This good woman was, no more than Othello, of a disposition
To
make a life of jealousy
And follow still the
changes of the moon
With fresh suspicions—
With her, as well as him,
—To be once in
doubt,
Was once to be resolvd—
she therefore ordered Jenny immediately to pack up
her alls and begone, for that she was determined she
should not sleep that night within her walls.
Mr Partridge had profited too much by experience to
interpose in a matter of this nature. He therefore
had recourse to his usual receipt of patience, for,
though he was not a great adept in Latin, he remembered,
and well understood, the advice contained in these
words
—Leve
fit quod bene fertur onus
in English:
A burden becomes lightest
when it is well borne—
which he had always in his mouth; and of which, to
say the truth, he had often occasion to experience
the truth.
Jenny offered to make protestations of her innocence;
but the tempest was too strong for her to be heard.
She then betook herself to the business of packing,
for which a small quantity of brown paper sufficed,
and, having received her small pittance of wages, she
returned home.
The schoolmaster and his consort passed their time
unpleasantly enough that evening, but something or
other happened before the next morning, which a little
abated the fury of Mrs Partridge; and she at length
admitted her husband to make his excuses: to which
she gave the readier belief, as he had, instead of
desiring her to recall Jenny, professed a satisfaction
in her being dismissed, saying, she was grown of little
use as a servant, spending all her time in reading,
and was become, moreover, very pert and obstinate;
for, indeed, she and her master had lately had frequent
disputes in literature; in which, as hath been said,
she was become greatly his superior. This, however,
he would by no means allow; and as he called her persisting
in the right, obstinacy, he began to hate her with
no small inveteracy.
Containing one of the most bloody battles, or rather
duels, that were ever recorded in domestic history.
For the reasons mentioned in the preceding chapter,
and from some other matrimonial concessions, well
known to most husbands, and which, like the secrets
of freemasonry, should be divulged to none who are
not members of that honourable fraternity, Mrs Partridge
was pretty well satisfied that she had condemned her
husband without cause, and endeavoured by acts of
kindness to make him amends for her false suspicion.
Her passions were indeed equally violent, whichever
way they inclined; for as she could be extremely angry,
so could she be altogether as fond.
