Didactic fiction; Domestic fiction; England -- Fiction; Married women -- Fiction
“I will indulge you then,” cries Booth, “as far as is in my power.
Indeed, I believe I am able to recollect much the greatest part; for the
impression is never to be effaced from my memory.”
He then proceeded as Miss Matthews desired; but, lest all our readers
should not be of her opinion, we will, according to our usual custom,
endeavour to accommodate ourselves to every taste, and shall, therefore,
place this scene in a chapter by itself, which we desire all our
readers who do not love, or who, perhaps, do not know the pleasure of
tenderness, to pass over; since they may do this without any prejudice
to the thread of the narrative.
Chapter ii.
_Containing a scene of the tender kind._
“The doctor, madam,” continued Booth, “spent his evening at Mrs.
Harris’s house, where I sat with him whilst he smoaked his pillow pipe,
as his phrase is. Amelia was retired about half an hour to her chamber
before I went to her. At my entrance I found her on her knees, a posture
in which I never disturbed her. In a few minutes she arose, came to me,
and embracing me, said she had been praying for resolution to support
the cruellest moment she had ever undergone or could possibly undergo.
I reminded her how much more bitter a farewel would be on a death-bed,
when we never could meet, in this world at least, again. I then
endeavoured to lessen all those objects which alarmed her most, and
particularly the danger I was to encounter, upon which head I seemed
a little to comfort her; but the probable length of my absence and the
certain length of my voyage were circumstances which no oratory of mine
could even palliate. ‘O heavens!’ said she, bursting into tears, ‘can
I bear to think that hundreds, thousands for aught I know, of miles or
leagues, that lands and seas are between us? What is the prospect from
that mount in our garden where I have sat so many happy hours with my
Billy? what is the distance between that and the farthest hill which we
see from thence compared to the distance which will be between us? You
cannot wonder at this idea; you must remember, my Billy, at this place,
this very thought came formerly into my foreboding mind. I then begged
you to leave the army. Why would you not comply?--did I not tell you
then that the smallest cottage we could survey from the mount would be,
with you, a paradise to me? it would be so still--why can’t my Billy
think so? am I so much his superior in love? where is the dishonour,
Billy? or, if there be any, will it reach our ears in our little hut?
are glory and fame, and not his Amelia, the happiness of my husband? go
then, purchase them at my expence. You will pay a few sighs, perhaps a
few tears, at parting, and then new scenes will drive away the thoughts
of poor Amelia from your bosom; but what assistance shall I have in my
affliction? not that any change of scene could drive you one moment from
my remembrance; yet here every object I behold will place your loved
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