The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle

Chapter XI

66 The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle which at last faded away, and was succeeded by a paroxism of shame and confusion, that kept the husband within doors for the space of a whole fortnight, and confined his lady to her bed for a series of weeks, during which she suffered all the anguish of the most intense mortification; yet even this was subdued by the lenient hand of time. The first respite from her chagrin was employed in the strict discharge of what are called the duties of religion, which she performed with the most rancorous severity , setting on foot a persecution in her own family, that made the house too hot for all the menial servants, even ruffled the almost invincible indifference of Tom Pipes, harrassed the commodore himself out of all patience, and spared no individual but lieutenant Hatchway, whom she never ventured to disoblige. chapter xi. Mrs. Trunnion erects a tyranny in the garrison, while her husband conceives an affection for his nephew Perry, who manifests a peculiarity of disposition even in his tender years. Having exercised herself three months in such pious amusements, she appeared again in the world; but her misfortune had made such an impression on her mind, that she could not bear the sight of a child, and trembled whenever the conversation happened to turn upon a christening. Her temper, which was naturally none of the sweetest, seemed to have imbibed a double proportion of souring from her disappointment ; of consequence her company was not much coveted, and she found very few people disposed to treat her with those marks of consideration which she looked upon as her due. This neglect detached her from the society of an unmannerly world; she concentred the energy of all her talents in the government of her own house, which groaned accordingly under her arbitrary sway, and in the brandy-bottle found ample consolation for all the affliction she had undergone. As for the commodore, he in a little time weathered his disgrace, after having sustained many severe jokes from the lieutenant; and now his chief aim being to be absent from his own house as much as possible, he frequented the publick-house more than ever, more assiduously cultivated the friendship of his brother-in-law Mr. Pickle, and in the course of their intimacy conceived an affection for his nephew Perry, which did not end but with his life. Indeed it must be owned that Trunnion was not naturally de- ficient in the social passions of the soul, which, tho’ they were strangely warped, disguised and overborne by the circumstances of his boisterous life and education, did not fail to manifest themselves occasionally thro’ the whole course of his behaviour. As all his hopes of propagating his own name had perished, and his relations lay under the interdiction of his hate, it is no wonder that thro’ the familiarity and friendly Volume One, Chapter XI 67 intercourse subsisting between him and Mr. Gamaliel, he contracted a liking for the boy, who by this time entered the third year of his age, and was indeed a very handsome , healthy and promising child; and what seemed to ingratiate him still more with his uncle, was a certain oddity of disposition for which he had been remarkable even from his cradle. It is reported of him, that before the first year of his infancy was elapsed, he used very often, immediately after being dressed, in the midst of the caresses which were bestowed upon him by his mother while she indulged herself in the contemplation of her own happiness, all of a sudden to alarm her with a fit of shrieks and cries, which continued with great violence till he was stripped to the skin with the utmost expedition by order of his affrighted parent, who thought his tender body was tortured by the misapplication of some unlucky pin; and when he had given them all this disturbance and unnecessary trouble, he would lie sprawling and laughing in their faces, as if he ridiculed the impertinence of their concern. Nay it is affirmed, that one day, when an old woman who attended in the nursery had by stealth conveyed a bottle of cordial waters to her mouth, he pulled his nurse by the sleeve, and by a slight glance detecting the theft, tipt her the wink with a particular slyness of countenance, as if he had said with a sneer, “Ay, ay, that...