Chapter xi.
A short chapter; but which contains sufficient matter to affect thegood-natured reader.
It was Mr Allworthy's custom never to punish any one, not even to turnaway a servant, in a passion. He resolved therefore to delay passingsentence on Jones till the afternoon.
The poor young man attended at dinner, as usual; but his heart was toomuch loaded to suffer him to eat. His grief too was a good dealaggravated by the unkind looks of Mr Allworthy; whence he concludedthat Western had discovered the whole affair between him and Sophia;but as to Mr Blifil's story, he had not the least apprehension; for ofmuch the greater part he was entirely innocent; and for the residue,as he had forgiven and forgotten it himself, so he suspected noremembrance on the other side. When dinner was over, and the servantsdeparted, Mr Allworthy began to harangue. He set forth, in a longspeech, the many iniquities of which Jones had been guilty,particularly those which this day had brought to light; and concludedby telling him, "That unless he could clear himself of the charge, hewas resolved to banish him his sight for ever."
Many disadvantages attended poor Jones in making his defence; nay,indeed, he hardly knew his accusation; for as Mr Allworthy, inrecounting the drunkenness, &c., while he lay ill, out of modesty sunkeverything that related particularly to himself, which indeedprincipally constituted the crime; Jones could not deny the charge.His heart was, besides, almost broken already; and his spirits were sosunk, that he could say nothing for himself; but acknowledged thewhole, and, like a criminal in despair, threw himself upon mercy;concluding, "That though he must own himself guilty of many folliesand inadvertencies, he hoped he had done nothing to deserve what wouldbe to him the greatest punishment in the world."
Allworthy answered, "That he had forgiven him too often already, incompassion to his youth, and in hopes of his amendment: that he nowfound he was an abandoned reprobate, and such as it would be criminalin any one to support and encourage. Nay," said Mr Allworthy to him,"your audacious attempt to steal away the young lady, calls upon me tojustify my own character in punishing you. The world who have alreadycensured the regard I have shown for you may think, with some colourat least of justice, that I connive at so base and barbarous anaction--an action of which you must have known my abhorrence: andwhich, had you had any concern for my ease and honour, as well as formy friendship, you would never have thought of undertaking. Fie uponit, young man! indeed there is scarce any punishment equal to yourcrimes, and I can scarce think myself justifiable in what I am nowgoing to bestow on you. However, as I have educated you like a childof my own, I will not turn you naked into the world. When you openthis paper, therefore, you will find something which may enable you,with industry, to get an honest livelihood; but if you employ it toworse purposes, I shall not think myself obliged to supply youfarther, being resolved, from this day forward, to converse no morewith you on any account. I cannot avoid saying, there is no part ofyour conduct which I resent more than your ill-treatment of that goodyoung man (meaning Blifil) who hath behaved with so much tendernessand honour towards you."
These last words were a dose almost too bitter to be swallowed. Aflood of tears now gushed from the eyes of Jones, and every faculty ofspeech and motion seemed to have deserted him. It was some time beforehe was able to obey Allworthy's peremptory commands of departing;which he at length did, having first kissed his hands with a passiondifficult to be affected, and as difficult to be described.
The reader must be very weak, if, when he considers the light in whichJones then appeared to Mr Allworthy, he should blame the rigour of hissentence. And yet all the neighbourhood, either from this weakness, orfrom some worse motive, condemned this justice and severity as thehighest cruelty. Nay, the very persons who had before censured thegood man for the kindness and tenderness shown to a bastard (his own,according to the general opinion), now cried out as loudly againstturning his own child out of doors. The women especially wereunanimous in taking the part of Jones, and raised more stories on theoccasion than I have room, in this chapter, to set down.
One thing must not be omitted, that, in their censures on thisoccasion, none ever mentioned the sum contained in the paper whichAllworthy gave Jones, which was no less than five hundred pounds; butall agreed that he was sent away penniless, and some said naked, fromthe house of his inhuman father.