Through Mr. Freeman, to whom Banter had given him a letter of introduction, Random gains access to the squire, who takes a drunken fancy to him and, unwittingly, invites him to dinner at his house. There, Random is at last in the presence of Narcissa herself, who blushes like the dawn. The squire, sleepy after his wine, retires for a nap; Freeman, reading the situation, pretends a sudden engagement and withdraws; and Random is left alone with his mistress. Twice his tongue fails him, and twice she answers, “Sir?” Recovering himself at last, he declares a passion that took root during the time he wore the disguise of a servant, and professes that his future happiness depends entirely on her. Narcissa, neither encouraging nor dismissing, entreats him to rise lest her brother surprise him in that posture, but also assures him that there will be no lack of opportunities provided he preserves his good opinion. Random seals the moment by all but devouring her hand with kisses, only to be checked by a severity of countenance that reminds him how slight is his present claim upon her regard. The conversation turns to her aunt, whose health is now failing, and to Sir Timothy, who, smitten by apoplexy shortly before his death, had sent for the squire, confessed his plot against Random, and exonerated him of every charge. Before the squire’s return, Freeman reappears; supper follows, and with it the squire’s threat of a drinking bout. Random, whose head is already turning from two bottles of port, resorts to a stratagem: he challenges the squire to drain a quart cup at a single draught, in the Parisian fashion. The champion accepts, and drops to the floor, “as mute as a flounder.” Freeman and Random carry him to bed, and Random returns home sober, his reputation with the squire unimpaired and his hopes for Narcissa advanced.
CHAPTER LVII / CHAPTER LX
In the period covered by these chapters, the narrator Roderick Random becomes deeply entangled in a romantic pursuit of Narcissa, a young woman of genteel birth, while contending with social slander, gambling ruin, and the schemes of rivals. The episodes unfold at the spa town of Bath before shifting to London, and they expose the precariousness of a young man’s fortunes in eighteenth-century England, where reputation, credit, and the good opinion of a small social circle could determine every prospect of marriage and survival.
The narrative opens with Roderick’s courtship advancing through the offices of Narcissa’s confidante, Miss Williams, who reports that her mistress looks favourably on him. To regain the goodwill of Narcissa’s brother, the country squire (nicknamed Bruin), Roderick hosts a drinking bout, plying the foxhunter with claret until he is carried home drunk; Freeman, a friend, helps stage the debauch. With the brother pacified, Roderick writes a passionate love letter, and Narcissa responds with a written acknowledgment of affection, though she declines a private interview for fear of public scandal. Roderick gains the squire’s permission to partner Narcissa at an assembly ball, and there the two share a brief private conversation during tea in which Narcissa openly declares her reciprocal love. At the ball itself, Narcissa eclipses all other women, but a nobleman of the beau monde, Lord Quiverwit, compliments the couple and attaches himself to Narcissa with what Roderick interprets as amorous intent. Roderick’s jealousy erupts; he nearly insults Narcissa with his dark mien, and she insists on leaving early. To Roderick’s dismay, Melinda, a woman he had formerly disgraced, also appears at the ball, and the squire is struck by her beauty. Roderick tries to deflect the squire by inventing a story that Melinda is betrothed to a lord, but the squire, a commoner of three thousand a year, dismisses the obstacle.
The jealousy drives Roderick home in a frenzy, where he pinches the ear of his loyal servant Strap until the man weeps. Narcissa soon summons him through Miss Williams; in a tearful midnight meeting in the garden she upbraids him gently for his suspicion and reaffirms her constancy. On his way home, Roderick nearly runs Strap through with his sword, mistaking him for a spy sent to watch the garden. The following day, Melinda circulates slanders at the Long Room, portraying Roderick as an Irish fortune-hunter, a sharper, and a man of obscure birth. Lord Quiverwit, evidently pursuing Narcissa for himself, approaches Roderick at the gaming table and artfully attempts to sound him about the connection. When the squire is introduced to Quiverwit, he grows visibly cold toward Roderick. Miss Williams later reveals the crucial obstacle: Narcissa’s fortune is conditional and depends entirely on her brother’s consent to her marriage, a fact she has concealed from Roderick out of mutual embarrassment. Freeman, told the truth about Melinda’s malice, undertakes to vindicate Roderick’s character among the town.
Defying Freeman’s counsel to lie low, Roderick goes to the Long Room and receives a peremptory written message—delivered by a servant—that his presence is unwelcome. Seizing the messenger, he forces a confession that the squire ordered the note. Roderick publicly tears up the note in the squire’s face and rebukes Melinda for her slanders, reducing her to tears. Lord Quiverwit delivers a cutting equivocation about Roderick’s character, which Roderick answers with a sharp retort, only to find the room generally shunning him. He purchases a ruby heart-ring for Narcissa, and at their next meeting she insists on hearing the story of his life, then offers a private marriage to defy her brother’s opposition. Roderick nobly refuses for the sake of her honour, and the two exchange tokens and vows of eternal constancy. Quiverwit, having been refused by Narcissa, challenges Roderick to a duel. They meet at dawn; Roderick is wounded in the neck and side, and Quiverwit receives a sword thrust in the arm and a blow that breaks three of his front teeth. Strap faints at the sight of blood, and Roderick tends his rival’s wounds before they part with a sullen promise of further reckoning.
The duel, rumoured at first to have killed Quiverwit, spreads through the town and unexpectedly rehabilitates Roderick’s standing. Freeman visits, and the two appear publicly at the coffee-house, where Roderick is caressed by the very people who had shunned him. Quiverwit, now abed, sends for Roderick and, while professing honourable opposition, admits he has warned Narcissa’s brother of the courtship and pointed out that Roderick lacks the means to support a wife. Furious, Roderick quits his presence. As he walks home, a handkerchief waves from the window of a coach-and-six racing past at full speed: Narcissa, suddenly carried off by her brother, signals her distress. Roderick seizes pistols and demands post-horses, but Freeman dissuades him from pursuit, urging reliance on Narcissa’s love and the hope of word from her maid.
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