الفصل الفصل 50 · 第50章

After this hustle, coming home and telling my governess the story, she

falls a-laughing at me. “Why are you merry?” says I; “the story has not

so much laughing room in it as you imagine; I am sure I have had a

great deal of hurry and fright too, with a pack of ugly rogues.”

“Laugh!” says my governess; “I laugh, child, to see what a lucky

creature you are; why, this job will be the best bargain to you that

ever you made in your life, if you manage it well. I warrant you,” says

she, “you shall make the mercer pay you £500 for damages, besides what

you shall get out of the journeyman.”

I had other thoughts of the matter than she had; and especially,

because I had given in my name to the justice of peace; and I knew that

my name was so well known among the people at Hick’s Hall, the Old

Bailey, and such places, that if this cause came to be tried openly,

and my name came to be inquired into, no court would give much damages,

for the reputation of a person of such a character. However, I was

obliged to begin a prosecution in form, and accordingly my governess

found me out a very creditable sort of a man to manage it, being an

attorney of very good business, and of a good reputation, and she was

certainly in the right of this; for had she employed a pettifogging

hedge solicitor, or a man not known, and not in good reputation, I

should have brought it to but little.

I met this attorney, and gave him all the particulars at large, as they

are recited above; and he assured me it was a case, as he said, that

would very well support itself, and that he did not question but that a

jury would give very considerable damages on such an occasion; so

taking his full instructions he began the prosecution, and the mercer

being arrested, gave bail. A few days after his giving bail, he comes

with his attorney to my attorney, to let him know that he desired to

accommodate the matter; that it was all carried on in the heat of an

unhappy passion; that his client, meaning me, had a sharp provoking

tongue, that I used them ill, gibing at them, and jeering them, even

while they believed me to be the very person, and that I had provoked

them, and the like.

My attorney managed as well on my side; made them believe I was a widow

of fortune, that I was able to do myself justice, and had great friends

to stand by me too, who had all made me promise to sue to the utmost,

and that if it cost me a thousand pounds I would be sure to have

satisfaction, for that the affronts I had received were insufferable.

However, they brought my attorney to this, that he promised he would

not blow the coals, that if I inclined to accommodation, he would not

hinder me, and that he would rather persuade me to peace than to war;

for which they told him he should be no loser; all which he told me

very honestly, and told me that if they offered him any bribe, I should

certainly know it; but upon the whole he told me very honestly that if

I would take his opinion, he would advise me to make it up with them,

for that as they were in a great fright, and were desirous above all

things to make it up, and knew that, let it be what it would, they

would be allotted to bear all the costs of the suit; he believed they

would give me freely more than any jury or court of justice would give

upon a trial. I asked him what he thought they would be brought to. He

told me he could not tell as to that, but he would tell me more when I

saw him again.

Some time after this, they came again to know if he had talked with me.

He told them he had; that he found me not so averse to an accommodation

as some of my friends were, who resented the disgrace offered me, and

set me on; that they blowed the coals in secret, prompting me to

revenge, or do myself justice, as they called it; so that he could not

tell what to say to it; he told them he would do his endeavour to

persuade me, but he ought to be able to tell me what proposal they

made. They pretended they could not make any proposal, because it might

be made use of against them; and he told them, that by the same rule he

could not make any offers, for that might be pleaded in abatement of

what damages a jury might be inclined to give. However, after some

discourse and mutual promises that no advantage should be taken on

either side, by what was transacted then or at any other of those

meetings, they came to a kind of a treaty; but so remote, and so wide

from one another, that nothing could be expected from it; for my

attorney demanded £500 and charges, and they offered £50 without

charges; so they broke off, and the mercer proposed to have a meeting

with me myself; and my attorney agreed to that very readily.

My attorney gave me notice to come to this meeting in good clothes, and

with some state, that the mercer might see I was something more than I

seemed to be that time they had me. Accordingly I came in a new suit of

second mourning, according to what I had said at the justice’s. I set

myself out, too, as well as a widow’s dress in second mourning would

admit; my governess also furnished me with a good pearl necklace, that

shut in behind with a locket of diamonds, which she had in pawn; and I

had a very good figure; and as I stayed till I was sure they were come,

I came in a coach to the door, with my maid with me.

When I came into the room the mercer was surprised. He stood up and

made his bow, which I took a little notice of, and but a little, and

went and sat down where my own attorney had pointed to me to sit, for

it was his house. After a little while the mercer said, he did not know

me again, and began to make some compliments his way. I told him, I

believed he did not know me at first, and that if he had, I believed he

would not have treated me as he did.

He told me he was very sorry for what had happened, and that it was to

testify the willingness he had to make all possible reparation that he

had appointed this meeting; that he hoped I would not carry things to

extremity, which might be not only too great a loss to him, but might

be the ruin of his business and shop, in which case I might have the

satisfaction of repaying an injury with an injury ten times greater;

but that I would then get nothing, whereas he was willing to do me any

justice that was in his power, without putting himself or me to the

trouble or charge of a suit at law.

I told him I was glad to hear him talk so much more like a man of sense

than he did before; that it was true, acknowledgment in most cases of

affronts was counted reparation sufficient; but this had gone too far

to be made up so; that I was not revengeful, nor did I seek his ruin,

or any man’s else, but that all my friends were unanimous not to let me

so far neglect my character as to adjust a thing of this kind without a

sufficient reparation of honour; that to be taken up for a thief was

such an indignity as could not be put up; that my character was above

being treated so by any that knew me, but because in my condition of a

widow I had been for some time careless of myself, and negligent of

myself, I might be taken for such a creature, but that for the

particular usage I had from him afterwards,—and then I repeated all as

before; it was so provoking I had scarce patience to repeat it.

Well, he acknowledged all, and was might humble indeed; he made

proposals very handsome; he came up to £100 and to pay all the law

charges, and added that he would make me a present of a very good suit

of clothes. I came down to £300, and I demanded that I should publish

an advertisement of the particulars in the common newspapers.

This was a clause he never could comply with. However, at last he came

up, by good management of my attorney, to £150 and a suit of black silk

clothes; and there I agree, and as it were, at my attorney’s request,

complied with it, he paying my attorney’s bill and charges, and gave us

a good supper into the bargain.

When I came to receive the money, I brought my governess with me,

dressed like an old duchess, and a gentleman very well dressed, who we

pretended courted me, but I called him cousin, and the lawyer was only

to hint privately to him that his gentleman courted the widow.

He treated us handsomely indeed, and paid the money cheerfully enough;

so that it cost him £200 in all, or rather more. At our last meeting,

when all was agreed, the case of the journeyman came up, and the mercer

begged very hard for him; told me he was a man that had kept a shop of

his own, and been in good business, had a wife, and several children,

and was very poor; that he had nothing to make satisfaction with, but

he should come to beg my pardon on his knees, if I desired it, as

openly as I pleased. I had no spleen at the saucy rogue, nor were his

submissions anything to me, since there was nothing to be got by him,

so I thought it was as good to throw that in generously as not; so I

told him I did not desire the ruin of any man, and therefore at his

request I would forgive the wretch; it was below me to seek any

revenge.

When we were at supper he brought the poor fellow in to make

acknowledgment, which he would have done with as much mean humility as

his offence was with insulting haughtiness and pride, in which he was

an instance of a complete baseness of spirit, impious, cruel, and

relentless when uppermost and in prosperity, abject and low-spirited

when down in affliction. However, I abated his cringes, told him I

forgave him, and desired he might withdraw, as if I did not care for

the sight of him, though I had forgiven him.

I was now in good circumstances indeed, if I could have known my time

for leaving off, and my governess often said I was the richest of the

trade in England; and so I believe I was, for I had £700 by me in

money, besides clothes, rings, some plate, and two gold watches, and

all of them stolen, for I had innumerable jobs besides these I have

mentioned. Oh! had I even now had the grace of repentance, I had still

leisure to have looked back upon my follies, and have made some

reparation; but the satisfaction I was to make for the public mischiefs

I had done was yet left behind; and I could not forbear going abroad

again, as I called it now, than any more I could when my extremity

really drove me out for bread.