CHAPTER THIRTY
THE SINGULAR MANNER OF FATHOM'S ATTACK AND TRIUMPH OVER THE VIRTUE OF THEFAIR ELENOR.
Proper cognisance being thus taken of these contraband effects, and theinformer furnished with a certificate, by which he was entitled to ashare of the seizure, the coachman summoned his passengers to thecarriage; the purse and jewels were restored to Count Fathom, who thankedthe justice, and his lordship in particular, for the candour andhospitality with which he had been treated, and resumed his place in thevehicle, amidst the congratulations of all his fellow-travellers, exceptthe two forlorn smugglers, who, instead of re-embarking in the coach,thought proper to remain at the inn, with view to mitigate, if possible,the severity of their misfortune.
Among those who felicitated Fathom upon the issue of this adventure, theyoung maiden seemed to express the most sensible pleasure at that event.The artful language of his eyes had raised in her breast certainfluttering emotions, before she knew the value of her conquest; but nowthat his rank and condition were discovered, these transports wereincreased by the ideas of vanity and ambition, which are mingled with thefirst seeds of every female constitution. The belief of havingcaptivated the heart of a man who could raise her to the rank and dignityof a countess, produced such agreeable sensations in her fancy, that hereyes shone with unusual lustre, and a continual smile played in dimpleson her rosy cheeks; so that her attractions, though not powerful enoughto engage the affection, were yet sufficient to inflame the desire of ouradventurer, who very honestly marked her chastity for prey to hisvoluptuous passion. Had she been well seasoned with knowledge andexperience, and completely armed with caution against the artifice andvillany of man, her virtue might not have been able to withstand theengines of such an assailant, considering the dangerous opportunities towhich she was necessarily exposed. How easy then must his victory havebeen over an innocent, unsuspecting country damsel, flushed with thewarmth of youth, and an utter stranger to the ways of life!
While Obadiah, therefore, and his plump companion, were engaged inconversation, on the strange incidents which had passed, Fathom acted avery expressive pantomime with this fair buxom nymph, who comprehendedhis meaning with surprising facility, and was at so little pains toconceal the pleasure she took in this kind of intercourse, that severalwarm squeezes were interchanged between her and her lover, before theyarrived at Rochester, where they proposed to dine. It was during thisperiod, he learned from the answers she made to the inquisitive quaker,that her sole dependence was upon a relation, to whom she had a letter,and that she was a perfect stranger in the great city; circumstances onwhich he soon formed the project of her ruin.
Upon their arrival at the Black Bull, he for the first time found himselfalone with his Amanda, whose name was Elenor, their fellow-travellersbeing elsewhere employed about their own concerns; and, unwilling to losethe precious opportunity, he began to act the part of a very importunatelover, which he conceived to be a proper sequel to the prelude which hadbeen performed in the coach. The freedoms which she, out of puresimplicity and good-humour, permitted him to take with her hand, and evenher rosy lips, encouraged him to practise other familiarities upon herfair bosom, which scandalised her virtue so much, that, in spite of thepassion she had begun to indulge in his behalf, she rejected his advanceswith all the marks of anger and disdain; and he found it necessary toappease the storm he had raised, by the most respectful and submissivedemeanour; resolving to change his operations, and carry on his attacks,so as to make her yield at discretion, without alarming her religion orpride. Accordingly, when the bill was called after dinner, he tookparticular notice of her behaviour, and, perceiving her pull out a largeleathern purse that contained her money, reconnoitred the pocket in whichit was deposited, and, while they sat close to each other in thecarriage, conveyed it with admirable dexterity into an hole in thecushion. Whether the corpulent couple, who sat opposite to these lovers,had entered into an amorous engagement at the inn, or were severallyinduced by other motives, is uncertain; but sure it is, both left thecoach on that part of the road which lies nearest to Gravesend, and badeadieu to the other pair, on pretence of having urgent business at thatplace.
Ferdinand, not a little pleased at their departure, renewed his mostpathetic expressions of love, and sung several French songs on thattender subject, which seemed to thrill to the soul of his beauteousHelen. While the driver halted at Dartford to water his horses, she wassmit with the appearance of some cheesecakes, which were presented by thelandlady of the house, and having bargained for two or three, put herhand in her pocket, in order to pay for her purchase; but what was herastonishment, when, after having rummaged her equipage, she understoodher whole fortune was lost! This mishap was, by a loud shriek, announcedto our hero, who affected infinite amazement and concern; and no soonerlearned the cause of her affliction, than he presented her with his ownpurse, from which he, in emphatic dumb show, begged she would indemnifyherself for the damage she had sustained. Although this kind proffer wassome alleviation of her misfortunes, she did not fail to pour forth amost piteous lamentation, importing that she had not only lost all hermoney, amounting to five pounds, but also her letter of recommendation,upon which she had altogether relied for present employment.
The vehicle was minutely searched from top to bottom, by herself and ouradventurer, assisted by Maurice and the coachman, who, finding theirinquiry ineffectual, did not scruple to declare his suspicion of the twofat turtles who had deserted the coach in such an abrupt manner. In aword, he rendered this conjecture so plausible, by wresting thecircumstances of their behaviour and retreat, that poor Elenor implicitlybelieved they were the thieves by whom she had suffered; and wasprevailed upon to accept the proffered assistance of the generous Count,who, seeing her very much disordered by this mischance, insisted upon herdrinking a large glass of canary, to quiet the perturbation of herspirits. This is a season, which of all others is most propitious to theattempts of an artful lover; and justifies the metaphorical maxim offishing in troubled waters. There is an affinity and short transitionbetwixt all the violent passions that agitate the human mind. They areall false perspectives, which, though they magnify, yet perplex andrender indistinct every object which they represent. And flattery isnever so successfully administered, as to those who know they stand inneed of friendship, assent, and approbation.
The cordial she swallowed, far from calming, increased the disturbance ofher thoughts, and produced an intoxication; during which, she talked inan incoherent strain, laughed and wept by turns, and acted otherextravagances, which are known to be symptoms of the hystericalaffection. Fathom, though an utter stranger to the sentiments of honour,pity, and remorse, would not perpetrate his vicious purpose, thoughfavoured by the delirium his villany had entailed upon this unfortunateyoung maiden; because his appetite demanded a more perfect sacrifice thanthat which she could yield in her present deplorable situation, when herwill must have been altogether unconcerned in his success. Determined,therefore, to make a conquest of her virtue, before he would takepossession of her person, he mimicked that compassion and benevolencewhich his heart had never felt, and, when the coach arrived at London,not only discharged what she owed for her place, but likewise procuredfor her an apartment in the house to which he himself had been directedfor lodgings, and even hired a nurse to attend her during a severe fever,which was the consequence of her disappointment and despondence. Indeed,she was supplied with all necessaries by the generosity of this nobleCount, who, for the interest of his passion, and the honour of his name,was resolved to extend his charity to the last farthing of her own money,which he had been wise enough to secure for this purpose.
Her youth soon got the better of her distemper, and when she understoodher obligations to the Count, who did not fail to attend her in personwith great tenderness, her heart, which had been before prepossessed inhis favour, now glowed with all the warmth of gratitude, esteem, andaffection. She knew herself in a strange place, destitute of allresource bu
t in his generosity. She loved his person, she was dazzled byhis rank; and he knew so well how to improve the opportunities andadvantages he derived from her unhappy situation, that he graduallyproceeded in sapping from one degree of intimacy to another, until allthe bulwarks of her chastity were undermined, and she submitted to hisdesire; not with the reluctance of a vanquished people, but with all thetransports of a joyful city, that opens its gates to receive a darlingprince returned from conquest. For by this time he had artfullyconcentred and kindled up all the inflammable ingredients of herconstitution; and she now looked back upon the virtuous principles of hereducation, as upon a disagreeable and tedious dream, from which she hadwaked to the fruition of never-fading joy.