LETTER XXVII
MR. LOVELACE[IN CONTINUATION.]
We had at dinner, besides Miss Rawlins, a young widow-niece of Mrs.Moore, who is come to stay a month with her aunt--Bevis her name; veryforward, very lively, and a great admirer of me, I assure you;--hangingsmirkingly upon all I said; and prepared to approve of every word beforeI spoke: and who, by the time we had half-dined, (by the help of what shehad collected before,) was as much acquainted with our story as either ofthe other two.
As it behoved me to prepare them in my favour against whatever might comefrom Miss Howe, I improved upon the hint I had thrown out above-stairsagainst that mischief-making lady. I represented her to be an arrogantcreature, revengeful, artful, enterprising, and one who, had she been aman, would have sworn and cursed, and committed rapes, and played thedevil, as far as I knew: [I have no doubt of it, Jack!] but who, byadvantage of a female education, and pride and insolence, I believed waspersonally virtuous.
Mrs. Bevis allowed, that there was a vast deal in education--and inpride too, she said. While Miss Rawlins came with a prudish God forbidthat virtue should be owing to education only! However, I declared thatMiss Howe was a subtle contriver of mischief; one who had always been myenemy: her motives I knew not: but despised the man whom her mother wasdesirous she should have, one Hickman; although I did not directly averthat she would rather have had me; yet they all immediately imagined thatthat was the ground of her animosity to me, and of her envy to mybeloved: and it was pity, they said, that so fine a young lady did notsee through such a pretended friend.
And yet nobody [added I] has more reason than she to know by experiencethe force of a hatred founded in envy; as I hinted to you above, Mrs.Moore, and to you, Miss Rawlins, in the case of her sister Arabella.
I had compliments made to my person and talents on this occasion: whichgave me a singular opportunity of displaying my modesty, by disclaimingthe merit of them, with a No, indeed!--I should be very vain, Ladies, ifI thought so. While thus abusing myself, and exalting Miss Howe, I gottheir opinion both for modesty and generosity; and had all the graceswhich I disclaimed thrown in upon me besides.
In short, they even oppressed that modesty, which (to speak modestly ofmyself) their praises created, by disbelieving all I said against myself.
And, truly, I must needs say, they have almost persuaded even me myself,that Miss Howe is actually in love with me. I have often been willing tohope this. And who knows but she may? The Captain and I have agreed,that it shall be so insinuated occasionally--And what's thy opinion,Jack? She certainly hates Hickman; and girls who are disengaged seldomhate, though they may not love: and if she had rather have another, whynot that other ME? For am I not a smart fellow, and a rake? And do notyour sprightly ladies love your smart fellow, and your rakes? And whereis the wonder, that the man who could engage the affections of MissHarlowe, should engage those of a lady (with her* alas's) who would behonoured in being deemed her second?
* See Letter XX. of this volume, where Miss Howe says, Alas! my dear, Iknow you loved him!
Nor accuse thou me of SINGULAR vanity in this presumption, Belford. Wertthou to know the secret vanity that lurks in the hearts of those whodisguise or cloke it best, thou wouldst find great reason to acquit, atleast, to allow for me: since it is generally the conscious over-fulnessof conceit, that makes the hypocrite most upon his guard to conceal it.Yet with these fellows, proudly humble as they are, it will break outsometimes in spite of their clokes, though but in self-denying,compliment-begging self-degradation.
But now I have undervalued myself, in apologizing to thee on thisoccasion, let me use another argument in favour of my observation, thatthe ladies generally prefer a rake to a sober man; and of my presumptionupon it, that Miss Howe is in love with me: it is this: common fame says,That Hickman is a very virtuous, a very innocent fellow--a male-virgin, Iwarrant!--An odd dog I always thought him. Now women, Jack, like notnovices. Two maidenheads meeting together in wedlock, the first childmust be a fool, is their common aphorism. They are pleased with a loveof the sex that is founded in the knowledge of it. Reason good; novicesexpect more than they can possibly find in the commerce with them. Theman who knows them, yet has ardours for them, to borrow a word from MissHowe,* though those ardours are generally owing more to the devil withinhim, than to the witch without him, is the man who makes them the highestand most grateful compliment. He knows what to expect, and with what tobe satisfied.
* See Vol. IV. Letters XXIX. and XXXIV.
Then the merit of a woman, in some cases, must be ignorance, whether realor pretended. The man, in these cases, must be an adept. Will it thenbe wondered at, that a woman prefers a libertine to a novice?--While sheexpects in the one the confidence she wants, she considers the other andherself as two parallel lines, which, though they run side by side, cannever meet.
Yet in this the sex is generally mistaken too; for these sheepish fellowsare sly. I myself was modest once; and this, as I have elsewhere hintedto thee,* has better enabled me to judge of both sexes.
* See Vol. III. Letter XXIII.
But to proceed with my narrative:
Having thus prepared every one against any letter should come from MissHowe, and against my beloved's messenger returns, I thought it proper toconclude that subject with a hint, that my spouse could not bear to haveany thing said that reflected upon Miss Howe; and, with a deep sigh,added, that I had been made very unhappy more than once by the ill-willof ladies whom I had never offended.
The widow Bevis believed that might very easily be. Will. both withoutand within, [for I intend he shall fall in love with widow Moore's maid,and have saved one hundred pounds in my service, at least,] will be greathelps, as things may happen.