<h2><SPAN name="chap68"></SPAN>CHAPTER LXVIII</h2>
<p class="letter">
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</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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:</p>
<p class="letter">
“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<br/>
“Orson Topehall”</p>
<p>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 or 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!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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