Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
The poor woman was found to be much hurt: she had been thrown from the
top of the coach into a ditch, which had stones at the bottom of it. She
had not been able to make herself heard by any body, whilst the ladies'
loud complaints continued; nor had she been able long to call for any
assistance, for she had been stunned by her fall, and had not recovered
her senses for many minutes. She was not able to stand; but when the
coachman held her up, she put her hand to her head, and, in broken
English, said she felt too ill to travel farther that night.
"You shall have an inside place, if you'll pluck up your heart; and
you'll find yourself better with the motion of the coach."
"What, is she hurt--the mulatto woman?--I say, coachy, make haste,"
cried Holloway; "I want to be off."
"So do I," said the coachman; "but we are not likely to be off yet:
here's this here poor woman can't stand, and is all over bruises, and
won't get into the inside of the coach, though I offered her a place."
Holloway, who imagined that the sufferings of all who were not so rich
as himself could be _bought off_ for money, pulled out a handful of
silver, and leaning from the coach-box, held it towards the fainting
woman:--"Here's a shilling for every bruise at least, my good
woman:"--but the woman did not hear him, for she was very faint. The
coachman was forced to carry her to the turnpike-house, where he left
her, telling the people of the house that a return chaise would call for
her in an hour's time, and would carry her either to the next stage, or
back to town, whichever she pleased. Holloway's diversion for the rest
of the night was spoiled, not because he had too much sympathy with the
poor woman that was hurt, but because he had been delayed so long by the
accident, that he lost the pleasure of driving into the town of ----. He
had intended to have gone the whole stage, and to have returned in the
job and four. This scheme had been arranged before he set out by his
friend the coachman; but the postilions in the job and four having won
the race, and made the best of their way, had now returned, and met the
coach about two miles from the turnpike-house. "So," said Holloway,
"I must descend, and get home before Mr. Supine wakens from his first
sleep."
Holloway called at the turnpike-house, to inquire after the mulatto;
or, rather, one of the postilions stopped as he had been desired by the
coachman, to take her up to town, if she was able to go that night.
The postilion, after he had spoken to the woman, came to the
chaise-door, and told Holloway "that he could hardly understand what she
said, she talked such outlandish English; and that he could not make out
where she wanted to be carried to."
"Ask the name of some of her friends in town," cried Holloway, "and
don't let her keep us here all night."
"She has no friends, as I can find," replied the postilion, "nor
acquaintance neither."
"Well, whom does she belong to, then?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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