Failing to Meet the Mother’s Financial Demands
Melinda’s mother questions the narrator about his financial standing and proposed settlement for her daughter; the narrator admits he has no landed estate and cannot produce a full rent-roll, only offering to maintain Melinda as a gentlewoman and settle her existing dowry on her and her heirs, a proposal the mother rejects out of hand.
Being Rejected by Melinda and Her Mother
The narrator returns to Melinda’s home the next day to elaborate on his financial circumstances, only to be turned away by the footman despite spotting Melinda inside the house through a window; the narrator takes the deliberate snub as a full rejection of his courtship from both Melinda and her mother.
Confiding the Rejection to Strap
The narrator confides the full story of his rejection by Melinda and her mother to Strap, pretending to be furious and vowing to abandon the pursuit, while internally acknowledging his lingering guilt over courting Melinda while still carrying feelings for Narcissa.
第五十章
CHAPTER L
The narrator pursues revenge on Melinda and a new mistress, allying with Billy Chatter to secure a wealthy partner for a private assembly. He consults Banter, who devises a scheme to humiliate Melinda by pairing her with Banter’s barber disguised as a travelled gentleman. The narrator opens the ball as a faux French marquis with the rich heiress Miss Gripewell, tormenting Melinda with his success. The barber’s ridiculous performance shames Melinda into public withdrawal, and the scheme unravels, leaving Chatter disgraced. Reduced finances drive the narrator to drink, playhouse pursuits, and the company of templars as he cultivates a wit’s persona. He then receives a mysterious billet-doux signed “Your incognita,” which inflames his hopes of a wealthy conquest. Investigation identifies the correspondent as Miss Sparkle, daughter of the miserly Sir John Sparkle, reputed to own twelve thousand pounds. A clandestine correspondence ensues, and she eventually consents to a meeting at the milliner’s house. By the appointment, the narrator has forgotten Narcissa and anticipates triumphant matrimony.
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