CHAPTER II. Containing an account of Mr. Booth's fellow-sufferers. BEFORE we return to Amelia, we must detain our reader a little longer with Mr. Booth, in the custody of Mr. Bondum the bailiff, who now informed his prisoner that he was welcome to the liberty of the house with the other gentlemen. เ เ Booth asked who those gentlemen were. One of them, เ Sir,' says Mr. Bondum, 'is a very great writer or author, เ as they call him-He hath been here these five weeks, ' at the suit of a bookseller, for eleven pound odd money; 'but he expects to be discharged in a day or two; for he hath writ out the debt. He is now writing for five or 'six booksellers, and he will get you sometimes, when he 'sits to it, a matter of fifteen shillings a day. For he is a very good pen, they say; but is apt to be idle. Some days he don't write above five hours; but at other times 'I have known him at it above sixteen.'-'Ay!' cries Booth, 'Pray, what are his productions?—What doth he 'write?'-'Why, sometimes,' answered Bondum, 'he 'writes your history books for your numbers, and some'times your verses, your poems, what do you call them? ' and then again he writes news for your newspapers." Ay, indeed! he is a most extraordinary man, truly'How doth he get his news here?' 'Why he makes it, as 'he doth your parliament speeches for your Magazines. He 'reads them to us sometimes over a bowl of punch. To be เ sure it is all one as if one was in the parliament house-It ' is about liberty and freedom, and about the constitution of เ England. I says nothing for my part: for I will keep my ' neck out of a halter: but, faith, he makes it out plainly to me that all matters are not as they should be. I am all 'for liberty, for my part.' 'Is that so consistent with your calling?' cries Booth. 'I thought, my friend, you ' had lived by depriving men of their liberty.' 'That's ' another matter,' cries the bailiff, 'that's all according to law, and in the way of business. To be sure, men must 'be obliged to pay their debts, or else there would be an ' end of every thing.' Booth desired the bailiff to give him his opinion of liberty. Upon which, he hesitated a moment, and then cried out, 'O it is a fine thing, it is a very fine thing, and the constitution of England.' Booth told him, that, by the old constitution of England, he had heard that men could not be arrested for debt; to which the bailiff answered that must have been in very bad times; because as why,' says he, 'would it not be the "hardest thing in the world if a man could not arrest another for a just and lawful debt? besides, Sir, you 'must be mistaken; for, how could that ever be! is not 'liberty the constitution of England? well, and is not the 'constitution, as a man may say,-whereby the constitu'tion, that is the law and liberty, and all that เ Booth had a little mercy upon the poor bailiff, when he found him rounding in this manner, and told him he had made the matter very clear. Booth then proceeded to inquire after the other gentlemen, his fellows in affliction; upon which Bondum acquainted him, that one of the prisoners was a poor fellow. He calls himself a gentleman,' said Bondum; but I am sure I never saw any 'thing genteel by him. In a week, that he hath been in 'my house, he hath drank only part of one bottle of wine. 'I intend to carry him to Newgate within a day or two, if ' he cannot find bail, which, I suppose, he will not be able to do; for every body says he is an undone man. He hath run out all he hath by losses in business, and one way or other; and he hath a wife and seven children. 'Here was the whole family here the other day, all 'howling together. I never saw such a beggarly crew; 'I was almost ashamed to see them in my house. I 'thought they seemed fitter for Bridewell than any other 'place. To be sure, I do not reckon him as proper company for such as you, Sir; but there is another prisoner in the house that I dare say you will like very much. 'He is, indeed, very much of a gentleman, and spends 'his money like one. I have had him only three days, ' and I am afraid he won't stay much longer. They say, 'indeed, he is a gamester; but what is that to me or any เ one, as long as a man appears as a gentleman? I always 'love to speak by people as I find. And, in my opinion, 'he is fit company for the greatest lord in the land; for เ he hath very good clothes, and money enough. He is not here for debt, but upon a judge's warrant for an 'assault and battery; for the tipstaff locks up here.' เ The bailiff was thus haranguing, when he was interrupted by the arrival of the attorney whom the trusty serjeant had, with the utmost expedition, found out, and dispatched to the relief of his distressed friend. But before we proceed any farther with the captain, we will return to poor Amelia, for whom, considering the situation in which we left her, the good-natured reader may be, perhaps, in no small degree solicitous. CHAPTER III. Containing some extraordinary behaviour in Mrs. Ellison. THE serjeant being departed to convey Mrs. Ellison to the captain, his wife went to fetch Amelia's children to their mother. Amelia's concern for the distresses of her husband was aggravated at the sight of her children. 'Good Heavens!' she cried, what will, what can become of these poor 'little wretches! why have I produced these little crea'tures only to give them a share of poverty and misery!' At which words she embraced them eagerly in her arms, and bedewed them both with her tears. The children's eyes soon overflowed as fast as their mother's, though neither of them knew the cause of her affliction. The little boy, who was the elder, and much the sharper of the two, imputed the agonies of his mother to her illness, according to the account brought to his father in his presence. When Amelia became acquainted with the child's apprehensions, she soon satisfied him that she was in a perfect state of health; at which the little thing expressed great satisfaction, and said, he was glad she was well again.—Amelia told him, she had not been in the least disordered. Upon which, the innocent cried out, La! 'how can people tell such fibs! a great tall man told my papa you was taken very ill at Mrs. somebody's shop, and my poor papa presently ran down stairs-I was 'afraid he would have broke his neck to come to you.' เ เ O the villains!' cries Mrs. Atkinson, 'what a stratagem was here to take away your husband!' 'Take away!' answered the child-What hath any 'body taken away papa ?-Sure that naughty fibbing 'man hath not taken away papa?' Amelia begged Mrs. Atkinson to say something to her children; for that her spirits were overpowered. She then threw herself into a chair, and gave a full vent to a passion almost too strong for her delicate constitution. The scene that followed, during some minutes, is beyond my power of description; I must beg the readers' hearts to suggest it to themselves. The children hung on the mother, whom they endeavoured in vain to comfort; as Mrs. Atkinson did in vain attempt to pacify them, telling them all would be well, and they would soon see their papa again. At length, partly by the persuasion of Mrs. Atkinson, partly from consideration of her little ones, and more, perhaps, from the relief which she had acquired by her tears, Amelia became a little composed. Nothing worth notice passed in this miserable company from this time, till the return of Mrs. Ellison from the bailiff's house; and to draw out scenes of wretchedness to too great a length, is a task very uneasy to the writer, and for which none but readers of a most gloomy complexion will think themselves ever obliged to his labours. At length Mrs. Ellison arrived, and entered the room with an air of gaiety, rather misbecoming the occasion. When she had seated herself in a chair, she told Amelia that the captain was very well, and in good spirits; and that he earnestly desired her to keep up hers. 'Come, 'Madam,' said she, 'don't be disconsolate; I hope we 'shall soon be able to get him out of his troubles. The debts, indeed, amount to more than I expected; howเ ever, ways may be found to redeem him. He must ' own himself guilty of some rashness in going out of the verge, when he knew to what he was liable; but that เ is now not to be remedied. If he had followed my advice, this had not happened; but men will be headเ strong.' เ เ 'I cannot bear this,' cries Amelia; 'shall I hear 'that best of creatures blamed for his tenderness to 'me?' 'Well, I will not blame him,' answered Mrs. Ellison; 'I am sure I propose nothing but to serve him; and if you will do as much to serve him yourself, he will not be long a prisoner.' |