They depart from Ghent--Our Hero engages in a Political Dispute with his
Mistress, whom he offends, and pacifies with Submission--He practises
an Expedient to detain the Carriage at Alost, and confirms the Priest in
his Interest.
Next day, about one o'clock, after having seen everything remarkable in
town, and been present at the execution of two youths, who were hanged
for ravishing a w--, they took their departure from Ghent in the same
carriage which had brought them thither; and the conversation turning
upon the punishment they had seen inflicted, the Flemish beauty
expressed great sympathy and compassion for the unhappy sufferers,
who, as she had been informed, had fallen victims to the malice of the
accuser. Her sentiments were espoused by all the company, except the
French lady of pleasure, who, thinking the credit of the sisterhood
concerned in the affair, bitterly inveighed against the profligacy of
the age, and particularly the base and villainous attempts of man upon
the chastity of the weaker sex; saying, with a look of indignation
directed to the painter, that for her own part she should never be
able to manifest the acknowledgment she owed to Providence, for having
protected her last night from the wicked aims of unbridled lust. This
observation introduced a series of jokes at the expense of Pallet, who
hung his ears, and sat with a silent air of dejection, fearing that,
through the malevolence of the physician, his adventure might reach the
ears of his wife. Indeed, though we have made shift to explain the
whole transaction to the reader, it was an inextricable mystery to every
individual in the diligence, because the part which was acted by the
Capuchin was known to himself alone, and even he was utterly ignorant
of Pickle's being concerned in the affair; so that the greatest share
of the painter's sufferings were supposed to be the exaggerations of his
own extravagant imagination.
In the midst of their discourse on this extraordinary subject, the
driver told them that they were now on the very spot where a detachment
of the allied army had been intercepted and cut off by the French: and,
stopping the vehicle, entertained them with a local description of the
battle of Melle. Upon this occasion, the Flemish lady, who, since her
marriage, had become a keen partisan for the French, gave a minute
detail of all the circumstances, as they had been represented to her by
her husband's brother, who was in the action. This account, which sunk
the number of the French to sixteen, and raised that of the allies to
twenty thousand men, was so disagreeable to truth, as well as to the
laudable partiality of Peregrine, that he ventured to contradict her
assertions, and a fierce dispute commenced, that not only regarded the
present question, but also comprehended all the battles in which the
Duke of Marlborough had commanded against Louis the Fourteenth. In the
course of these debates, she divested the great general of all the
glory he had acquired, by affirming, that every victory he gained was
purposely lost by the French in order to bring the schemes of Madame de
Maintenon into discredit; and, as a particular instance, alledged, that
while the citadel of Lisle was besieged, Louis said, in presence of the
Dauphin, that if the allies should be obliged to raise the siege, he
would immediately declare his marriage with that lady; upon which, the
son sent private orders to Marshal Boufflers to surrender the place.
This strange allegation was supported by the asseveration of the priest
and the courtesan, and admitted as truth by the governor, who pretended
to have heard it from good authority; while the doctor sat neutral, as
one who thought it scandalous to know the history of such modern events.
The Israelite, being a true Dutchman, himself under the banners of our
hero, who, in attempting to demonstrate the absurdity and improbability
of what they had advanced, raised such a hue and cry against himself,
and, being insensibly heated in the altercation, irritated his Amanda
to such a degree, that her charming eyes kindled with fury, and he
saw great reason to think, that if he did not fall upon some method to
deprecate her wrath, she would, in a twinkling, sacrifice all her esteem
for him to her own zeal for the glory of the French nation. Moved by
this apprehension, his ardour cooled by degrees, and he insensibly
detached himself from the argument, leaving the whole care of supporting
it to the Jew, who, finding himself deserted, was fain to yield at
discretion; so that the French remained masters of the field, and their
young heroine resumed her good humour.
Our hero having prudently submitted to the superior intelligence of his
fair enslaver, began to be harassed with the fears of losing her
for ever; and set his invention at work, to contrive some means
of indemnifying himself for his assiduities, presents, and the
disappointment he had already undergone. On pretence of enjoying a free
air, he mounted the box, and employed his elocution and generosity with
such success, that the driver undertook to disable the diligence from
proceeding beyond the town of Alost for that day; and, in consequence
of his promise, gently overturned it when they were but a mile short of
that baiting-place. He had taken his measures so discreetly, that this
accident was attended with no other inconvenience than a fit of fear
that took possession of the ladies, and the necessity to which they
were reduced by the declaration of the coachman, who, upon examining
the carriage, assured the company that the axle-tree had given way, and
advised them to walk forward to the inn, while he would jog after them
at a slow pace, and do his endeavour the damage should be immediately
repaired.
Peregrine pretended to be very much concerned at what had happened,
and even cursed the driver for his inadvertency, expressing infinite
impatience to be at Brussels, and wishing that this misfortune might
not detain them another night upon the road; but when his understrapper,
according to his instructions, came afterwards to the inn, and gave them
to understand that the workman he had employed could not possibly refit
the machine in less then six hours, the crafty youth affected to
lose all temper, stormed at his emissary, whom he reviled in the most
opprobrious terms, and threatened to cane for his misconduct. The fellow
protested, with great humility, that their being overturned was owing to
the failure of the axle-tree, and not to his want of care or dexterity
in driving; though rather than be thought the cause of incommoding
him, he would inquire for a post-chaise, in which he might depart for
Brussels immediately. This expedient Pickle rejected, unless the whole
company could be accommodated in the same manner; and he had been
previously informed by the driver that the town could not furnish more
than one vehicle of that sort. His governor, who was quite ignorant
of his scheme, represented that one night would soon be passed, and
exhorted him to bear this small disappointment with a good grace,
especially as the house seemed to be well provided for their
entertainment, and the company so much disposed to be sociable.
The Capuchin, who had found his account in cultivating the acquaintance
of the young stranger, was not ill-pleased at this event, which might,
by protracting the term of their intercourse, yield him some opportunity
of profiting still farther by his liberality: he therefore joined Mr.
Jolter in his admonitions, congratulating himself upon the prospect
of enjoying his conversation a little longer than he had expected.
Our young gentleman received a compliment to the same purpose from
the Hebrew, who had that day exercised his gallantry upon the French
coquette, and was not without hope of reaping the fruit of his
attention, his rival, the painter, being quite disgraced and dejected
by the adventure of last night, As for the doctor, he was too much
engrossed in the contemplation of his own importance, to interest
himself in the affair or its consequences, further than by observing,
that the European powers ought to establish public games, like those
that were celebrated of old in Greece; in which case, every state would
be supplied with such dexterous charioteers as would drive a machine, at
full speed, within a hair's breadth of a precipice, without any danger
of its being overturned.
Peregrine could not help yielding to their remonstrances and united
complaisance, for which he thanked them in very polite terms; and his
passion seeming to subside, proposed that they should amuse themselves
in walking round the ramparts. He hoped to enjoy some private
conversation with his admired Fleming, who had the whole day behaved
with remarkable reserve. The proposal being embraced, he, as usual,
handed her into the street, and took all opportunities of promoting his
suit; but they were attended so closely by her father-confessor, that
he foresaw it would be impracticable to accomplish his aim without the
connivance of that ecclesiastic. This he was obliged to purchase with
another purse, which he offered, and was accepted, as a charitable
atonement for his criminal behaviour during the interview which the
friar had procured for the good of his soul. The benefaction was no
sooner made, than the mendicant edged off by little and little, till
he joined the rest of the company, leaving his generous patron at full
liberty to prosecute his purpose.
It is not to be doubted that our adventurer made a good use of this
occasion: he practised a thousand flowers of rhetoric, and actually
exhausted his whole address, in persuading her to have compassion upon
his misery, and indulge him with another private audience, without which
he should run distracted, and be guilty of extravagancies which, in
the humanity of her disposition, she would weep to see. But, instead of
complying with his request, she chid him severely for his presumption
in persecuting her with his vicious addresses: she assured him, that
although she had secured a chamber for herself in this place, because
she had no ambition to be better acquainted with the other lady, he
would be in the wrong to disturb her with another nocturnal visit, for
she was determined to deny him admittance. The lover was comforted by
this hint, which he understood in the true acceptation; and his passion
being inflamed by the obstacles he had met with, his heart beat high
with the prospect of possession. These raptures of expectation produced
an inquietude, which disabled him from bearing that share of the
conversation for which he used to be distinguished. His behaviour
at supper was a vicissitude of startings and reveries. The Capuchin,
imputing the disorder to a second repulse from his charge, began to
be invaded with the apprehension of being obliged to refund, and in a
whisper forbade our hero to despair.