Dear Captain, I thought you long; for I have had a terrible conflict with my spouse.
Capt. I am sorry that I am later than my intention—my account with my banker—[There's a dog, Jack!] took me up longer time to adjust than I had foreseen [all the time pulling down and stroking his ruffles]: for there was a small difference between us—only twenty pounds, indeed, which I had taken no account of.
The rascal has not seen twenty pounds of his own these ten years.
Then had we between us the character of the Harlowe family; I railed against them all; the Captain taking his dear friend Mr. John Harlowe's part; with a Not so fast!—not so fast, young gentleman!—and the like free assumptions.
He accounted for their animosity by my defiances: no good family, having such a charming daughter, would care to be defied, instead of courted: he must speak his mind: never was a double-tongued man.—He appealed to the ladies, if he were not right?
He got them on his side.
The correction I had given the brother, he told me, must have aggravated matters.
How valiant this made me look to the women!—The sex love us mettled fellows at their hearts.
Be that as it would, I should never love any of the family but my spouse; and wanting nothing from them, I would not, but for her sake, have gone so far as I had gone towards a reconciliation.
This was very good of me; Mrs. Moore said.