The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless — John Shaqi
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
'Ah, Madam!' replied he, looking on her with dying languishments, 'where
the heart is deeply affected, the brain seldom produces any thing but
incongruous ideas. Had Sacharissa been mistress of the charms you are,
or had Waller loved like me, he had been less capable of writing in the
manner he did.'
The student perceiving his friend was entering into a particular
conversation with Miss Betsy, found means to draw Miss Flora out of the
room, and left them together, though this young lady afterwards
protested she called to Miss Betsy to follow; but if she did it was in
such a low voice that the other did not hear her, and continued her
pleasantry, raillying the gentleman-commoner on every thing he said,
till he finding the opportunity he had of being revenged, soon turned
his humble adoration into an air more free and natural to him. As she
was opening her mouth to utter some sarcasm or other, he catched her in
his arms, and began to kiss her with so much warmth and eagerness that
surprized her; she struggled to get loose, and called Miss Flora, not
knowing she was gone, to come to her assistance. The efforts she made at
first to oblige him to desist, were not, however, quite so strenuous as
they ought to have been on such an occasion; but finding he was about to
proceed to greater liberties than any man before had ever taken with
her, she collected all her strength, and broke from him; when looking
round the room, and seeing nobody there, 'Bless me,' cried she, 'what is
the meaning of all this! Where are our friends!'--'They are gone,' said
he, 'to pay the debt which love and youth, and beauty challenge; let us
not be remiss, nor waste the precious moments in idle scruples. Come, my
angel!' pursued he, endeavouring to get her once more into his arms,
'make me the happiest of mankind, and be as divinely good as you are
fair.'
'I do not understand you, Sir,' replied she; 'but neither desire, nor
will stay to hear, an explanation.' She spoke this with somewhat of an
haughty air, and was making towards the door, but he was far from being
intimidated; and, instead of suffering her to pass, he seized her a
little roughly with one hand, and with the other made fast the door.
'Come, come, my dear creature,' cried he, 'no more resistance; you see
you are in my power, and the very name of being so is sufficient to
absolve you to yourself, for any act of kindness you may bestow upon me;
be generous, then, and be assured it shall be an inviolable secret.'
She was about to say something, but he stopped her mouth with kisses,
and forced her to sit down in a chair; where, holding her fast, her ruin
had certainly been compleated, if a loud knocking at the door had not
prevented him from prosecuting his design.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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