Here Allworthy concluded his sermon, to which Blifil
had listened with the profoundest attention, though
it cost him some pains to prevent now and then a small
discomposure of his muscles. He now praised every
period of what he had heard with the warmth of a young
divine, who hath the honour to dine with a bishop
the same day in which his lordship hath mounted the
pulpit.
Which concludes the first book; with an instance of
ingratitude, which, we hope, will appear unnatural.
The reader, from what hath been said, may imagine
that the reconciliation (if indeed it could be so
called) was only matter of form; we shall therefore
pass it over, and hasten to what must surely be thought
matter of substance.
The doctor had acquainted his brother with what had
past between Mr Allworthy and him; and added with
a smile, “I promise you I paid you off; nay,
I absolutely desired the good gentleman not to forgive
you: for you know after he had made a declaration
in your favour, I might with safety venture on such
a request with a person of his temper; and I was willing,
as well for your sake as for my own, to prevent the
least possibility of a suspicion.”
Captain Blifil took not the least notice of this,
at that time; but he afterwards made a very notable
use of it.
One of the maxims which the devil, in a late visit
upon earth, left to his disciples, is, when once you
are got up, to kick the stool from under you.
In plain English, when you have made your fortune by
the good offices of a friend, you are advised to discard
him as soon as you can.
Whether the captain acted by this maxim, I will not
positively determine: so far we may confidently
say, that his actions may be fairly derived from this
diabolical principle; and indeed it is difficult to
assign any other motive to them: for no sooner
was he possessed of Miss Bridget, and reconciled to
Allworthy, than he began to show a coldness to his
brother which increased daily; till at length it grew
into rudeness, and became very visible to every one.
The doctor remonstrated to him privately concerning
this behaviour, but could obtain no other satisfaction
than the following plain declaration: “If
you dislike anything in my brother’s house, sir,
you know you are at liberty to quit it.”
This strange, cruel, and almost unaccountable ingratitude
in the captain, absolutely broke the poor doctor’s
heart; for ingratitude never so thoroughly pierces
the human breast as when it proceeds from those in
whose behalf we have been guilty of transgressions.
Reflections on great and good actions, however they
are received or returned by those in whose favour they
are performed, always administer some comfort to us;
but what consolation shall we receive under so biting
a calamity as the ungrateful behaviour of our friend,
when our wounded conscience at the same time flies
in our face, and upbraids us with having spotted it
in the service of one so worthless!
