Such a scene as this could not fail of affecting the
heart of Mr Allworthy. He immediately gave the
mother a couple of guineas, with which he bid her
cloath her children. The poor woman burst into
tears at this goodness, and while she was thanking
him, could not refrain from expressing her gratitude
to Tom; who had, she said, long preserved both her
and hers from starving. “We have not,”
says she, “had a morsel to eat, nor have these
poor children had a rag to put on, but what his goodness
hath bestowed on us.” For, indeed, besides
the horse and the Bible, Tom had sacrificed a night-gown,
and other things, to the use of this distressed family.
On their return home, Tom made use of all his eloquence
to display the wretchedness of these people, and the
penitence of Black George himself; and in this he
succeeded so well, that Mr Allworthy said, he thought
the man had suffered enough for what was past; that
he would forgive him, and think of some means of providing
for him and his family.
Jones was so delighted with this news, that, though
it was dark when they returned home, he could not
help going back a mile, in a shower of rain, to acquaint
the poor woman with the glad tidings; but, like other
hasty divulgers of news, he only brought on himself
the trouble of contradicting it: for the ill
fortune of Black George made use of the very opportunity
of his friend’s absence to overturn all again.
In which Master Blifil and Jones appear in different
lights.
Master Blifil fell very short of his companion in
the amiable quality of mercy; but he as greatly exceeded
him in one of a much higher kind, namely, in justice:
in which he followed both the precepts and example
of Thwackum and Square; for though they would both
make frequent use of the word mercy, yet it was plain
that in reality Square held it to be inconsistent
with the rule of right; and Thwackum was for doing
justice, and leaving mercy to heaven. The two
gentlemen did indeed somewhat differ in opinion concerning
the objects of this sublime virtue; by which Thwackum
would probably have destroyed one half of mankind,
and Square the other half.
Master Blifil then, though he had kept silence in
the presence of Jones, yet, when he had better considered
the matter, could by no means endure the thought of
suffering his uncle to confer favours on the undeserving.
He therefore resolved immediately to acquaint him
with the fact which we have above slightly hinted to
the readers. The truth of which was as follows:
The gamekeeper, about a year after he was dismissed
from Mr Allworthy’s service, and before Tom’s
selling the horse, being in want of bread, either
to fill his own mouth or those of his family, as he
passed through a field belonging to Mr Western espied
a hare sitting in her form. This hare he had
basely and barbarously knocked on the head, against
the laws of the land, and no less against the laws
of sportsmen.
