8. CHAPTER VIII.
Short and sweet
Nothwithstanding all the obligations she had received from Jones,
Mrs. Miller could not forbear in the morning some gentle remonstrances for the
hurricane which had happened the preceding night in his chamber. These
were, however, so gentle and so friendly, professing, and indeed
truly, to aim at nothing more than the real good of Mr. Jones himself,
that he, far from being offended, thankfully received the admonition
of the good woman, expressed much concern for what had past, excused
it as well as he could, and promised never more to bring the same
disturbances into the house.
But though Mrs. Miller did not refrain from a short expostulation in
private at their first meeting, yet the occasion of his being summoned
downstairs that morning was of a more agreeable kind, being indeed
to perform the office of a father to Miss Nancy, and to give her in
wedlock to Mr. Nightingale, who was now ready drest, and full as sober
as many of my readers will think a man ought to be who receives a wife
in so imprudent a manner.
And here perhaps it may be proper to account for the escape which
this young gentleman had made from his uncle, and for his appearance
in the condition in which we have seen him the night before.
Now when the uncle had arrived at his lodgings with his nephew,
partly to indulge his own inclinations (for he dearly loved his
bottle), and partly to disqualify his nephew from the immediate
execution of his purpose, he ordered wine to be set on the table; with
which he so briskly plyed the young gentleman, that this latter,
who, though not much used to drinking, did not detest it so as to be
guilty of disobedience or want of complacence by refusing, was soon
completely finished.
Just as the uncle had obtained this victory, and was preparing a bed
for his nephew, a messenger arrived with a piece of news, which so
entirely disconcerted and shocked him, that he in a moment lost all
consideration for his nephew, and his whole mind became entirely taken
up with his own concerns.
This sudden and afflicting news was no less than that his daughter
had taken the opportunity of almost the first moment of his absence,
and had gone off with a neighbouring young clergyman; against whom,
though her father could have had but one objection, namely, that he
was worth nothing, yet she had never thought proper to communicate her
amour even to that father; and so artfully had she managed, that it
had never been once suspected by any, till now that it was
consummated.
Old Mr. Nightingale no sooner received this account, than in the
utmost confusion he ordered a post-chaise to be instantly got ready,
and, having recommended his nephew to the care of a servant, he
directly left the house, scarce knowing what he did, nor whither he
went.
The uncle thus departed, when the servant came to attend the
nephew to bed, had waked him for that purpose, and had at last made
him sensible that his uncle was gone, he, instead of accepting the
kind offices tendered him, insisted on a chair being called; with this
the servant, who had received no strict orders to the contrary,
readily complied; and, thus being conducted back to the house of
Mrs. Miller, he had staggered up to Mr. Jones's chamber, as hath
been before recounted.
This bar of the uncle being now removed (though young Nightingale
knew not as yet in what manner), and all parties being quickly
ready, the mother, Mr. Jones, Mr. Nightingale, and his love, stept
into a hackney-coach, which conveyed them to Doctors' Commons; where
Miss Nancy was, in vulgar language, soon made an honest woman, and the
poor mother became, in the purest sense of the word, one of the
happiest of all human beings.
And now Mr. Jones, having seen his good offices to that poor woman
and her family brought to a happy conclusion, began to apply himself
to his own concerns; but here, lest many of my readers should
censure his folly for thus troubling himself with the affairs of
others, and lest some few should think he acted more disinterestedly
than indeed he did, we think proper to assure our reader, that he
was so far from being unconcerned in this matter, that he had indeed a
very considerable interest in bringing it to that final consummation.
To explain this seeming paradox at once, he was one who could
truly say with him in Terence, Homo sum: humani nihil a me alienum
puto. He was never an indifferent spectator of the misery or
happiness of any one; and he felt either the one or the other in
greater proportion as he himself contributed to either. He could
not, therefore, be the instrument of raising a whole family from the
lowest state of wretchedness to the highest pitch of joy without
conveying great felicity to himself; more, perhaps, than worldly men
often purchase to themselves by undergoing the most severe labour, and
often by wading through the deepest iniquity.
Those readers who are of the same complexion with him will, perhaps,
think this short chapter contains abundance of matter; while others
may probably wish, short as it is, that it had been totally spared
as impertinent to the main design, which I suppose they conclude is to
bring Mr. Jones to the gallows, or, if possible, to a more
deplorable catastrophe.