The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)Burney, Fanny
History
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)
Burney, Fanny
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Refugees -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Refugees -- Fiction; War stories
After the tremendous sensations to which the mistake of Juliet, from her
ignorance of this species of traffic, had given rise, so unexpected a
solution of her perplexity, made this crime, contrasted with the
assassination of a fellow-creature, appear venial. But though relieved
from personal terrours, she would not hazard weakening the morality, in
lessening the fears of the good, but uncultivated Dame Fairfield, by
making her participate in the comparative view taken by herself, of the
greater with the less offence. She represented, therefore, warmly and
clearly, the turpitude of all failure of probity; dwelling most
especially upon the heinousness of a breach of trust.
The good woman readily said, that she knew, well enough, that the deer
were as much the King's Majesty's as the Forest; and that she had told
it over and over to her husband; and bid him prepare for his latter end,
if he would follow such courses: 'But the main bleame, it do all lie in
Nat Mixon; for a be as bad a mon as a body might wish to set eyes on.
And a does always say a likes ony thing better than work. It be he has
led my poor husband astray: for, thof a be but a bad mon, at best, to my
mishap! a was a good sort of a husband enough, poor mon, till a took to
these courses. But a knows I do no' like un for that; and that makes it,
that a does no' much like me. But I would no' ha' un come to be honged
or transported, if so be a was as onkoind agen! I would sooner go with
un to prison; thof it be but a dismal life to be shut up by dark walls,
and iron bars for to see out of! but I'd do it for sure and sure, not to
forsake un, poor mon! in his need; if so be I could get wherewithal to
keep my little dearys.'
Touched by such genuine and virtuous simplicity, Juliet now promised to
apply to some powerful gentleman, to take her husband from the
temptation of his present situation; and to settle them all at a
distance from the Forest.
The good woman, at this idea, started up in an extacy, and jumped about
the room, to give some vent to her joy; kissing her little ones till she
nearly suffocated them; and telling them, for sure and certain, that
they had gotten an angel come amongst them, to save them all from shame.
'For now,' she continued, 'if we do but get un away from Nat Mixon and
his wife, who be the worst mon in all the Forest, a wull think no more
of selling unlawful goods than unlawful geame.'
Juliet, though delighted at her happiness, was struck with the words
'unlawful goods;' which she involuntarily repeated. Dame Fairfield,
unable, at this moment, to practise any restraint upon her feelings,
plumply, then, acknowledged that Nat Mixon was a smuggler, as well as a
deer-stealer: and that three of them were gone, even now, about the
country, selling laces, and cambrics, and gloves, just brought to land.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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