England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Epistolary fiction; Essays
When we arrived at the town where we were to Breakfast, I was
determined to speak with Philander and Gustavus, and to that purpose as
soon as I left the Carriage, I went to the Basket and tenderly enquired
after their Health, expressing my fears of the uneasiness of their
situation. At first they seemed rather confused at my appearance
dreading no doubt that I might call them to account for the money which
our Grandfather had left me and which they had unjustly deprived me of,
but finding that I mentioned nothing of the Matter, they desired me to
step into the Basket as we might there converse with greater ease.
Accordingly I entered and whilst the rest of the party were devouring
green tea and buttered toast, we feasted ourselves in a more refined
and sentimental Manner by a confidential Conversation. I informed them
of every thing which had befallen me during the course of my life, and
at my request they related to me every incident of theirs.
“We are the sons as you already know, of the two youngest Daughters
which Lord St Clair had by Laurina an italian opera girl. Our mothers
could neither of them exactly ascertain who were our Father, though it
is generally beleived that Philander, is the son of one Philip Jones a
Bricklayer and that my Father was one Gregory Staves a Staymaker of
Edinburgh. This is however of little consequence for as our Mothers
were certainly never married to either of them it reflects no Dishonour
on our Blood, which is of a most ancient and unpolluted kind. Bertha
(the Mother of Philander) and Agatha (my own Mother) always lived
together. They were neither of them very rich; their united fortunes
had originally amounted to nine thousand Pounds, but as they had always
lived on the principal of it, when we were fifteen it was diminished to
nine Hundred. This nine Hundred they always kept in a Drawer in one of
the Tables which stood in our common sitting Parlour, for the
convenience of having it always at Hand. Whether it was from this
circumstance, of its being easily taken, or from a wish of being
independant, or from an excess of sensibility (for which we were always
remarkable) I cannot now determine, but certain it is that when we had
reached our 15th year, we took the nine Hundred Pounds and ran away.
Having obtained this prize we were determined to manage it with
economy and not to spend it either with folly or Extravagance. To this
purpose we therefore divided it into nine parcels, one of which we
devoted to Victuals, the 2d to Drink, the 3d to Housekeeping, the 4th
to Carriages, the 5th to Horses, the 6th to Servants, the 7th to
Amusements, the 8th to Cloathes and the 9th to Silver Buckles. Having
thus arranged our Expences for two months (for we expected to make the
nine Hundred Pounds last as long) we hastened to London and had the
good luck to spend it in 7 weeks and a Day which was 6 Days sooner than
we had intended. As soon as we had thus happily disencumbered ourselves
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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