_Contains a second matrimonial contest, of worse consequence than the
former_
Whoever considers Miss Betsy Thoughtless in her maiden character, will
not find it difficult to conceive what she now endured in that of Mrs.
Munden. All that lightened her poor heart, all that made her patiently
submit to the fate her brothers had, in a manner, forced upon her, was a
belief of her being passionately loved by the man she made her husband:
but thus cruelly undeceived by the treatment she had just met with from
him, one may truly say, that if it did not make her utterly hate and
despise him, it at least destroyed at once, in her, all the respect and
good-will she had, from the first moment of her marriage, been
endeavouring to feel for him.
It is hard to say whether her surprize at an eclaircissement she had so
little expected, her indignation at Mr. Munden's mean attempt to
encroach upon her right, or the shock of reflecting, that it was by
death alone she could be relieved from the vexations with which she was
threatened by a man of his humour, were most predominant in her soul;
but certain it is, that all together racked her with most terrible
convulsions.
She was in the midst of these agitations, when Lady Trusty came to visit
her. In the distraction of these thoughts she had forgot to give orders
to be denied to all company, which otherwise she would doubtless have
done, even without excepting that dear and justly valued friend.
She endeavoured, as much as possible, to compose herself, and prevent
all tokens of discontent from appearing in her countenance, but had not
the power of doing it effectually enough to deceive the penetration of
that lady; she immediately perceived that something extraordinary had
happened to her; and, as soon as she was seated, began to enquire into
the cause of the change she had observed in her.
Mrs. Munden, on considering what was most prudent in a wife, from the
first moment of her becoming so, had absolutely resolved always to
adhere, as strictly as possible, to this maxim of the poet--
'Secrets of marriage should be sacred held,
Their sweets and bitters by the wife conceal'd.'
But finding herself pretty strongly pressed by a lady to whom she had
the greatest and most just reason to believe she ought to have nothing
in reserve, she hesitated not long to relate to her the whole story of
the brulée she had with her husband.
Lady Trusty was extremely alarmed at the account given her; and because
she would be sure not to mistake any part of it, made Mrs. Munden repeat
several times over every particular of this unhappy dispute; then, after
a pause of some minutes, began to give her advice to her fair friend in
the following terms.
'It grieves me to the soul,' said that excellent lady, 'to find there is
already any matter of complaint between you--you have been but two
months married; and it is, methinks, by much too early for him to throw
off the lover, and exert the husband: but since it is so, I would not
have you, for your own sake, too much exert the wife; I fear he is of a
rugged nature--it behoves you, therefore, rather to endeavour to soften
it, by all the means in your power, than to pretend to combat with
unequal force; you know the engagements you are under, and how little
relief all the resistance you can make will be able to afford you.'
'Bless me, Madam!' cried Mrs. Munden, spiritously, 'would your ladyship
have me give up, to the expence of housekeeping, that slender pittance
allowed for cloaths and pocket-money in my marriage articles?'
'No, my dear,' cried Lady Trusty; 'far be it from me to give you any
such counsel: on the contrary, I am apprehensive that, if you should
suffer yourself to be either menaced, or cajoled, out of even the
smallest part of your rights, it is possible that a man of Mr. Munden's
disposition might hereafter be tempted to encroach upon the whole, and
leave you nothing you could call your own.
'It is very difficult, if not wholly impossible,' continued she, 'to
judge with any certainty, how to proceed with a person whose temper one
does not know; I am altogether a stranger to that of Mr. Munden, nor can
you as yet pretend to be perfectly acquainted with it: all I can say,
therefore, is, that I would have you maintain your own privileges,
without appearing to tenacious of them.'
'I have then no other part to take,' said Mrs. Munden, 'than just to lay
out, in the best manner I can, what money he is pleased to allow,
without making any addition, what accidents soever may happen to demand
it.'
'I mean so,' replied Lady Trusty; 'and whenever there is any deficiency,
as some there must necessarily be, in what might be expected from your
way of living, I would not have you seem to take the least notice of it:
behave, as if entirely unconcerned, contented, and easy; leave it to him
to complain; and when he does so, you will have an opportunity, by
shewing the bills of what you have laid out, of proving, that it is not
owing to your want of good management, but to the scarcity of the means
put into your hands, that his table is so ill supplied; but still let
every thing you urge on this occasion be accompanied with all the
softness it is in your power to assume.'
To this Mrs. Munden, with a deep sigh, made answer, that though she was
an ill dissembler, and besides had little room, from her husband's late
carriage towards her, to flatter herself with any good effect of her
submission, yet she would endeavour to follow her ladyship's counsel, in
making the experiment, however irksome it might be to her to do so.
They had a very long conversation together on this head; during the
whole course of which Lady Trusty laboured all she could to persuade the
other to look on her situation in a much less disagreeable light then,
in reality, it deserved.
But how little is it in the power of argument, to reason away pain! one
is much more deeply affected with what one feels than what one hears:
the heart of Mrs. Munden was beset with thorns, which all the words in
the world would have been ineffectual to remove; disappointed in every
thing that could have rendered this marriage supportable to her--her
good-nature abused--her spirit humbled and depressed--no considerations
were of force to moderate her passions, but that melancholy one that, as
her misfortunes were without a remedy, the best, and indeed the only
relief that fate permitted, was in patiently submitting.
She acted, nevertheless, in every respect, for several days,
conformable to the method Lady Trusty had prescribed, and restrained her
temper so as neither by word or action to give Mr. Munden any just cause
of offence: he also kept himself within bounds, though it was easy for
her to perceive, by his sullen deportment, every time he was at table,
how ill he was satisfied with the provisions set before him.
A cold civility on the one side, and an enforced complaisance on the
other, hindered the mutual discontent that reigned in both their hearts
from being perceptible to any who came to visit them, and also from
breaking into any indecencies between themselves; till one day a
gentleman of fine consideration in the world happening, unexpectedly, to
come to dine with them, Mr. Munden was extremely shocked at being no
better prepared for his entertainment.
'What! my dear,' said he to his wife, 'have you nothing else to give
us?' To which she replied, with a great presence of mind, 'I am quite
ashamed and sorry for the accident; but you know, my dear, we both
intended to dine abroad to-day, so I gave a bill of fare accordingly;
and this gentleman came too late to make any addition to what I had
ordered.'
It may be easily supposed the guest assured them that there needed no
apologies, that every thing was mighty well, and such like words of
course: so no more was said upon this subject.
But the pride of Mr. Munden filled him with so much inward rage and
spite, that he was scarce able to contain himself till his friend had
taken leave; and he no sooner was at liberty to say what he thought
proper, without incurring the censure of being unmannerly or unkind,
than he began to reproach her in the most unjust and cruel terms, for
having, as he said, exposed him to the contempt and ridicule of a person
who had hitherto held him in the highest esteem.
She made no other reply than that she was no less confounded than
himself at what had happened--that it was not in her power to prevent
it--that she could wish to be always prepared for the reception of any
friend--and that she was certain, when he reflected on the cause, he
would be far from laying any blame on her.
In speaking these words, she ran to her cabinet; and, as Lady Trusty had
directed, produced an account to what uses every single shilling she had
received from him had been converted since the last dispute they had
with each other on this score.
In presenting these papers to him, 'Read these bills,' said she, 'and be
convinced how little I deserve such treatment from you: you will find
that there are no items inserted of coffee, tea, or chocolate;
articles,' continued she, with an air a little disdainfully, 'which you
seemed to grumble at, though yourself and friends had the same share in,
as well as me and mine.'
'Rot your accounts!' cried he, tearing the papers she had given him into
a thousand pieces; 'have you the folly to imagine I will be troubled
with such stuff? It is sufficient I know upon the whole what ought to be
done; and must plainly tell you, once for all, that you should rather
think of retrenching your expences, than flatter yourself with expecting
an increase of my allowance to you.'
'My expences! my expences,' reiterated she with vehemence, 'what does
the man mean?'--'My meaning,' answered he, sullenly, 'would need no
explanation, if you had either any love for me, or prudence enough to
direct you to do what would entitle you to mine: but since you are so
ignorant, I must tell you, that I think my family too much encumbered;
you have two maids--I do not desire you to lessen the number, but they
are certainly enough to wait upon you in the morning; I have a man, for
whom I never have any employment after that time, and he may wait at
table, and attend you the whole afternoon; I see therefore no occasion
you have to keep a fellow merely to loiter about the house, eat, drink,
and run before your chair when you make your visits. I insist,
therefore, that you either discharge him, or consent to give him his
livery and wages, and also to allow for his board out of your own annual
revenue of pin-money.'
What usage was this for a young lady, scarce yet three months married;
endued with every qualification to create love and esteem, accustomed to
receive nothing but testimonies of admiration from as many as beheld
her, and addressed with the extremest homage and tenderness by the very
man who now seemed to take pride in the power he had obtained of
thwarting her humour, and dejecting that spirit and vivacity he had so
lately pretended to adore.
How utterly impossible was it for her now to observe the rules laid down
to her by Lady Trusty! Could she, after this, submit to put in practice
any softening arts she had been advised, to win her lordly tyrant into
temper? Could she, I say, have done this, without being guilty of a
meanness, which all wives must have condemned her for?
But though the answers she gave to the proposal made her by this
ungenerous husband, were such as convinced him she would never be
prevailed upon to recede from any part of what was her due by contract,
and though she testified her resentment, on his attempting such a
thing, in terms haughty enough, yet did she confine herself within the
limits of decency, not uttering a single word unbecoming of her
character, either as the woman of good understanding, or the wife.
Mr. Munden's notions of marriage had always been extremely unfavourable
to the ladies--he considered a wife no more than an upper-servant, bound
to study and obey, in all things, the will of him to whom she had given
her hand: and how obsequious and submissive soever he appeared when a
lover, had fixed his resolution to render himself absolute master when
he became a husband.
On finding himself thus disappointed in his aim, he was almost ready to
burst with an inward malice; which not daring to wreak, as perhaps at
that time he could have wished, he vented it in an action mean and
spiteful indeed, but not to be wondered at in a man possessed of so
small a share of affection, justice, or good-nature.
The reader may remember, that Mr. Trueworth, in the beginning of his
courtship to Miss Betsy, had made her a present of a squirrel; she had
still retained this first token of love, and always cherished it with an
uncommon care: the little creature was sitting on the ridge of it's
cell, cracking nuts, which his indulgent mistress had bestowed upon him:
the fondness she had always shewn of him put a sudden thought into Mr.
Munden's head; he started from his chair, saying to his wife, with a
revengeful sneer, 'Here is one domestick, at least, that may be spared!'
With these words he flew to the poor harmless animal, seized it by the
neck, and throwing it with his whole force against the carved work of
the marble chimney, it's tender frame was dashed to pieces.
All this was done in such an instant, that Mrs. Munden had not time to
make any attempt for preventing it; but the sight of so disastrous a
fate befalling her little favourite, and the brutality of him who
inflicted it, raised emotions in her, which she neither endeavoured,
nor, at that instant, could have the power to quell.
'Monster!' cried she, 'unworthy the name man; you needed not have been
guilty of this low piece of cruelty, to make me see to what a wretch I
am sacrificed.'--'Nor was there any occasion for exclamations such as
these,' replied he, scornfully, 'to make me know that I am married to a
termagant!'
Many altercations of the like nature passed between them; to which Mrs.
Munden was the first that put a period: finding herself unable to
restrain her tears, and unwilling he should be witness of that weakness
in her, she flew out of the room, saying at the same time, that she
would never eat, or sleep with him again.