登陆注册
5144800000122

第122章

As for myself, as this is to be my own story, not my husband's, I return to that part which related to myself. We went on with our plantation, and managed it with the help and diversion of such friends as we got there by our obliging behaviour, and especially the honest Quaker, who proved a faithful, generous, and steady friend to us; and we had very good success, for having a flourishing stock to begin with, as I have said, and this being now increased by the addition of #150 sterling in money, we enlarged our number of servants, built us a very good house, and cured every year a great deal of land. The second year I wrote to my old governess, giving her part with us of the joy of our success, and order her how to lay out the money I had left with her, which was #250 as above, and to send it to us in goods, which she performed with her usual kindness and fidelity, and this arrived safe to us.

Here we had a supply of all sorts of clothes, as well for my husband as for myself; and I took especial care to buy for him all those things that I knew he delighted to have; as two good long wigs, two silver-hilted swords, three or four fine fowling-pieces, a find saddle with holsters and pistols very handsome, with a scarlet cloak; and, in a word, everything Icould think of to oblige him, and to make him appear, as he really was, a very fine gentleman. I ordered a good quantity of such household stuff as we yet wanted, with linen of all sorts for us both. As for myself, I wanted very little of clothes or linen, being very well furnished before. The rest of my cargo consisted in iron-work of all sorts, harness for horses, tools, clothes for servants, and woollen cloth, stuffs, serges, stockings, shoes, hats, and the like, such as servants wear;and whole pieces also to make up for servants, all by direction of the Quaker; and all this cargo arrived safe, and in good condition, with three woman-servants, lusty wenches, which my old governess had picked for me, suitable enough to the place, and to the work we had for them to do; one of which happened to come double, having been got with child by one of the seamen in the ship, as she owned afterwards, before the ship got so far as Gravesend; so she brought us a stout boy, about seven months after her landing.

My husband, you may suppose, was a little surprised at the arriving of all this cargo from England; and talking with me after he saw the account of this particular, 'My dear,' says he, 'what is the meaning of all this? I fear you will run us too deep in debt: when shall we be able to make return for it all?'

I smiled, and told him that is was all paid for; and then I told him, that what our circumstances might expose us to, I had not taken my whole stock with me, that I had reserved so much in my friend's hands, which now we were come over safe, and was settled in a way to live, I had sent for, as he might see.

He was amazed, and stood a while telling upon his fingers, but said nothing. At last he began thus: 'Hold, let's see,' says he, telling upon his fingers still, and first on his thumb; 'there's #246 in money at first, then two gold watches, diamond rings, and plate,' says he, upon the forefinger. Then upon the next finger, 'Here's a plantation on York River, #100 a year, then #150 in money, then a sloop load of horses, cows, hogs, and stores'; and so on to the thumb again. 'And now,' says he, 'a cargo cost #250 in England, and worth here twice the money.'

'Well,' says I, 'what do you make of all that?' 'Make of it?'

says he; 'why, who says I was deceived when I married a wife in Lancashire? I think I have married a fortune, and a very good fortune too,' says he.

In a word, we were now in very considerable circumstances, and every year increasing; for our new plantation grew upon our hands insensibly, and in eight years which we lived upon it, we brought it to such pitch, that the produce was at least #300 sterling a year; I mean, worth so much in England.

After I had been a year at home again, I went over the bay to see my son, and to receive another year's income of my plantation; and I was surprised to hear, just at my landing there, that my old husband was dead, and had not been buried above a fortnight. This, I confess, was not disagreeable news, because now I could appear as I was, in a married condition;so I told my son before I came from him, that I believed Ishould marry a gentleman who had a plantation near mine;and though I was legally free to marry, as to any obligation that was on me before, yet that I was shy of it, lest the blot should some time or other be revived, and it might make a husband uneasy. My son, the same kind, dutiful, and obliging creature as ever, treated me now at his own house, paid me my hundred pounds, and sent me home again loaded with presents.

Some time after this, I let my son know I was married, and invited him over to see us, and my husband wrote a very obliging letter to him also, inviting him to come and see him;and he came accordingly some months after, and happened to be there just when my cargo from England came in, which Ilet him believe belonged all to my husband's estate, not to me.

It must be observed that when the old wretch my brother (husband) was dead, I then freely gave my husband an account of all that affair, and of this cousin, as I had called him before, being my own son by that mistaken unhappy match. He was perfectly easy in the account, and told me he should have been as easy if the old man, as we called him, had been alive.

'For,' said he, 'it was no fault of yours, nor of his; it was a mistake impossible to be prevented.' He only reproached him with desiring me to conceal it, and to live with him as a wife, after I knew that he was my brother; that, he said, was a vile part. Thus all these difficulties were made easy, and we lived together with the greatest kindness and comfort imaginable.

We are grown old; I am come back to England, being almost seventy years of age, husband sixty-eight, having performed much more than the limited terms of my transportation; and now, notwithstanding all the fatigues and all the miseries we have both gone through, we have both gone through, we are both of us in good heart and health. My husband remained there some time after me to settle our affairs, and at first I had intended to go back to him, but at his desire I altered that resolution, and he is come over to England also, where we resolve to spend the remainder of our years in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1683

The bell at St. Sepulchre's, which tolls upon execution day.

End

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 英魂入侵异界

    英魂入侵异界

    天龙帝国大军前赵云七进七出“吾乃常山赵子龙是也。”一杆长戬贯空而过,万年传承的不休圣地轰然破灭“吾吕奉先灭门而来。”百万大军阵前“吾燕人张翼德在此谁敢决一死战。”“尔等插标卖首之辈也配知吾之名。”只见克罗斯天朝大元帅被一道青光劈成两半,前面一个一身青袍长须红脸的男子傲然道。“区区蝼蚁也配称之为海神。”波塞冬看着眼前倒塌的海神殿道。“妖怪吃俺老孙一棒。”……且看屌丝李物带领一众英魂在异界开启一段传奇。
  • 天才宝宝极品娘亲

    天才宝宝极品娘亲

    现代异能特工穿越成青灵镇最出名的痴傻大小姐凌曦,爹爹不管,姨娘,庶妹欺负,设计陷害她,让她被全镇耻笑!“贱女人,你根本不配做本王的王妃!”于是,她的庶妹就成了王妃。凌曦冷眼一扫,带着自己的球离开凌家,五年后,她强势归来,将属于她的一切夺回!片段欣赏:小宝:“娘亲,宝宝喜欢那个!”某宝指着某男身上价值不菲的玉佩喊道。凌曦:“喜欢就去拿,拿不到就抢,抢不到就杀!”于是某宝拿完之后又抢劫一番,满载而归!某宝:“娘亲,他长得像我爹?”凌曦冷眼一瞧,当即沉下脸。“抛妻弃子,直接杀!”于是某宝拔剑冲过去,不到一会,狼狈而回。“娘亲,他比我厉害,宝宝被欺负了!”某宝无限委屈,看着娘亲愤怒的冲过去,眼睛闪过一丝狡黠……凌曦:“为什么欺负我儿子?”某妖孽男主:“什么叫欺负你儿子,那也是我儿子,论说欺负,也是你欺负我,难道你忘记那日发生的事情了?”某女盯着他,嘴角微抽,莫非是自己把他给……【本文一对一结局,女主腹黑强大,男主更强,双强pk爽文,不喜误入】【带着宝宝闯天下:天才宝宝极品娘亲】
  • 青灯寺(二)

    青灯寺(二)

    阿月打量了一眼天色,提醒我道:“老大,太阳快要下山了,我们还是先回到村庄再说,免得和日本军一样遇上了鬼打墙。”“好,走吧。”我转身迈向原路,阿月跟了上来,天色又幽暗了一些,我们前方的路径因为视线不明,变得越加崎岖。走到一半,我回头看向圣湖,心底不禁期待可以看见昼伏夜出的食骨庵从水面下升起,但又害怕真的会看见不可思议的画面。湖面上依然平静,只有隐隐约约辉映着月光的雾气。“我在想,是不是应该留下来,毕竟食骨庵是昼伏夜出,如果我们想要找到它的话,理论上应该到半夜才能找到。”我说。
  • 洞玄灵宝三师名讳形状居观方所文

    洞玄灵宝三师名讳形状居观方所文

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我家主神有点甜

    我家主神有点甜

    【男女主1v1高甜,身心干净】一朝被绑定,佛系少女卿辞表示只想咸鱼,可惜系统天天催命。被迫营业的她开始了各个世界的攻略。温柔师兄、清冷天神、傲娇战神、杀伐君主、禁欲长官、美人鬼君、腹黑大神……于是在第n个世界后,少年主神步步紧逼,将企图逃跑的某女禁锢在怀里,瞳孔幽深:“我的小姑娘,你打算跑到哪里去?”卿辞:……
  • 海蓝之夜

    海蓝之夜

    生意不易,生活不易,一部小人物的创业史。
  • 血戾监护人

    血戾监护人

    好吵。嗡嗡声不绝于耳。不对,嗡嗡的声音太小了,根本就不足以形容。应该是极其聒噪的声音不断充斥着进入耳里。大哥,父亲不在了,你就是当家之主。紫灵的抚养重任自然是要交到你的手上。唯一的小姨发出尖细的声音。难道她就不知道,声音卡在嗓子里,很难受的吗?你也说是重任了。我现在都已经有了三个孩子。再抚养一个,只怕是心有余而力不足。依我看,还是二弟你最合适了。大舅将重任推到了二舅的身上。……
  • THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS

    THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 幸福若干年

    幸福若干年

    这么多年过去了,你还是那样纯真,而我早已不复当初。幸福的开始,总希望得到一个美好的结局。再美丽的花朵,无人欣赏也就了无生趣。怀念,那些无知的幸福。
  • 上元夜忆长安

    上元夜忆长安

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。