Chapter iv.
An extraordinary scene between Sophia and her aunt.
The lowing heifer and the bleating ewe, in herds and flocks, mayramble safe and unregarded through the pastures. These are, indeed,hereafter doomed to be the prey of man; yet many years are theysuffered to enjoy their liberty undisturbed. But if a plump doe bediscovered to have escaped from the forest, and to repose herself insome field or grove, the whole parish is presently alarmed, every manis ready to set his dogs after her; and, if she is preserved from therest by the good squire, it is only that he may secure her for his owneating.
I have often considered a very fine young woman of fortune andfashion, when first found strayed from the pale of her nursery, to bein pretty much the same situation with this doe. The town isimmediately in an uproar; she is hunted from park to play, from courtto assembly, from assembly to her own chamber, and rarely escapes asingle season from the jaws of some devourer or other; for, if herfriends protect her from some, it is only to deliver her over to oneof their own chusing, often more disagreeable to her than any of therest; while whole herds or flocks of other women securely, and scarceregarded, traverse the park, the play, the opera, and the assembly;and though, for the most part at least, they are at last devoured, yetfor a long time do they wanton in liberty, without disturbance orcontroul.
Of all these paragons none ever tasted more of this persecution thanpoor Sophia. Her ill stars were not contented with all that she hadsuffered on account of Blifil, they now raised her another pursuer,who seemed likely to torment her no less than the other had done. Forthough her aunt was less violent, she was no less assiduous in teizingher, than her father had been before.
The servants were no sooner departed after dinner than Mrs Western,who had opened the matter to Sophia, informed her, "That she expectedhis lordship that very afternoon, and intended to take the firstopportunity of leaving her alone with him." "If you do, madam,"answered Sophia, with some spirit, "I shall take the first opportunityof leaving him by himself." "How! madam!" cries the aunt; "is this thereturn you make me for my kindness in relieving you from yourconfinement at your father's?" "You know, madam," said Sophia, "thecause of that confinement was a refusal to comply with my father inaccepting a man I detested; and will my dear aunt, who hath relievedme from that distress, involve me in another equally bad?" "And do youthink then, madam," answered Mrs Western, "that there is no differencebetween my Lord Fellamar and Mr Blifil?" "Very little, in my opinion,"cries Sophia; "and, if I must be condemned to one, I would certainlyhave the merit of sacrificing myself to my father's pleasure." "Thenmy pleasure, I find," said the aunt, "hath very little weight withyou; but that consideration shall not move me. I act from noblermotives. The view of aggrandizing my family, of ennobling yourself, iswhat I proceed upon. Have you no sense of ambition? Are there nocharms in the thoughts of having a coronet on your coach?" "None, uponmy honour," said Sophia. "A pincushion upon my coach would please mejust as well." "Never mention honour," cries the aunt. "It becomes notthe mouth of such a wretch. I am sorry, niece, you force me to usethese words, but I cannot bear your groveling temper; you have none ofthe blood of the Westerns in you. But, however mean and base your ownideas are, you shall bring no imputation on mine. I will never sufferthe world to say of me that I encouraged you in refusing one of thebest matches in England; a match which, besides its advantage infortune, would do honour to almost any family, and hath, indeed, intitle, the advantage of ours." "Surely," says Sophia, "I am borndeficient, and have not the senses with which other people areblessed; there must be certainly some sense which can relish thedelights of sound and show, which I have not; for surely mankind wouldnot labour so much, nor sacrifice so much for the obtaining, nor wouldthey be so elate and proud with possessing, what appeared to them, asit doth to me, the most insignificant of all trifles."
"No, no, miss," cries the aunt; "you are born with as many senses asother people; but I assure you you are not born with a sufficientunderstanding to make a fool of me, or to expose my conduct to theworld; so I declare this to you, upon my word, and you know, Ibelieve, how fixed my resolutions are, unless you agree to see hislordship this afternoon, I will, with my own hands, deliver youto-morrow morning to my brother, and will never henceforth interferewith you, nor see your face again." Sophia stood a few moments silentafter this speech, which was uttered in a most angry and peremptorytone; and then, bursting into tears, she cryed, "Do with me, madam,whatever you please; I am the most miserable undone wretch upon earth;if my dear aunt forsakes me where shall I look for a protector?" "Mydear niece," cries she, "you will have a very good protector in hislordship; a protector whom nothing but a hankering after that vilefellow Jones can make you decline." "Indeed, madam," said Sophia, "youwrong me. How can you imagine, after what you have shewn me, if I hadever any such thoughts, that I should not banish them for ever? If itwill satisfy you, I will receive the sacrament upon it never to seehis face again." "But, child, dear child," said the aunt, "bereasonable; can you invent a single objection?" "I have already, Ithink, told you a sufficient objection," answered Sophia. "What?"cries the aunt; "I remember none." "Sure, madam," said Sophia, "I toldyou he had used me in the rudest and vilest manner." "Indeed, child,"answered she, "I never heard you, or did not understand you:--but whatdo you mean by this rude, vile manner?" "Indeed, madam," said Sophia,"I am almost ashamed to tell you. He caught me in his arms, pulled medown upon the settee, and thrust his hand into my bosom, and kissed itwith such violence that I have the mark upon my left breast at thismoment." "Indeed!" said Mrs Western. "Yes, indeed, madam," answeredSophia; "my father luckily came in at that instant, or Heaven knowswhat rudeness he intended to have proceeded to." "I am astonished andconfounded," cries the aunt. "No woman of the name of Western hathbeen ever treated so since we were a family. I would have torn theeyes of a prince out, if he had attempted such freedoms with me. It isimpossible! sure, Sophia, you must invent this to raise my indignationagainst him." "I hope, madam," said Sophia, "you have too good anopinion of me to imagine me capable of telling an untruth. Upon mysoul it is true." "I should have stabbed him to the heart, had I beenpresent," returned the aunt. "Yet surely he could have nodishonourable design; it is impossible! he durst not: besides, hisproposals shew he hath not; for they are not only honourable, butgenerous. I don't know; the age allows too great freedoms. A distantsalute is all I would have allowed before the ceremony. I have hadlovers formerly, not so long ago neither; several lovers, though Inever would consent to marriage, and I never encouraged the leastfreedom. It is a foolish custom, and what I never would agree to. Noman kissed more of me than my cheek. It is as much as one can bringoneself to give lips up to a husband; and, indeed, could I ever havebeen persuaded to marry, I believe I should not have soon been broughtto endure so much." "You will pardon me, dear madam," said Sophia, "ifI make one observation: you own you have had many lovers, and theworld knows it, even if you should deny it. You refused them all, and,I am convinced, one coronet at least among them." "You say true, dearSophy," answered she; "I had once the offer of a title." "Why, then,"said Sophia, "will you not suffer me to refuse this once?" "It istrue, child," said she, "I have refused the offer of a title; but itwas not so good an offer; that is, not so very, very good anoffer."--"Yes, madam," said Sophia; "but you have had very greatproposals from men of vast fortunes. It was not the first, nor thesecond, nor the third advantageous match that offered itself." "I ownit was not," said she. "Well, madam," continued Sophia, "and why maynot I expect to have a second, perhaps, better than this? You are nowbut a young woman, and I am convinced would not promise to yield tothe first lover of fortune, nay, or of title too. I am a very youngwoman, and sure I need not despair." "Well, my dear, dear Sophy,"cries the aunt, "what would you have me say?" "Why, I only beg that Imay not be left alone, at least this evening; grant me that, and Iwill submit, if you think, after what is past, I ought to see him inyour company." "Well, I will grant it," cries the aunt. "Sophy, youknow I love you, and can deny you
nothing. You know the easiness of mynature; I have not always been so easy. I have been formerly thoughtcruel; by the men, I mean. I was called the cruel Parthenissa. I havebroke many a window that has had verses to the cruel Parthenissa init. Sophy, I was never so handsome as you, and yet I had something ofyou formerly. I am a little altered. Kingdoms and states, as TullyCicero says in his epistles, undergo alterations, and so must thehuman form." Thus run she on for near half an hour upon herself, andher conquests, and her cruelty, till the arrival of my lord, who,after a most tedious visit, during which Mrs Western never onceoffered to leave the room, retired, not much more satisfied with theaunt than with the niece; for Sophia had brought her aunt into soexcellent a temper, that she consented to almost everything her niecesaid; and agreed that a little distant behaviour might not be improperto so forward a lover.
Thus Sophia, by a little well-directed flattery, for which surely nonewill blame her, obtained a little ease for herself, and, at least, putoff the evil day. And now we have seen our heroine in a bettersituation than she hath been for a long time before, we will look alittle after Mr Jones, whom we left in the most deplorable situationthat can be well imagined.