In which Mr Western pays a visit to his sister, in company with Mr
Blifil.
Mrs Western was reading a lecture on prudence, and matrimonial
politics, to her niece, when her brother and Blifil broke in with less
ceremony than the laws of visiting require. Sophia no sooner saw
Blifil than she turned pale, and almost lost the use of all her
faculties; but her aunt, on the contrary, waxed red, and, having all
her faculties at command, began to exert her tongue on the squire.
“Brother,” said she, “I am astonished at your behaviour; will you
never learn any regard to decorum? Will you still look upon every
apartment as your own, or as belonging to one of your country tenants?
Do you think yourself at liberty to invade the privacies of women of
condition, without the least decency or notice?”----“Why, what a pox
is the matter now?” quoth the squire; “one would think I had caught
you at--“--“None of your brutality, sir, I beseech you,” answered
she.----“You have surprized my poor niece so, that she can hardly, I
see, support herself.----Go, my dear, retire, and endeavour to recruit
your spirits; for I see you have occasion.” At which words Sophia, who
never received a more welcome command, hastily withdrew.
“To be sure, sister,” cries the squire, “you are mad, when I have
brought Mr Blifil here to court her, to force her away.”
“Sure, brother,” says she, “you are worse than mad, when you know in
what situation affairs are, to----I am sure I ask Mr Blifil's pardon,
but he knows very well to whom to impute so disagreeable a reception.
For my own part, I am sure I shall always be very glad to see Mr
Blifil; but his own good sense would not have suffered him to proceed
so abruptly, had you not compelled him to it.”
Blifil bowed and stammered, and looked like a fool; but Western,
without giving him time to form a speech for the purpose, answered,
“Well, well, I am to blame, if you will, I always am, certainly; but
come, let the girl be fetched back again, or let Mr Blifil go to
her.----He's come up on purpose, and there is no time to be lost.”
“Brother,” cries Mrs Western, “Mr Blifil, I am confident, understands
himself better than to think of seeing my niece any more this morning,
after what hath happened. Women are of a nice contexture; and our
spirits, when disordered, are not to be recomposed in a moment. Had
you suffered Mr Blifil to have sent his compliments to my niece, and
to have desired the favour of waiting on her in the afternoon, I
should possibly have prevailed on her to have seen him; but now I
despair of bringing about any such matter.”
“I am very sorry, madam,” cried Blifil, “that Mr Western's
extraordinary kindness to me, which I can never enough acknowledge,
should have occasioned--” “Indeed, sir,” said she, interrupting him,
“you need make no apologies, we all know my brother so well.”
“I don't care what anybody knows of me,” answered the squire;----“but
when must he come to see her? for, consider, I tell you, he is come
up on purpose, and so is Allworthy.”--“Brother,” said she, “whatever
message Mr Blifil thinks proper to send to my niece shall be
delivered to her; and I suppose she will want no instructions to make
a proper answer. I am convinced she will not refuse to see Mr Blifil
at a proper time.”--“The devil she won't!” answered the
squire.--“Odsbud!--Don't we know--I say nothing, but some volk are
wiser than all the world.----If I might have had my will, she had not
run away before: and now I expect to hear every moment she is guone
again. For as great a fool as some volk think me, I know very well
she hates----” “No matter, brother,” replied Mrs Western, “I will not
hear my niece abused. It is a reflection on my family. She is an
honour to it; and she will be an honour to it, I promise you. I will
pawn my whole reputation in the world on her conduct.----I shall be
glad to see you, brother, in the afternoon; for I have somewhat of
importance to mention to you.--At present, Mr Blifil, as well as you,
must excuse me; for I am in haste to dress.” “Well, but,” said the
squire, “do appoint a time.” “Indeed,” said she, “I can appoint no
time. I tell you I will see you in the afternoon.”--“What the devil
would you have me do?” cries the squire, turning to Blifil; “I can no
more turn her, than a beagle can turn an old hare. Perhaps she will
be in a better humour in the afternoon.”--“I am condemned, I see,
sir, to misfortune,” answered Blifil; “but I shall always own my
obligations to you.” He then took a ceremonious leave of Mrs Western,
who was altogether as ceremonious on her part; and then they
departed, the squire muttering to himself with an oath, that Blifil
should see his daughter in the afternoon.
If Mr Western was little pleased with this interview, Blifil was less.
As to the former, he imputed the whole behaviour of his sister to her
humour only, and to her dissatisfaction at the omission of ceremony in
the visit; but Blifil saw a little deeper into things. He suspected
somewhat of more consequence, from two or three words which dropt from
the lady; and, to say the truth, he suspected right, as will appear
when I have unfolded the several matters which will be contained in
the following chapter.