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
Mr. Trueworth, in the present disturbance of his thoughts, making no
reply, she went on: 'She is a sweet young lady, I can tell you, Sir,'
said she; 'I never saw her but once, and that was when I went to fetch
the child; she used me with so much familiarity, not a bit proud,
charged me to take care of her little Betsy, and told me, if she lived,
I should keep her till she was big enough to go to school, and told me
she would have her learn to write and read, and work, and then she would
put her apprentice to a mantua-maker, or a milliner, or some such pretty
trade; and then, who knows, Sir,' continued she, holding up the child at
arms-length, and dancing it, 'but some great gentleman or other may fall
in love with my little Betsy, and I may live to see her ride in her
coach? I warrant she will make much of her old nurse.'
'There are many strange things happen in the world, indeed!' said Mr.
Trueworth, with a sigh. After which, thinking there was no farther
discovery to be made, he rose up to go away; but seeing the change of
the money he had sent by the boy for the beer, lay upon the table, he
gave it to him, saying, 'Here, my good boy, take this, and divide it
with your brother, to buy apples.' Then turning to the nurse, took his
leave of her with this compliment, 'Well, Mrs. Bushman, I believe you
are a very honest careful woman, and shall not fail to remember you
whenever it comes in my way. In the mean time,' added he, putting a
crown piece into her hands, 'take this, and make merry with your
husband.' The poor woman was so transported, that she knew not how to
thank him sufficiently; she made twenty curtsies, crying, 'Heavens bless
you, Sir; you are a right noble gentleman, I am sure. Marry, such
guests come not every day!' And with such like expressions of gratitude,
followed him till he was quite out of hearing.
What now could this enquiring lover think? Where was the least room for
any conjecture in favour of Miss Betsy's innocence, to gain entrance
into his breast? He had seen the child, had heard by whom, and in what
manner it was delivered: the charge given with it, and the promises made
for its future protection; and whether the nurse was really so weak as
to be imposed upon by this pretence of charity, or whether bribed to
impose it upon others, the facts, as related in the letter, appeared to
be so plain, from every circumstance, as to admit no possibility of a
doubt.
A marriage with Miss Betsy was, therefore, now quite out of the question
with him: the manner of entirely breaking off with her, was the only
thing that puzzled him. Loth was he to reproach her with the cause, and
equally loth to be deemed so inconstant as to quit her without a
justifiable one. He remained in this dilemma for the space of two days,
at the expiration of which, after much debating with himself, he wrote,
and sent to her, by a servant, the following epistle.
'To Miss Betsy Thoughtless.
Madam,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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