CHAPTER FIVE CONTAINING VARIOUS MATTERS.
Back The day was now come when poor Heartfree was to suffer anignominious death. Friendly had in the strongest manner confirmedhis assurance of fulfilling his promise of becoming a father toone of his children and a husband to the other. This gave himinexpressible comfort, and he had, the evening before, taken hislast leave of the little wretches with a tenderness which drew atear from one of the keepers, joined to a magnanimity which wouldhave pleased a stoic. When he was informed that the coach whichFriendly had provided for him was ready, and that the rest of theprisoners were gone, he embraced that faithful friend with greatpassion, and begged that he would leave him here; but the otherdesired leave to accompany him to his end, which at last he wasforced to comply with. And now he was proceeding towards the coachwhen he found his difficulties were not yet over; for now a friendarrived of whom he was to take a harder and more tender leave thanhe had yet gone through. This friend, reader, was no other thanMrs. Heartfree herself, who ran to him with a look all wild,staring, and frantic, and having reached his arms, fainted away inthem without uttering a single syllable. Heartfree was, with greatdifficulty, able to preserve his own senses in such a surprize atsuch a season. And indeed our good-natured reader will be ratherinclined to wish this miserable couple had, by dying in eachother's arms, put a final period to their woes, than have survivedto taste those bitter moments which were to be their portion, andwhich the unhappy wife, soon recovering from the shortintermission of being, now began to suffer. When she became firstmistress of her voice she burst forth into the following accents:--"O my husband! Is this the condition in which I find you afterour cruel separation? Who hath done this? Cruel Heaven! What isthe occasion? I know thou canst deserve no ill. Tell me, somebodywho can speak, while I have my senses left to understand, what isthe matter?" At which words several laughed, and one answered,"The matter! Why no great matter. The gentleman is not the first,nor won't be the last: the worst of the matter is, that if we areto stay all the morning here I shall lose my dinner." Heartfree,pausing a moment and recollecting himself, cryed out, "I will bearall with patience." And then, addressing himself to the commandingofficer, begged he might only have a few minutes by himself withhis wife, whom he had not seen before since his misfortunes. Thegreat man answered, "He had compassion on him, and would do morethan he could answer; but he supposed he was too much a gentlemannot to know that something was due for such civility." On thishint, Friendly, who was himself half dead, pulled five guineas outof his pocket, which the great man took, and said he would be sogenerous to give him ten minutes; on which one observed that manya gentleman had bought ten minutes with a woman dearer, and manyother facetious remarks were made, unnecessary to be here related.Heartfree was now suffered to retire into a room with his wife,the commander informing him at his entrance that he must beexpeditious, for that the rest of the good company would be at thetree before him, and he supposed he was a gentleman of too muchbreeding to make them wait.
This tender wretched couple were now retired for these fewminutes, which the commander without carefully measured with hiswatch; and Heartfree was mustering all his resolution to part withwhat his soul so ardently doated on, and to conjure her to supporthis loss for the sake of her poor infants, and to comfort her withthe promise of Friendly on their account; but all his design wasfrustrated. Mrs. Heartfree could not support the shock, but againfainted away, and so entirely lost every symptom of life thatHeartfree called vehemently for assistance. Friendly rushed firstinto the room, and was soon followed by many others, and, what wasremarkable, one who had unmoved beheld the tender scene betweenthese parting lovers was touched to the quick by the pale looks ofthe woman, and ran up and down for water, drops, &c., with theutmost hurry and confusion. The ten minutes were expired, whichthe commander now hinted; and seeing nothing offered for therenewal of the term (for indeed Friendly had unhappily emptied hispockets), he began to grow very importunate, and at last toldHeartfree he should be ashamed not to act more like a man.Heartfree begged his pardon, and said he would make him wait nolonger. Then, with the deepest sigh, cryed, "Oh, my angel!" and,embracing his wife with the utmost eagerness, kissed her pale lipswith more fervency than ever bridegroom did the blushing cheeks ofhis bride. He then cryed, "The Almighty bless thee! and, if it behis pleasure, restore thee to life; if not, I beseech him we maypresently meet again in a better world than this." He was breakingfrom her, when, perceiving her sense returning, he could notforbear renewing his embrace, and again pressing her lips, whichnow recovered life and warmth so fast that he begged one tenminutes more to tell her what her swooning had prevented herhearing. The worthy commander, being perhaps a little touched atthis tender scene, took Friendly aside, and asked him what hewould give if he would suffer his friend to remain half-an-hour?Friendly answered, anything; that he had no more money in hispocket, but he would certainly pay him that afternoon. "Well,then, I'll be moderate," said he; "twenty guineas." Friendlyanswered, "It is a bargain." The commander, having exacted a firmpromise, cryed, "Then I don't care if they stay a whole hourtogether; for what signifies hiding good news? the gentleman isreprieved;" of which he had just before received notice in awhisper. It would be very impertinent to offer at a description ofthe joy this occasioned to the two friends, or to Mrs. Heartfree,who was now again recovered. A surgeon, who was happily present,was employed to bleed them all. After which the commander, who hadhis promise of the money again confirmed to him, wished Heartfreejoy, and, shaking him very friendly by the hands, cleared the roomof all the company, and left the three friends together.
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