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Page 28
CHAPTER SEVEN
SHEWING THE CONSEQUENCE WHICH ATTENDED HEARTFREE'S ADVENTURES WITH
WILD; ALL NATURAL AND COMMON ENOUGH TO LITTLE WRETCHES WHO DEAL
WITH GREAT MEN; TOGETHER WITH SOME PRECEDENTS OF LETTERS, BEING
THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF ANSWERING A DUN.
Let us now return to Heartfree, to whom the count's note, which he
had paid away, was returned, with an account that the drawer was
not to be found, and that, on enquiring after him, they had heard
he had run away, and consequently the money was now demanded of
the endorser. The apprehension of such a loss would have affected
any man of business, but much more one whose unavoidable ruin it
must prove. He expressed so much concern and confusion on this
occasion, that the proprietor of the note was frightened, and
resolved to lose no time in securing what he could. So that in the
afternoon of the same day Mr. Snap was commissioned to pay
Heartfree a visit, which he did with his usual formality, and
conveyed him to his own house.
Mrs. Heartfree was no sooner informed of what had happened to her
husband than she raved like one distracted; but after she had
vented the first agonies of her passion in tears and lamentations
she applied herself to all possible means to procure her husband's
liberty. She hastened to beg her neighbours to secure bail for
him. But, as the news had arrived at their houses before her, she
found none of them at home, except an honest Quaker, whose
servants durst not tell a lie. However, she succeeded no better
with him, for unluckily he had made an affirmation the day before
that he would never be bail for any man. After many fruitless
efforts of this kind she repaired to her husband, to comfort him
at least with her presence. She found him sealing the last of
several letters, which he was despatching to his friends and
creditors. The moment he saw her a sudden joy sparkled in his
eyes, which, however, had a very short duration; for despair soon
closed them again; nor could he help bursting into some passionate
expressions of concern for her and his little family, which she,
on her part, did her utmost to lessen, by endeavouring to mitigate
the loss, and to raise in him hopes from the count, who might, she
said, be possibly only gone into the country. She comforted him
likewise with the expectation of favour from his acquaintance,
especially from those whom he had in a particular manner obliged
and served. Lastly, she conjured him, by all the value and esteem
he professed for her, not to endanger his health, on which alone
depended her happiness, by too great an indulgence of grief;
assuring him that no state of life could appear unhappy to her
with him, unless his own sorrow or discontent made it so.
In this manner did this weak poor-spirited woman attempt to
relieve her husband's pains, which it would have rather become her
to aggravate, by not only painting out his misery in the liveliest
colours imaginable, but by upbraiding him with that folly and
confidence which had occasioned it, and by lamenting her own hard
fate in being obliged to share his sufferings.
Heartfree returned this goodness (as it is called) of his wife
with the warmest gratitude, and they passed an hour in a scene of
tenderness too low and contemptible to be recounted to our great
readers. We shall therefore omit all such relations, as they tend
only to make human nature low and ridiculous.
Those messengers who had obtained any answers to his letters now
returned. We shall here copy a few of them, as they may serve for
precedents to others who have an occasion, which happens commonly
enough in genteel life, to answer the impertinence of a dun.
LETTER I.---
MR. HEARTFREE,--My lord commands me to tell you he is very much
surprized at your assurance in asking for money which you know
hath been so little while due; however, as he intends to deal no
longer at your shop, he hath ordered me to pay you as soon as I
shall have cash in hand, which, considering many disbursements for
bills long due, &c., can't possibly promise any time, &c., at
present. And am your humble servant,
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