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. Goodman found, that to bring her to a more just sense of what was
really her advantage, would be a task impossible for him to accomplish;
he began heartily to wish she was under the care of some person who had
more leisure to argue with her on points so essential to her happiness:
he told her, that he indeed had feared his house would be too melancholy
a recess for her since the revolution that had lately happened in his
family, and therefore wished some more proper place could be found for
her. 'And for such a one,' said he, 'I shall make it my business to
enquire; and there seems not only a necessity for my doing so, but that
you should also choose another guardian; for as soon as the present
unlucky business I am engaged in shall be over, it is my resolution to
break up housekeeping, leave my business to my nephew, Ned Goodman,
whom I expect by the first ship that arrives from the East Indies; and,
having once seen him settled, retire, and spend the remainder of my days
in the country.'
The melancholy accents with which Mr. Goodman spoke these words, touched
Miss Betsy very much; she expressed, in terms the most affectionate, the
deep concern it gave her that he had any cause to withdraw from a way of
life to which he had so long been accustomed: but added, that if it must
be so, she knew no person so proper, in whose hands the little fortune
she was mistress of should be entrusted, as those of her brother
Thoughtless, if he would vouchsafe to take that trouble upon him.
'There is no doubt to be made of that, I believe,' replied Mr. Goodman;
'and I shall speak to him about it the first time I see him.' They had
some farther talk on Miss Betsy's affairs; and that young lady found he
had very largely improved the portion bequeathed her by her father; for
which, in the first emotions of her gratitude, she was beginning to pour
forth such acknowledgements as he thought it too much to hear, and
interrupted her, saying he had done no more than his duty obliged him to
do, and could not have answered to himself the omission of any part of
it.
It is so natural for people to love money, even before they know what to
do with it, that it is not to be wondered at that Miss Betsy, now
arrived at an age capable of relishing all the delicacies of life,
should be transported at finding so considerable, and withal so
unexpected, an augmentation of her fortune, which was no less than one
third of what her father had left her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account