The Adventures of Roderick Random
upon her. She smiled with a look of self-complacency, and encouraged by
the incense I had offered, communicated all her poetical works which I
applauded, one by one, with as little candour as I had shown at first.
Satiated with my flattery, which I hope my situation justified, she
could not in conscience refuse me an opportunity of shining in my turn:
and, therefore, after a compliment to my nice discernment and taste,
observed, that doubtless I must have produced something in that way
myself, which she desired to see. This was temptation I could by no
means resist. I owned that while I was at college I wrote some detached
pieces, at the desire of a friend who was in love; and at her request
repeated the following verses, which indeed my love for Narcissa had
inspired:—
On Celia,
Playing on the harpsichord and singing.
When Sappho struck the quivering wire,
The throbbing breast was all on fire:
And when she raised the vocal lay,
The captive soul was charm’d away.
But had the nymph possessed with these
Thy softer, chaster, power to please;
Thy beauteous air of sprightly youth,
Thy native smiles of artless truth;
The worm of grief had never preyed
On the forsaken love-sick maid:
Nor had she mourn’d a hapless flame,
Nor dash’d on rocks her tender frame.
My mistress paid me a cold compliment on the versification, which, she
said, was elegant enough, but, the subject beneath the pen of a true
poet. I was extremely nettled at her indifference, and looked at
Narcissa, who by this time had joined us, for her approbation; but she
declined giving her opinion, protesting she was no judge of these
matters; so that I was forced to retire very much balked in my
expectation, which was generally a little too sanguine. In the
afternoon, however, the waiting-maid assured me that Narcissa had
expressed her approbation of my performance with great warmth, and
desired her to procure a copy of it as for herself, that she (Narcissa)
might have an opportunity to peruse it at pleasure. I was elated to an
extravagant pitch at this intelligence, and immediately transcribed a
fair copy of my Ode, which was carried to the dear charmer, together
with another on the same subject, as follows:—
Thy fatal shaft unerring move;
I bow before thine altar, Love!
I feel thou soft resistless flame
Glide swift through all my vital frame!
For while I gaze my bosom glows,
My blood in tides impetuous flows;
Hope, fear, and joy alternate roll,
And floods of transports ’whelm my soul!
My faltering tongue attempts in vain
In soothing murmurs to complain;
My tongue some secret magic ties,
My murmurs sink in broken sighs.
Condemn’d to nurse eternal care,
And ever drop the silent tear,
Unheard I mourn, unknown I sigh,
Unfriended live, unpitied die!
Whether or not Narcissa discovered my passion, I could not learn from
her behaviour, which, though always benevolent to me was henceforth
more reserved and less cheerful. While my thoughts aspired to a sphere
so far above me, I had unwittingly made a conquest of the cookwench and
dairymaid, who became so jealous of each other that, if their
sentiments had been refined by education, it is probable one or other
of them would have had recourse to poison or steel to be avenged of her
rival; but, as their minds were happily adapted to their humble
station, their mutual enmity was confined to scolding and fistcuffs, in
which exercise they were both well skilled. My good fortune did not
long remain a secret; for it was disclosed by the frequent broils of
these heroines, who kept no decorum in their encounters. The coachman
and gardener, who paid their devoirs to my admirers, each to his
respective choice, alarmed at my success, laid their heads together, in
order to concert a plan of revenge; and the former, having been
educated at the academy at Tottenham Court, undertook to challenge me
to single combat. He accordingly, with many opprobrious invectives,
bade me defiance, and offered to box me for twenty guineas. I told him
that, although I believed myself a match for him even at that work I
would not descend so far below the dignity of a gentleman as to fight
like a porter; but if he had anything to say to me, I was his man at
blunderbuss, musket, pistol, sword, hatchet, spit, cleaver, fork, or
needle; nay, I swore, that should he give his tongue any more saucy
liberties at my expense, I would crop his ears without any ceremony.
This rhodomontade, delivered with a stern countenance and resolute
tone, had the desired effect upon my antagonist, who, with some
confusion, sneaked off, and gave his friend an account of his
reception.
The story, taking air among the servants, procured for me the title of
Gentleman John, with which I was sometimes honoured, even by my
mistress and Narcissa, who had been informed of the whole affair by the
chambermaid. In the meantime, the rival queens expressed their passion
by all the ways in their power: the cook entertained me with choice
bits, the dairymaid with strokings: the first would often encourage me
to declare myself, by complimenting me upon my courage and learning,
and observing, that if she had a husband like me, to maintain order and
keep accounts, she could make a great deal of money, by setting up an
eating-house in London for gentlemen’s servants on board wages. The
other courted my affection by showing her own importance, and telling
me that many a substantial farmer in the neighbourhood would be glad to
marry her, but she was resolved to please her eye, if she should plague
her heart. Then she would launch out into the praise of my proper
person, and say, she was sure I would make a good husband, for I was
very good-natured. I began to be uneasy at the importunities of these
inamoratas, whom, at another time perhaps, I might have pleased without
the disagreeable sauce of matrimony, but, at present, my whole soul was
engrossed by Narcissa; and I could not bear the thoughts of doing
anything derogatory to the passion I entertained for her.
CHAPTER XLI
Narcissa being in danger from the brutality of Sir Timothy, is rescued
by me, who revenge myself on my rival—I declare my passion, and retreat
to the seaside—am surrounded by smugglers, and carried to Boulogne—find
my Uncle Lieutenant Bowling in great distress, and relieve him—our
conversation
At certain intervals my ambition would revive; I would despise myself
for my tame resignation to my sordid fate, and revolve a hundred
schemes for assuming the character of a gentleman, to which I thought
myself entitled by birth and education. In these fruitless suggestions
time stole away unperceived, and I had already remained eight months in
the station of a footman, when an accident happened that put an end to
my servitude, and, for the present, banished all hopes of succeeding in
my love.
Narcissa went one day to visit Miss Thicket, who lived with her brother
within less than a mile of our house, and was persuaded to walk home in
the cool of the evening, accompanied by Sir Timothy, who, having a good
deal of the brute in him, was instigated to use some unbecoming
familiarities with her, encouraged by the solitariness of a field
through which they passed. The lovely creature was incensed at his rude
behaviour for which she reproached him in such a manner that he lost
all regard to decency, and actually offered violence to this pattern of
innocence and beauty. But Heaven would not suffer so much goodness to
be violated, and sent me, who, passing by accident near the place, was
alarmed with her cries, for her succour. What were the emotions of my
soul, when I beheld Narcissa almost sinking beneath the brutal force of
this satyr! I flew like lightning to her rescue, and he, perceiving me,
quitted his prey, and drew his hanger to chastise my presumption. My
indignation was too high to admit one thought of fear, so that, rushing
upon him, I struck his weapon out of his hand, and used my cudgel so
successfully that he fell to the ground, and lay, to all appearance,
without sense. Then I turned to Narcissa, who had swooned, and sitting
down by her, gently raised her head, and supported it on my bosom,
while, with my hand around her waist, I kept her in that position. My
soul was thrilled with tumultuous joy, at feeling the object of my
dearest wishes within my arms; and, while she lay insensible, I could
not refrain from applying my cheeks to hers, and ravishing a kiss. In a
little time the blood began to revisit her face, she opened her
enchanting eyes, and, having recollected her late situation, said, with
a look full of tender acknowledgment, “Dear John, I am eternally
obliged to you!” So saying she made an effort to rise, in which I
assisted her, and she proceeded to the house, leaning upon me all the
way. I was a thousand times tempted by this opportunity to declare my
passion, but the dread of disobliging her restrained my tongue. We had
not moved a hundred paces from the scene of her distress, when I
perceived Sir Timothy rise and walk homeward—a circumstance which,
though it gave me some satisfaction, inasmuch as I thereby knew I had
not killed him, filled me with just apprehension of his resentment,
which I found myself in no condition to withstand; especially when I
considered his intimacy with our squire, to whom I knew he could
justify himself for what he had done, by imputing it to his love, and
desiring his brother Bruin to take the same liberty with his sister,
without any fear of offence.
When we arrived at the house, Narcissa assured me she would exert all
her influence in protecting me from the revenge of Thicket, and
likewise engage her aunt in my favour. At the same time, pulling out
her purse, offered it as a small consideration for the service I had
done her. But I stood too much upon the punctilios of love to incur the
least suspicion of being mercenary, and refused the present, by saying
I had merited nothing by barely doing my duty. She seemed astonished at
my disinterestedness, and blushed: I felt the same suffusion, and, with
a downcast eye and broken accent, told her I had one request to make,
which, if her generosity would grant, I should think myself fully
recompensed, for an age of misery. She changed colour at this preamble,
and, with great confusion, replied, she hoped my good sense would
hinder me from asking anything she was bound in honour to refuse, and
therefore bade me signify my desire. Upon which I kneeled, and engaged
to kiss her hand. She immediately, with an averted look, stretched it
out: I imprinted on it an ardent kiss, and, bathing it with my tears,
cried, “Dear Madam, I am an unfortunate gentleman, and love you to
distraction, but would have died a thousand deaths rather than make
this declaration under such a servile appearance, were I not determined
to yield to the rigour of my fate, to fly from your bewitching
presence, and bury my presumptuous passion in eternal silence.” With
these words I rose, and went away before she could recover her spirits
so far as to make any reply.
My first care was to go and consult Mrs. Sagely, with whom I had
entertained a friendly correspondence ever since I left her house. When
she understood my situation, the good woman, with real concern,
condoled with me on my unhappy fate, and approved of my resolution to
leave the country, as being perfectly well acquainted with the
barbarous disposition of my rival, “who, by this time,” said she, “has
no doubt meditated a scheme of revenge. Indeed, I cannot see how you
will be able to elude his vengeance; being himself in the commission,
he will immediately grant warrants for apprehending you; and, as almost
all the people in this country are dependent on him or his friend, it