of as much honour too as any in the world.'
'Well, sir,' said Booth, 'I assure you I am not that gentleman of honour you imagine me.'
Miss Matthews, who had long understood the keeper no better than Mr. Booth, no sooner heard his meaning explained than she was fired with greater indignation than the gentleman had expressed. 'How dare you, sir,' said she to the keeper, 'insult a man of fashion, and who hath had the honour to bear his majesty's commission in the army? as you yourself own you know. If his misfortunes have sent him hither, sure we have no laws that will protect such a fellow as you in insulting him.' 'Fellow!' muttered the keeper--'I would not advise you, madam, to use such language to me.'--'Do you dare threaten me?' replied Miss Matthews in a rage. 'Venture in the least instance to exceed your authority with regard to me, and I will prosecute you with the utmost vengeance.'
A scene of very high altercation now ensued, till Booth interposed and quieted the keeper, who was, perhaps, enough inclined to an accommodation; for, in truth, he waged unequal war. He was besides unwilling to incense Miss Matthews, whom he expected to be bailed out the next day, and who had more money left than he intended she should carry out of the prison with her; and as for any violent or unjustifiable methods, the lady had discovered much too great a spirit to be in danger of them. The governor, therefore, in a very gentle tone, declared that, if he had given any offence to the gentleman, he heartily asked his pardon; that, if he had known him to be really a captain, he should not have entertained any such suspicions; but the captain was a very common title in that place, and belonged to several gentlemen that had never been in the army, or, at most, had rid private like himself. 'To be sure, captain,' said he, 'as you yourself own, your dress is not very military' (for he had on a plain fustian suit); 'and besides, as the lawyer says, noscitur a sosir, is a very good rule. And I don't believe there is a greater rascal upon earth than that same Robinson that I was talking of. Nay, I assure you, I wish there may be no mischief hatching against you. But if there is I will do all I can with the lawyer to prevent it. To be sure, Mr. Murphy is one of the cleverest men in the world at the law; that even his enemies must own, and as I recommend him to all the business I can (and it is not a little to be sure that arises in this place), why one good turn deserves another. And I may expect that he will not be concerned in any plot to ruin any friend of mine, at least when I desire him not. I am sure he could not be an honest man if he would.'
Booth was then satisfied that Mr. Robinson, whom he did not yet know by name, was the gamester who had won his money at play. And now Miss Matthews, who had very impatiently borne this long interruption, prevailed on the keeper to withdraw. As soon as he was gone Mr. Booth began to felicitate her upon the news of the wounded gentleman being in a fair likelihood of recovery. To which, after a short silence, she answered, 'There is something, perhaps, which you will not easily guess, that makes your congratulations more agreeable to me than the first account I heard of the villain's having escaped the fate he deserves; for I do assure you, at first, it did not make me amends for the interruption of my curiosity. Now I hope we shall be disturbed no more till you have finished your whole story.--You left off, I think, somewhere in the struggle about leaving Amelia--the happy Amelia.' 'And can you call her happy at such a period?' cries Booth. 'Happy, ay, happy, in any situation,' answered Miss Matthews, 'with such a husband. I, at least, may well think so, who have experienced the very reverse of her fortune; but I was not born to be happy. I may say with the poet,
'The blackest ink of fate was sure my lot,
And when fate writ my name, it made a blot.'
'Nay, nay, dear Miss Matthews,' answered Booth, 'you must and shall banish such gloomy thoughts. Fate hath, I hope, many happy days in store for you.'--'Do you believe it, Mr. Booth?' replied she; 'indeed you know the contrary--you must know--for you can't have forgot. No Amelia in the world can have quite obliterated--forgetfulness is not in our own power. If it was, indeed, I have reason to think--but I know not what I am saying.--Pray do proceed in that story.'
Booth so immediately complied with this request that it is possible he was pleased with it. To say the truth, if all which unwittingly dropt from Miss Matthews was put together, some conclusions might, it seems, be drawn from the whole, which could not convey a very agreeable idea to a constant husband. Booth, therefore, proceeded to relate what is written in the third book of this history.
BOOK III
Chapter 1
