The History of Miss Betsy ThoughtlessHaywood, Eliza Fowler
General
The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless
Haywood, Eliza Fowler
Abused wives -- Fiction; Bildungsromans; Didactic fiction; England -- Fiction; Married women -- Fiction
'Well, then, my dear Miss Betsy,' said she, in the most flattering
accent, 'I will tell you the only method you can take, and I am glad I
have been so lucky to hit upon it: you shall let me go and make Mr.
Staple a visit, as of my own accord; I shall take care not to drop a
syllable that may give him room to think you know of my coming; but yet,
as he may suppose I am enough in your secrets to be mistress of this, or
at least not altogether a stranger to it, he will, doubtless, say
something to me concerning the matter; but if he should not, it will be
easy for me, in the way of discourse, and as it were by chance, to
express myself in such terms as will entirely clear you, and rid him of
all the apprehensions he is under, of your being in love with Mr.
Trueworth.'
Miss Betsy was not in her heart at all averse to Mr. Staple's having
that eclaircissement Miss Flora had mentioned, and was much less shocked
at this proposal than she had been at the former, offered to her
consideration for that purpose; yet did not seem to come into it, till
the other had lavished all the arguments that woman, witty and wilful to
obtain her ends, could urge to prevail on her to do so; and at last
consented not to the execution, without exacting from Miss Flora the
most solemn vow of an inviolable secrecy.
This project being concluded on, and everything relating to it settled
while they were dressing, they went together according to their promise,
to the ladies who expected them, and then accompanied them into the
Park: but as if this was to be a day of surprizes to Miss Betsy, she
here met with something which gave her, at least, an equal share with
that she had received from the letter of Mr. Staple.
They had not gone many yards in the Mall before they saw three gentlemen
coming towards them; one of whom, as they drew nearer to each other,
Miss Betsy and Miss Flora presently knew to be the son of Alderman
Saving, though he was grown fatter, more ruddy, and in many respects
much altered from what he was when he visited at Mr. Goodman's.
As our young ladies had not heard of this gentleman's return to England,
it was natural for them, especially Miss Betsy, after what had passed
between them, to be in some little surprize at the sudden sight of him;
he was in some confusion too: but both parties had presence enough of
mind to recover themselves, so as to salute as persons would do, who
never had any thing more than an ordinary acquaintance with each other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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