Chapter v.
Containing much matter to exercise the judgment and reflection of thereader.
I believe it is a true observation, that few secrets are divulged toone person only; but certainly, it would be next to a miracle that afact of this kind should be known to a whole parish, and not transpireany farther.
And, indeed, a very few days had past, before the country, to use acommon phrase, rung of the schoolmaster of Little Baddington; who wassaid to have beaten his wife in the most cruel manner. Nay, in someplaces it was reported he had murdered her; in others, that he hadbroke her arms; in others, her legs: in short, there was scarce aninjury which can be done to a human creature, but what Mrs Partridgewas somewhere or other affirmed to have received from her husband.
The cause of this quarrel was likewise variously reported; for as somepeople said that Mrs Partridge had caught her husband in bed with hismaid, so many other reasons, of a very different kind, went abroad.Nay, some transferred the guilt to the wife, and the jealousy to thehusband.
Mrs Wilkins had long ago heard of this quarrel; but, as a differentcause from the true one had reached her ears, she thought proper toconceal it; and the rather, perhaps, as the blame was universally laidon Mr Partridge; and his wife, when she was servant to Mr Allworthy,had in something offended Mrs Wilkins, who was not of a very forgivingtemper.
But Mrs Wilkins, whose eyes could see objects at a distance, and whocould very well look forward a few years into futurity, had perceiveda strong likelihood of Captain Blifil's being hereafter her master;and as she plainly discerned that the captain bore no great goodwillto the little foundling, she fancied it would be rendering him anagreeable service, if she could make any discoveries that might lessenthe affection which Mr Allworthy seemed to have contracted for thischild, and which gave visible uneasiness to the captain, who could notentirely conceal it even before Allworthy himself; though his wife,who acted her part much better in public, frequently recommended tohim her own example, of conniving at the folly of her brother, which,she said, she at least as well perceived, and as much resented, as anyother possibly could.
Mrs Wilkins having therefore, by accident, gotten a true scent of theabove story,--though long after it had happened, failed not to satisfyherself thoroughly of all the particulars; and then acquainted thecaptain, that she had at last discovered the true father of the littlebastard, which she was sorry, she said, to see her master lose hisreputation in the country, by taking so much notice of.
The captain chid her for the conclusion of her speech, as an improperassurance in judging of her master's actions: for if his honour, orhis understanding, would have suffered the captain to make an alliancewith Mrs Wilkins, his pride would by no means have admitted it. And tosay the truth, there is no conduct less politic, than to enter intoany confederacy with your friend's servants against their master: forby these means you afterwards become the slave of these very servants;by whom you are constantly liable to be betrayed. And thisconsideration, perhaps it was, which prevented Captain Blifil frombeing more explicit with Mrs Wilkins, or from encouraging the abusewhich she had bestowed on Allworthy.
But though he declared no satisfaction to Mrs Wilkins at thisdiscovery, he enjoyed not a little from it in his own mind, andresolved to make the best use of it he was able.
He kept this matter a long time concealed within his own breast, inhopes that Mr Allworthy might hear it from some other person; but MrsWilkins, whether she resented the captain's behaviour, or whether hiscunning was beyond her, and she feared the discovery might displeasehim, never afterwards opened her lips about the matter.
I have thought it somewhat strange, upon reflection, that thehousekeeper never acquainted Mrs Blifil with this news, as women aremore inclined to communicate all pieces of intelligence to their ownsex, than to ours. The only way, as it appears to me, of solving thisdifficulty, is, by imputing it to that distance which was now grownbetween the lady and the housekeeper: whether this arose from ajealousy in Mrs Blifil, that Wilkins showed too great a respect to thefoundling; for while she was endeavouring to ruin the little infant,in order to ingratiate herself with the captain, she was every daymore and more commending it before Allworthy, as his fondness for itevery day increased. This, notwithstanding all the care she took atother times to express the direct contrary to Mrs Blifil, perhapsoffended that delicate lady, who certainly now hated Mrs Wilkins; andthough she did not, or possibly could not, absolutely remove her fromher place, she found, however, the means of making her life veryuneasy. This Mrs Wilkins, at length, so resented, that she very openlyshowed all manner of respect and fondness to little Tommy, inopposition to Mrs Blifil.
The captain, therefore, finding the story in danger of perishing, atlast took an opportunity to reveal it himself.
He was one day engaged with Mr Allworthy in a discourse on charity: inwhich the captain, with great learning, proved to Mr Allworthy, thatthe word charity in Scripture nowhere means beneficence or generosity.
"The Christian religion," he said, "was instituted for much noblerpurposes, than to enforce a lesson which many heathen philosophers hadtaught us long before, and which, though it might perhaps be called amoral virtue, savoured but little of that sublime, Christian-likedisposition, that vast elevation of thought, in purity approaching toangelic perfection, to be attained, expressed, and felt only by grace.Those," he said, "came nearer to the Scripture meaning, who understoodby it candour, or the forming of a benevolent opinion of our brethren,and passing a favourable judgment on their actions; a virtue muchhigher, and more extensive in its nature, than a pitiful distributionof alms, which, though we would never so much prejudice, or even ruinour families, could never reach many; whereas charity, in the otherand truer sense, might be extended to all mankind."
He said, "Considering who the disciples were, it would be absurd toconceive the doctrine of generosity, or giving alms, to have beenpreached to them. And, as we could not well imagine this doctrineshould be preached by its Divine Author to men who could not practiseit, much less should we think it understood so by those who canpractise it, and do not.
"But though," continued he, "there is, I am afraid, little merit inthese benefactions, there would, I must confess, be much pleasure inthem to a good mind, if it was not abated by one consideration. Imean, that we are liable to be imposed upon, and to confer ourchoicest favours often on the undeserving, as you must own was yourcase in your bounty to that worthless fellow Partridge: for two orthree such examples must greatly lessen the inward satisfaction whicha good man would otherwise find in generosity; nay, may even make himtimorous in bestowing, lest he should be guilty of supporting vice,and encouraging the wicked; a crime of a very black dye, and for whichit will by no means be a sufficient excuse, that we have not actuallyintended such an encouragement; unless we have used the utmost cautionin chusing the objects of our beneficence. A consideration which, Imake no doubt, hath greatly checked the liberality of many a worthyand pious man."
Mr Allworthy answered, "He could not dispute with the captain in theGreek language, and therefore could say nothing as to the true senseof the word which is translated charity; but that he had alwaysthought it was interpreted to consist in action, and that giving almsconstituted at least one branch of that virtue.
"As to the meritorious part," he said, "he readily agreed with thecaptain; for where could be the merit of barely discharging a duty?which," he said, "let the word charity have what construction itwould, it sufficiently appeared to be from the whole tenor of the NewTestament. And as he thought it an indispensable duty, enjoined bothby the Christian law, and by the law of nature itself; so was itwithal so pleasant, that if any duty could be said to be its ownreward, or to pay us while we are discharging it, it was this.
"To confess the truth," said he, "there is one degree of generosity(of charity I would have called it), which seems to have some show ofmerit, and that is, where, from a principle of benevolence andChristian love, we bestow on another what we really wan
t ourselves;where, in order to lessen the distresses of another, we condescend toshare some part of them, by giving what even our own necessitiescannot well spare. This is, I think, meritorious; but to relieve ourbrethren only with our superfluities; to be charitable (I must use theword) rather at the expense of our coffers than ourselves; to saveseveral families from misery rather than hang up an extraordinarypicture in our houses or gratify any other idle ridiculousvanity--this seems to be only being human creatures. Nay, I willventure to go farther, it is being in some degree epicures: for whatcould the greatest epicure wish rather than to eat with many mouthsinstead of one? which I think may be predicated of any one who knowsthat the bread of many is owing to his own largesses.
"As to the apprehension of bestowing bounty on such as may hereafterprove unworthy objects, because many have proved such; surely it cannever deter a good man from generosity. I do not think a few or manyexamples of ingratitude can justify a man's hardening his heartagainst the distresses of his fellow-creatures; nor do I believe itcan ever have such effect on a truly benevolent mind. Nothing lessthan a persuasion of universal depravity can lock up the charity of agood man; and this persuasion must lead him, I think, either intoatheism, or enthusiasm; but surely it is unfair to argue suchuniversal depravity from a few vicious individuals; nor was this, Ibelieve, ever done by a man, who, upon searching his own mind, foundone certain exception to the general rule." He then concluded byasking, "who that Partridge was, whom he had called a worthlessfellow?"
"I mean," said the captain, "Partridge the barber, the schoolmaster,what do you call him? Partridge, the father of the little child whichyou found in your bed."
Mr Allworthy exprest great surprize at this account, and the captainas great at his ignorance of it; for he said he had known it above amonth: and at length recollected with much difficulty that he was toldit by Mrs Wilkins.
Upon this, Wilkins was immediately summoned; who having confirmed whatthe captain had said, was by Mr Allworthy, by and with the captain'sadvice, dispatched to Little Baddington, to inform herself of thetruth of the fact: for the captain exprest great dislike at all hastyproceedings in criminal matters, and said he would by no means have MrAllworthy take any resolution either to the prejudice of the child orits father, before he was satisfied that the latter was guilty; forthough he had privately satisfied himself of this from one ofPartridge's neighbours, yet he was too generous to give any suchevidence to Mr Allworthy.