I must now, my dear Sibella, call your attention to the history of an
unfortunate woman, who, in occupying the greatest part of this
afternoon, gave scope to the display of that hard-heartedness, and that
benevolence to which I alluded in a former passage of this letter.
When Sir Thomas Barlowe left the East Indies, he retained in his service
a young Creole as secretary. At that time, the youth, who was sanguine
enough, and young enough to believe that his situation would increase in
gain, and be permanent in favour, wrote to his mother, whom he
contributed to support, saying it was his wish she should come to
England. He expected she would wait for a remittance from him to pay her
passage; but the mother, impatient to join her only child, sold her
little property, borrowed on her son's credit the remainder of the money
for her passage, and set sail from Bengal much about the time that her
son, with whom the climate had disagreed, and whom Sir Thomas had
discharged, set sail from England.
Arrived in London, she hastens to Sir Thomas Barlowe's house, to meet
this beloved son. The family are in the country; the porter surlily
assures her that her son is gone. She will not believe him; demands the
name of Sir Thomas Barlowe's country seat; returns to her lodging with
trembling limbs and an aching heart; writes a letter to Barlowe Hall,
which probably was never sent; and falls ill of an ague and fever. Eight
weeks the unhappy woman languished in the extreme of misery and disease;
receiving no tidings from her son, having no friend, no acquaintance,
either to pity or relieve her. Her money all spent, her clothes almost
all sold, she availed herself of a small recruit of strength, and
begged her way, half naked, to Sir Thomas Barlowe's seat, kept alive, no
doubt, by the feeble hope that she should yet find her son.
At Barlowe Hall, the tidings of her son's departure was confirmed.
Despair gave her strength. In spite of the servants' opposition, she
forced her way into the dining parlour, ere the dessert was yet removed.
She designed to have thrown herself at the feet of Sir Thomas; but on
whom did her eye first fix? on no other than Mrs. Ashburn, whom, in her
own land, in her happiest days, she had served in the capacity of
housekeeper. Had the apartment held the first potentates of the earth, I
firmly believe they would have been as so many straws in the poor
woman's way when she rushed forward to Mrs. Ashburn. She clasped her
knees, kissed her hands, her gown, the very chair on which she sat, and
was so wild and extravagant in her joy, that I do not wonder at the
result. I only wonder that her intellects survived.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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