3. CHAPTER III.
A further explanation of the foregoing design
Though the reader may have long since concluded Lady Bellaston to be
a member (and no inconsiderable one) of the great world; she was in
reality a very considerable member of the little world; by which
appellation was distinguished a very worthy and honourable society
which not long since flourished in this kingdom.
Among other good principles upon which this society was founded,
there was one very remarkable; for, as it was a rule of an
honourable club of heroes, who assembled at the close of the late war,
that all the members should every day fight once at least; so 'twas in
this, that every member should, within the twenty-four hours, tell
at least one merry fib, which was to be propagated by all the brethren
and sisterhood.
Many idle stories were told about this society, which from a certain
quality may be, perhaps not unjustly, supposed to have come from the
society themselves. As, that the devil was the president; and that
he sat in person in an elbow-chair at the upper end of the table; but,
upon very strict inquiry, I find there is not the least truth in any
of those tales, and that the assembly consisted in reality of a set of
very good sort of people, and the fibs which they propagated were of a
harmless kind, and tended only to produce mirth and good humour.
Edwards was likewise a member of this comical society. To him
therefore Lady Bellaston applied as a proper instrument for her
purpose, and furnished him with a fib, which he was to vent whenever
the lady gave him her cue; and this was not to be till the evening,
when all the company but Lord Fellamar and himself were gone, and
while they were engaged in a rubbers at whist.
To this time then, which was between seven and eight in the evening,
we will convey our reader; when Lady Bellaston, Lord Fellamar, Miss
Western, and Tom, being engaged at whist, and in the last game of
their rubbers, Tom received his cue from Lady Bellaston, which was, "I
protest, Tom, you are grown intolerable lately; you used to tell us
all the news of the town, and now you know no more of the world than
if you lived out of it."
Mr. Edwards then began as follows: "The fault is not mine, madam: it
lies in the dulness of the age, that doth nothing worth talking
of.-- O la! though now I think on't, there hath a terrible accident
befallen poor Colonel Wilcox.-- Poor Ned.-- You know him, my lord,
everybody knows him; faith! I am very much concerned for him."
"What is it, pray?" says Lady Bellaston.
"Why, he hath killed a man this morning in a duel, that's all."
His lordship, who was not in the secret, asked gravely, whom he
had killed? To which Edwards answered, "A young fellow we none of us
know; a Somersetshire lad just came to town, one Jones his name is;
a near relation of one Mr. Allworthy, of whom your lordship I
believe hath heard. I saw the lad lie dead in a coffee-house.- Upon
my soul, he is one of the finest corpses I ever saw in my life!"
Sophia, who had just began to deal as Tom had mentioned that a man
was killed, stopt her hand, and listened with attention (for all
stories of that kind affected her), but no sooner had he arrived at
the latter part of the story than she began to deal again; and
having dealt three cards to one, and seven to another, and ten to a
third, at last dropt the rest from her hand, and fell back in her
chair.
The company behaved as usually on these occasions. The usual
disturbance ensued, the usual assistance was summoned, and Sophia at
last, as it is usual, returned again to life, and was soon after, at
her earnest desire, led to her own apartment; where, at my lord's
request, Lady Bellaston acquainted her with the truth, attempted to
carry it off as a jest of her own, and comforted her with repeated
assurances, that neither his lordship nor Tom, though she had taught
him the story, were in the true secret of the affair.
There was no farther evidence necessary to convince Lord Fellamar
how justly the case had been represented to him by Lady Bellaston; and
now, at her return into the room, a scheme was laid between these
two noble persons, which, though it appeared in no very heinous
light to his lordship (as he faithfully promised, and faithfully
resolved too, to make the lady all the subsequent amends in his
power by marriage), yet many of our readers, we doubt not, will see
with just detestation.
The next evening at seven was appointed for the fatal purpose,
when Lady Bellaston undertook that Sophia should be alone, and his
lordship should be introduced to her. The whole family were to be
regulated for the purpose, most of the servants dispatched out of
the house; and for Mrs. Honour, who, to prevent suspicion, was to be
left with her mistress till his lordship's arrival, Lady Bellaston
herself was to engage her in an apartment as distant as possible
from the scene of the intended mischief, and out of the hearing of
Sophia.
Matters being thus agreed on, his lordship took his leave, and her
ladyship retired to rest, highly pleased with a project, of which
she had no reason to doubt the success, and which promised so
effectually to remove Sophia from being any further obstruction to her
amour with Jones, by a means of which she should never appear to be
guilty, even if the fact appeared to the world; but this she made no
doubt of preventing by huddling up a marriage, to which she thought
the ravished Sophia would easily be brought to consent, and at which
all the rest of her family would rejoice.
But affairs were not in so quiet a situation in the bosom of the
other conspirator; his mind was tost in all the distracting anxiety so
nobly described by Shakespeare-
Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream;
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.--
Though the violence of his passion had made him eagerly embrace
the first hint of this design, especially as it came from a relation
of the lady, yet when that friend to reflection, a pillow, had
placed the action itself in all its natural black colours before his
eyes, with all the consequences which must, and those which might
probably attend it, his resolution began to abate, or rather indeed to
go over to the other side; and after a long conflict, which lasted a
whole night, between honour and appetite, the former at length
prevailed, and he determined to wait on Lady Bellaston, and to
relinquish the design.
Lady Bellaston was in bed, though very late in the morning, and
Sophia sitting by her bedside, when the servant acquainted her that
Lord Fellamar was below in the parlour; upon which her ladyship
desired him to stay, and that she would see him presently; but the
servant was no sooner departed than poor Sophia began to intreat her
cousin not to encourage the visits of that odious lord (so she
called him, though a little unjustly) upon her account. "I see his
design," said she; "for he made downright love to me yesterday
morning; but as I am resolved never to admit it, I beg your ladyship
not to leave us alone together any more, and to order the servants
that, if he inquires for me, I may be always denied to him."
"La! child," says Lady Bellaston, "you country girls have nothing
but sweethearts in your head; you fancy every man who is civil to
you is making love. He is one of the most gallant young fellows
about town, and I am convinced means no more than a little
gallantry. Make love to you indeed! I wish with all my heart he would,
and you must be an arrant mad woman to refuse him."
"But I shall certainly be that mad woman," cries Sophia, "I hope his
visits shall not be intruded upon me."
"O child!" said Lady Bellaston, "you need not be so fearful; if
you resolve to run away with that Jones, I know no person who can
hinder you."
"Upon my honour, madam," cries Sophia, "your ladyship injures me.
I will never run away with any man; nor will I ever marry contrary
to my father's inclinations."
"Well, Miss Western," said the lady, "if you are not in a humour
to see company this morning, you may retire to your own apartment; for
I am not frightened at his lordship, and must send for him up into
my dressing-room."
Sophia thanked her ladyship, and withdrew; and presently
afterwards Fellamar was admitted upstairs.