Mr Allworthy, whom the least mention of those sacred
words was sufficient to stagger, hesitated a moment
before he replied, and then told her, she had done
wrong to enter into such engagements to a villain;
but since she had, he could not insist on her breaking
them. He said, it was not from a motive of vain
curiosity he had inquired, but in order to punish
the fellow; at least, that he might not ignorantly
confer favours on the undeserving.
As to these points, Jenny satisfied him by the most
solemn assurances, that the man was entirely out of
his reach; and was neither subject to his power, nor
in any probability of becoming an object of his goodness.
The ingenuity of this behaviour had gained Jenny so
much credit with this worthy man, that he easily believed
what she told him; for as she had disdained to excuse
herself by a lie, and had hazarded his further displeasure
in her present situation, rather than she would forfeit
her honour or integrity by betraying another, he had
but little apprehensions that she would be guilty
of falsehood towards himself.
He therefore dismissed her with assurances that he
would very soon remove her out of the reach of that
obloquy she had incurred; concluding with some additional
documents, in which he recommended repentance, saying,
“Consider, child, there is one still to reconcile
yourself to, whose favour is of much greater importance
to you than mine.”
A dialogue between Mesdames Bridget and Deborah; containing
more amusement, but less instruction, than the former.
When Mr Allworthy had retired to his study with Jenny
Jones, as hath been seen, Mrs Bridget, with the good
housekeeper, had betaken themselves to a post next
adjoining to the said study; whence, through the conveyance
of a keyhole, they sucked in at their ears the instructive
lecture delivered by Mr Allworthy, together with the
answers of Jenny, and indeed every other particular
which passed in the last chapter.
This hole in her brother’s study-door was indeed
as well known to Mrs Bridget, and had been as frequently
applied to by her, as the famous hole in the wall
was by Thisbe of old. This served to many good
purposes. For by such means Mrs Bridget became
often acquainted with her brother’s inclinations,
without giving him the trouble of repeating them to
her. It is true, some inconveniences attended
this intercourse, and she had sometimes reason to
cry out with Thisbe, in Shakspeare, “O, wicked,
wicked wall!” For as Mr Allworthy was a justice
of peace, certain things occurred in examinations concerning
bastards, and such like, which are apt to give great
offence to the chaste ears of virgins, especially
when they approach the age of forty, as was the case
of Mrs Bridget. However, she had, on such occasions,
the advantage of concealing her blushes from the eyes
of men; and De non apparentibus, et non existentibus
eadem est ratio—in English, “When
a woman is not seen to blush, she doth not blush at
all.”
