CHAPTER LXVIII

My Father makes a present to Narcissa—the Letter is dispatched to her

Brother—I appear among my Acquaintance—Banter’s Behaviour—the Squire

refuses his Consent—my Uncle comes to Town—approves of my Choice—I am

married—we meet the Squire and his Lady at the Play—our Acquaintance is

courted

After having spent the evening to the satisfaction of all present, my

father addressed himself thus to Narcissa. “Madam, give me leave to

consider you hereafter as my daughter, in which capacity I insist upon

your accepting this first instance of my paternal duty and affection.”

With these words he put into her hand a bank note of five hundred

pounds, which she no sooner examined, than with a low courtesy she

replied. “Dear sir, though I have not the least occasion for this

supply, I have too great a veneration for you to refuse this proof of

your generosity and esteem, which I the more freely receive, because I

already look upon Mr. Random’s interest as inseparably connected with

mine.” He was extremely well pleased with her frank and ingenuous

reply, upon which we saluted, and wished her good night. The letter, at

my request, was dispatched to Sussex by an express, and in the

meantime, Don Rodrigo, to grace my nuptials, hired a ready furnished

house, and set up a very handsome equipage.

Though I passed the greatest part of the day with the darling of my

soul, I found leisure sometimes to be among my former acquaintance, who

were astonished at the magnificence of my appearance. Banter in

particular was confounded at the vicissitudes of my fortune, the causes

of which he endeavoured in vain to discover, until I thought fit to

disclose the whole secret of my last voyage, partly in consideration of

our former intimacy, and partly to prevent unfavourable conjectures,

which he and others, in all probability, would have made in regard to

my circumstances. He professed great satisfaction at this piece of

news; and I had no cause to believe him insincere, when I considered

that he would now look upon himself as acquitted of the debt he owed

me, and at the same time flatter himself with the hopes of borrowing

more. I carried him home to dinner with me, and my father liked his

conversation so much, that, upon hearing his difficulties, he desired

me to accommodate him for the present, and inquire, if he would accept

of a commission in the army, towards the purchase of which he should

willingly lend him money. Accordingly, I gave my friend an opportunity

of being alone with me, when, as I expected, he told me that he was

just on the point of being reconciled to an old rich uncle, whose heir

he was, but wanted a few pieces for immediate expense, which he desired

I would lend him and take my bond for the whole. His demand was limited

to ten guineas; and when I put twenty in his hand, he stared at me for

some moments; then, putting it into his purse, “Ay,—’tis all one—you

shall have the whole in a very short time.” When I had taken his note,

to save the expense of a bond, I expressed some surprise that a fellow

of his spirit should loiter away his time in idleness, and, asked why

he did not choose to make his fortune in the army. “What,” said he,

“throw away money upon a subaltern’s commission, and be under the

command of a parcel of scoundrels, who have raised themselves above me

by the most infamous practices. No, I love independency too well to

sacrifice my life, health, and pleasure, for such a pitiful

consideration.” Finding him adverse to this way of life, I changed the

subject, and returned to Don Rodrigo, who had just received the

following epistle from the squire:

“Sir,—Concerning a letter which I received, subscribed R. Random, this

is the answer. As for you, I know nothing of you. Your son, or

pretended son, I have seen; if he marries my sister, at his peril be

it; I do declare that he shall not have one farthing of her fortune,

which becomes my property, if she takes a husband without my consent.

Your settlement, I do believe, is all a sham, and yourself no better

than you should be; but if you had all the wealth of the Indies, your

son shall never match in our family with the consent of

“Orson Topehall”

My father was not much surprised at this polite letter, after having

heard the character of the author; and as for me, I was even pleased at

his refusal, because I had now an opportunity of showing my

disinterested love. By his permission I waited on my charmer: and

having imparted the contents of her brother’s letter, at which she wept

bitterly, in spite of all my consolation and caresses, the time of our

marriage was fixed two days. During this interval, in which my soul was

wound up to the last stretch of rapturous expectation, Narcissa

endeavoured to reconcile some of her relations in town to her marriage

with me; but, finding them all deaf to her remonstrances, either out of

envy or prejudice, she told me with the most enchanting sweetness,

while the tears bedewed her lovely cheeks, “Sure the world will no

longer question your generosity when you take a poor forlorn beggar to

your arms?” Affected with her sorrow, I pressed the fair mourner to my

breast, and swore that she was more dear and welcome on that account,

because she had sacrificed her friends and fortune to her love for me.

My uncle, for whose character she had a great veneration, being by this

time come to town, I introduced him to my bride; and, although he was

not very much subject to refined sensations, he was struck dumb with

admiration at her beauty. After having kissed and gazed at her for some

time, he turned to me, saying. “Odds bobs, Rory! a notable prize

indeed, finely built and gloriously rigged, i’faith! If she an’t well

manned when you take the command of her, sirrah, you deserve to go to

sea in a cockle shell. No offence, I hope, niece! you must not mind

what I say, being (as the saying is) a plain seafaring man, though

mayhap I have as much regard for you as another.” She received him with

great civility, told him she had longed a great while to see a person

to whom she was so much indebted for his generosity to Mr. Random; that

she looked upon him as her uncle, by which name she begged leave to

call him for the future; and that she was very sure he could say

nothing that would give her the least offence. The honest captain was

transported at her courteous behaviour, and insisted upon giving her

away at the ceremony, swearing that he loved her as well as if she was

his own child, and that he would give two thousand guineas to the first

fruit of our love, as soon as it would squeak. Everything being settled

for the solemnisation of our nuptials, which were to be performed

privately at my father’s house, the auspicious hour arrived, when Don

Rodrigo and my uncle went in the coach to fetch the bride and Miss

Williams: leaving me with a parson, Banter, and Strap, neither of whom

had as yet seen my charming mistress. My faithful valet, who was on the

rack of impatience to behold a lady of whom he had heard so much, no

sooner understood that the coach was returned, than he placed himself

at a window, to have a peep at her as she alighted; and, when he saw

her, clapped his hands together, turned up the white of his eyes, and,

with his mouth wide open, remained in a sort of ecstacy, which broke

out into “O Dea certe! qualis in Eurotae ripis, aut per iuga Cynthi

exercet Diana choros?” The doctor and Banter were surprised to hear my

man speak Latin; but when my father led Narcissa into the room, the

object of their admiration was soon changed, as appeared in the

countenances of both. Indeed, they must have been the most insensible

of all beings, could they have beheld without emotion the divine

creature that approached! She was dressed in a sack of white satin,

embroidered on the breast with gold, the crown of her head was covered

with a small French cap, from whence descended her beautiful hair in

ringlets that waved upon her snowy neck, which dignified the necklace I

had given her; her looks glowed with modesty and love; and her bosom,

through the veil of gauze that shaded it, afforded a prospect of

Elysium! I received this inestimable gift of Providence as became me;

and in a little time the clergyman did his office, my uncle, at his own

earnest request, acting the part of a father to my dear Narcissa, who

trembled very much, and had scarce spirits sufficient to support her

under this great change of situation. Soon as she was mine by the laws

of heaven and earth, I printed a burning kiss upon her lips; my father

embraced her tenderly, my uncle hugged her with great affection, and I

presented her to my friend Banter, who saluted her in a very polite

manner; Miss Williams hung round her neck, and went plentifully; while

Strap fell upon his knees, and begged to kiss his lady’s hand, which

she presented with great affability. I shall not pretend to describe my

own feelings at this juncture; let it suffice to say that having supped

and entertained ourselves till ten o’clock, I cautioned my Narcissa

against exposing her health by sitting up too late, and she was

prevailed upon to withdraw with her maid to an apartment destined for

us. When she left the room, her face overspread with a blush that set

all my blood in a state of fermentation, and made every pulse beat with

tenfold vigour! She was so cruel as to let me remain in this condition

a full half-hour: when, no longer able to restrain my impatience, I

broke from the company, burst into her chamber, pushed out her

confidante, and locked the door, and found her—O heaven and earth!—a

feast a thousand times more delicious than my most sanguine hopes

presaged! But, let me not profane the chaste mysteries of Hymen. I was

the happiest of men!

In the morning I was awaked by three or four drums, which Banter had

placed under the window; upon which I withdrew the curtain, and enjoyed

the unspeakable satisfaction of contemplating those angelic charms

which were now in my possession! Beauty! which, whether sleeping or

awake, shot forth peculiar graces! The light darting upon my Narcissa’s

eyes, she awoke also, and recollecting her situation, hid her blushes

in my bosom. I was distracted with joy! I could not believe the

evidence of my senses, and looked upon all that had happened as the

fictions of a dream! In the meantime my uncle knocked at the door, and

bade me turn out, for I had had a long spell. I rose accordingly, and

sent Miss Williams to her mistress, myself receiving the congratulation

of Captain Bowling, who rallied me in his sea phrase with great

success. In less than an hour, Don Rodrigo led my wife into breakfast,

where she received the compliments of the company on her looks, which,

they said, if possible, were improved by matrimony. As her delicate

ears were offended with none of those indecent ambiguities which are

too often spoken on such occasions, she behaved with dignity,

unaffected modesty, and ease; and, as a testimony of my affection and

esteem, I presented her, in presence of them all, with a deed, by which

I settled the whole fortune I was possessed of on her and her heirs for

ever. She accepted it with a glance of most tender acknowledgment,

observed, that she could not be surprised at anything of this kind I

should do, and desired my father to take the trouble of keeping it,

saying, “Next to my own Mr. Random, you are the person in whom I ought

to have the greatest confidence.” Charmed with her prudent and

ingenuous manner of proceeding, he took the paper, and assured her that

it should not lose its value while in his custody.

As we had not many visits to give and receive, the little time we

stayed in town was spent in going to public diversions, where I have

the vanity to think Narcissa was seldom eclipsed. One night, in

particular, we sent our footman to keep one of the stage boxes, which

we no sooner entered, than we perceived in the opposite box the squire

and his lady, who seemed not a little surprised at seeing us. I was

pleased at this opportunity of confronting them; the more, because

Melinda was robbed of all her admirers by my wife, who happened that

night to outshine her sister both in beauty and dress. She was piqued

at Narcissa’s victory, tossed her head a thousand different ways,

flirted her fan, looked at us with disdain, then whispered to her

husband, and broke out into an affected giggle; but all her arts proved

ineffectual, either to discompose Mrs. Random, or to conceal her own

mortification, which at length forced her away long before the play was

done. The news of our marriage being spread, with many circumstances to

our disadvantage, by the industry of this malignant creature, a certain

set of persons fond of scandal began to inquire into the particulars of

my fortune, which they no sooner understood to be independent, than the

tables were turned, and our acquaintance was courted as much as it had

been despised before: but she had too much dignity of pride to

encourage this change of conduct, especially in her relations, whom she

could never be prevailed upon to see, after the malicious reports they

had raised to her prejudice.