.
This was not however the case at present. The same report was broughtfrom the garden as before had been brought from the chamber, thatMadam Sophia was not to be found.
The squire himself now sallied forth, and began to roar forth the nameof Sophia as loudly, and in as hoarse a voice, as whilome did Herculesthat of Hylas; and, as the poet tells us that the whole shore echoedback the name of that beautiful youth, so did the house, the garden,and all the neighbouring fields resound nothing but the name ofSophia, in the hoarse voices of the men, and in the shrill pipes ofthe women; while echo seemed so pleased to repeat the beloved sound,that, if there is really such a person, I believe Ovid hath belied hersex.
Nothing reigned for a long time but confusion; till at last thesquire, having sufficiently spent his breath, returned to the parlour,where he found Mrs Western and Mr Blifil, and threw himself, with theutmost dejection in his countenance, into a great chair.
Here Mrs Western began to apply the following consolation:
"Brother, I am sorry for what hath happened; and that my niece shouldhave behaved herself in a manner so unbecoming her family; but it isall your own doings, and you have nobody to thank but yourself. Youknow she hath been educated always in a manner directly contrary to myadvice, and now you see the consequence. Have I not a thousand timesargued with you about giving my niece her own will? But you know Inever could prevail upon you; and when I had taken so much pains toeradicate her headstrong opinions, and to rectify your errors inpolicy, you know she was taken out of my hands; so that I have nothingto answer for. Had I been trusted entirely with the care of hereducation, no such accident as this had ever befallen you; so that youmust comfort yourself by thinking it was all your own doing; and,indeed, what else could be expected from such indulgence?"
"Zounds! sister," answered he, "you are enough to make one mad. Have Iindulged her? Have I given her her will?----It was no longer ago thanlast night that I threatened, if she disobeyed me, to confine her toher chamber upon bread and water as long as she lived.----You wouldprovoke the patience of Job."
"Did ever mortal hear the like?" replied she. "Brother, if I had notthe patience of fifty Jobs, you would make me forget all decency anddecorum. Why would you interfere? Did I not beg you, did I not intreatyou, to leave the whole conduct to me? You have defeated all theoperations of the campaign by one false step. Would any man in hissenses have provoked a daughter by such threats as these? How oftenhave I told you that English women are not to be treated likeCiracessian[*] slaves. We have the protection of the world; we are tobe won by gentle means only, and not to be hectored, and bullied, andbeat into compliance. I thank Heaven no Salique law governs here.Brother, you have a roughness in your manner which no woman but myselfwould bear. I do not wonder my niece was frightened and terrified intotaking this measure; and, to speak honestly, I think my niece will bejustified to the world for what she hath done. I repeat it to youagain, brother, you must comfort yourself by rememb'ring that it isall your own fault. How often have I advised--" Here Western rosehastily from his chair, and, venting two or three horrid imprecations,ran out of the room.
[*] Possibly Circassian.
When he was departed, his sister expressed more bitterness (ifpossible) against him than she had done while he was present; for thetruth of which she appealed to Mr Blifil, who, with great complacence,acquiesced entirely in all she said; but excused all the faults of MrWestern, "as they must be considered," he said, "to have proceededfrom the too inordinate fondness of a father, which must be allowedthe name of an amiable weakness." "So much the more inexcuseable,"answered the lady; "for whom doth he ruin by his fondness but his ownchild?" To which Blifil immediately agreed.
Mrs Western then began to express great confusion on the account of MrBlifil, and of the usage which he had received from a family to whichhe intended so much honour. On this subject she treated the folly ofher niece with great severity; but concluded with throwing the wholeon her brother, who, she said, was inexcuseable to have proceeded sofar without better assurances of his daughter's consent: "But he was(says she) always of a violent, headstrong temper; and I can scarceforgive myself for all the advice I have thrown away upon him."
After much of this kind of conversation, which, perhaps, would notgreatly entertain the reader, was it here particularly related, MrBlifil took his leave and returned home, not highly pleased with hisdisappointment: which, however, the philosophy which he had acquiredfrom Square, and the religion i
nfused into him by Thwackum, togetherwith somewhat else, taught him to bear rather better than morepassionate lovers bear these kinds of evils.