The Adventures of David Simple (1904)/Chapter 23
CHAPTER II
a continuation of the history of camilla
"I ceased, sir, at a part, the remembrance of which always effects me in such a manner that my resolution is not strong enough to keep life in me at the repetition of it. It was the first time my father had ever struck me, though I had been bred up with him from my infancy, I was stunned with the blow; but my senses soon returned, and brought with them that train of horrible thoughts, which it is equally impossible for me ever to root from my memory, or to find words in any language capable of expressing. When my father saw me fall, I believe he was at first frightened: he took me up and set me upon the bed; but the moment Livia saw there was no real hurt done, fearing he should relent and make it up with me again, she hurried him out of the room, under the pretence of being frightened at his passion; sayng, she would not that he should have struck me on any account, especially in her quarrel, for she could bear it all. And then she put him in mind again of what she thought he would be most displeased at my saying. I had not spoke one word, nor was I able. The moment they were gone, I threw myself back on the bed, in greater agonies than the strongest imagination can paint, or than I can comprehend how human nature is able to survive. My father's leaving me in this condition, without giving himself any further trouble about what I suffered, or to find out whether I really deserved this treatment, hurt me more than even his striking me had done.
"In this miserable condition I lay till Valentine came in. It was his custom always to come up immediately to me after he had been abroad. The poor creature found me almost drowned in tears, and unable to tell him the cause of them. He guessed Livia was at the bottom of whatever it was that made me in this situation. He at first swore he would go and know from her what she had done to me. I caught hold of him, and showed him by my looks, that nothing would hurt me so much; and by that means prevailed with him to sit down by me till I could recover myself enough to speak; when, with the interruption of sighs and tears, I told him everything that had happened. Valentine, who is very far from being passionate (but the passions of men who are not subject to he ruffled, are much more to be dreaded than those of a sort of people who can have their whole frame shaken and torn to pieces about every grain of mustard-seed, or every blast of wind), when he had heard me out grew outrageous, insisted that I would let him go, for he was resolved no respect, even for his father, should prevent his telling Livia she should not use me in that manner. Nay, and before her husband's face, he would display all her tricks, and show him how she imposed on him.
"I was now frightened to death, for I would not have had my father and brother meet, while he was in this humour, for the whole world. I still kept hold of him, and begged him, with all the most endearing expressions I was mistress of, not to increase my misery, but to sit down till he was cool, that we might consult together what was best for us to do. He was so good, in consideration for me, to comply with my request, and I did all I could to calm his passion; and when I found he was able to hearken to me, I cried out, 'Oh ! Valentine, in this house I can live no longer; the sight of my father, now I have such evident proofs his affection is so entirely alienated from me, is become as great a torment to me as ever it was a blessing. I value not what I shall go through in being a vagabond and not knowing where to go; for I am certain no poverty, no misery, can ever equal what I suffer here. But then, how shall I leave you? Can I bear to be separated from the only comfort I have left in the world, or can I be the cause of your leaving your father's house, and subjecting you to, perhaps, more afflictions than you already endure? 'Tis that thought distracts my mind! for, as to myself, I am careless of everything future, and am sure nothing, when I am absent from hence, can ever make me feel what I do at this moment; nor would I have home it so long, had it not been for fear of bringing greater mischiefs on your head than what you now suffer.'
"Valentine swore he would never forsake me, that he would accompany me wherever I pleased, and be my support and guard to the utmost of his power, for that he valued his life no longer than it conduced to that end; but he thought it advisable we should make one effort, before we took such a step, to conconvince my father of Livia's treachery; and lay before him how she had used us; perhaps his affection might return for us, his eyes might be opened, _ and everything be right again.
"I considered a moment, and then replied. 'My I dear brother, I am very certain my father's passion for this woman must be without all bounds, or he could never have been influenced by any arts of hers to strike me, and use me as he has done. Were we to attempt to open his eyes on her faults, he would not hearken to us, and only hate us the more; and, could we give him any suspicion of her, it would only make him unhappy, which, let him use me ever so cruelly, the world could not bribe me to wish him; for, as I take his fondness for Livia to be unconquerable, all the ease he has he owes to his blindness; and I am sure, if a man was put in heavy chains, which he had no means of taking off, and was mad enough to deceive himself, and fancy they were bracelets made of the finest jewels and strings of the softest silk, that man would be very little his friend who should take pains to convince him they were made of iron, till he felt ail their weight, and was sensible of his own unhappy condition. Nay, if I loved him, and was confined within his reach, and he should carry his madness so far as to strike me with the iron, fancying it was so soft I could not feel it, while the hurt was not great enough to throw me off my guard, I would not tell him of it. Indeed, I would get from him, if it was in my power, as I will now from my father, lest I should be tempted to act a part I myself think wrong, and contrive some method of undeceiving him, to his own misery.'
"Valentine was by this time quite cool, and approved of what I had said. We therefore took a resolution of going from thence, though we knew not whither, nor who would receive us. We at last recollected we had an old aunt, who used to be very kind to us, and appeared to have taken a great fancy to Valentine: to her therefore we went, and begged her, for some little time, till we could settle what to do with ourselves, to let us remain in her house. We told her as much of what had happened as we thought just necessary to plead for us in going from our father's house; but with the greatest caution, that we might throw as little blame on him as possible. We could not avoid letting her a little into Livia's behaviour, for we had no other justification for what we had done. She said she was very much amazed at what we told her, for Livia had a very good character; but she supposed this was a passionate quarrel, and she would take care of us till such time as it could be made up again. We assured her that was impossible; that we would on no account ever go back to a place we had suffered so much in, and only entreated as the greatest favour that she would grant us some little corner of her house to be in, and let nobody know we were there. She took little notice of what we said, but resolved to act her own way.
"The next day she went out, and at her return came into the room where we were, with the greatest fury imaginable in her looks; and asked us what it was we meant by telling her a story of Livia's ill-usage, and God knows what, and endeavouring to impose on her, and make her accessary to our wicked conversation with each other. Brother and sister!—it was unnatural. She did not think the world had been arrived at such a pitch of wickedness. She ran on in this manner for a great while, without giving us leave to answer her.
"Valentine and I stood staring at one another, for we did not understand one word she said: at last, when she had talked herself out of breath, I begged her to explain herself, for I was really at a loss to know what she meant; if she had anything to lay to our charge, and would please to let us know what it was, we were ready to justify ourselves. Then she began again, 'Oh! undoubtedly you are very innocent people—you don't know what I mean.'
"Then she launched out into a long harangue on the crying and abominable sin of incest, wrung her hands, and seemed in the greatest affliction, that ever she should live to hear a nephew and niece of hers could be such odious creatures. At last I guessed what she would insinuate; but, as I knew myself perfectly innocent, could not imagine how such a thought could come into her head. I begged her for God's sake to let me know who could have filled her ears with such a horrid story; and by degrees I got it out of her. It seems this good woman had been at my father's that afternoon, with a design of reconciling and bringing us together again: when she came in, she found Livia and her husband sitting together; after the usual compliments of civility were past, she began to mention us; told, them we were at her house, and that she was come with an intention of making up some little disputes she understood there had been between us. Livia now acted a part which perhaps she had not long intended; but I am convinced, whoever is capable, unprovoked, to do another an injury, will stop at nothing to carry their schemes through; and, if they find no villainy in the person they thus undeservedly persecute, they will make no scruple of inventing anything, ever so bad, for their own justification.
"The moment my aunt mentioned us, Livia fell into a violent passion of crying, and said she was sure she was the most unfortunate woman alive; she did not doubt but we had told her everything we could think of to vilify her; for we were cunning enough to know that mothers-in-law were easily believed by the word to be in fault, though she was sure she had always acted by us as if we had been her own children. She said her chief concern now was for us, for that she was in the utmost consternation to think what the world would say of us—a young man and women running away together from their father's house, without any reason (and she was sure she knew of none) had a very bad appearance; and, as all our acquaintance knew we had always a remarkable fondness for each other, that circumstance would corroborate the suspicion. Then she mentioned several little instances in which Valentine and I had shown our reciprocal love; adding, that although she had great reason to believe we both hated her, yet, as we were so nearly related to the man she loved, she could not help being concerned for our welfare, As she spoke this, she looked at her husband with such an air of softness and tenderness, as she knew would be the strongest proof imaginable to him of her sincerity. My father stood for some little time in amazement, and was struck with the utmost horror at the thought Livia had suggested to him; and then swore he would send for us home, and lock us up separately from each other. This would utterly have frustrated all Livia's designs; for she knew the temper of the man she had to deal with well enough to be satisfied, if once we came home again, time would bring about a reconciliation between my father and us, which she was resolved to prevent; and therefore, as she had gone so far, she thought herself now under a necessity to go through with it. Few people stop in the midst of villainies, as the first step is much the hardest to get over.
"Livia therefore, with the appearance of the greatest perturbation of mind, as if it was the utmost force to her in this case even to speak the truth, and with tears in her eyes, said things were now come to such an extremity, that in order to prevent her husband's having any suspicion of her giving his children any cause for their hatred, she was forced, against her will, to confess she knew the reason of our aversion to her. 'I have discovered a secret, my dear.'—Here she made a pause, and then desired to be excused from proceeding any further; but my father, whose soul was now on fire, insisted in the strongest manner on knowing the whole. She then with an affected confusion, and a low voice continued thus: 'I accidentally found out a secret which they feared I might one time or other discover; and therefore used all the methods they could invent to give your father an ill opinion of me, that if I told it, it might be disbelieved.' She then turned to him, and said, 'I ought to ask your pardon, sir, for so long concealing from you a thing which is of the utmost consequence to your family; but it was the fear of making you unhappy was the reason of it, and I could never bring myself to give you the pain you must have felt at the knowledge of it. Nay, nothing but your absolute commands, which I shall ever obey, could even now enforce me. It is now some time since I found out there was a criminal conversation between your son and daughter; to this was owing all that love they talked of to each other; to this may be imputed Valentine's melancholy, and this was the foundation of all the passions you have seen Camilla in, which she feigned to be owing to her grief for using her ill; for on their oaths and solemn promises of amendment, I assured them you should know nothing of it. I don't know whether I am excusable for so doing, but I had so great a dread of disturbing your peace of mind, that I could not prevail with myself to act otherwise, and was in hopes to have preserved your quiet, and by this lenity have saved your children from ruin. I have watched them all I could' (thus she artfully gave a reason for all her actions), 'and it was on my speaking to Camilla yesterday, because I observed she still continued to contrive methods of being alone with Valentine, she fell into that passion in which you found her. This, if they will come before you, I will affirm to their faces, and I think they cannot even dare to deny it.'
"Perhaps, sir, you will wonder how Livia could venture to go so far as this, in a thing she knew to be utterly false; but, if we consider it seriously, she hazarded nothing by it; on the contrary, this pretended openness was the strongest confirmation of the truth of what she asserted. She knew very well there could be no more than our bare words against hers; and that, before a judge as partial to her as her husband, there was no danger but she should be believed. My father now saw everything made clear before him, the reason of all our discontents was no longer a secret; he was amazed at our wickedness, and said, he was sorry he had been the cause of such creatures coming into the world; that he would never see us more; then concluded with a compliment to Livia on her great goodness, and wondered how it was possible anything could be so bad as to abuse such softness and good-nature. On which Livia replied, she did not value our behaviour, nothing but necessity should have extorted from her what she always intended to conceal; and, if she might advise, he should see us again, separate us from each other, and make no noise in the world about such an affair as this. She well knew my father's temper, and that his seeing she thus returned good for evil would only raise his esteem the higher for her, and exasperate him the more against us.
"My aunt was astonished at our wickedness, and in the highest admiration of Livia's virtue. From this visit she came directly home to us, with a resolution such wretches should find no harbour in her house, and talked to us in the manner already related.
"Valentine and I were like statues on the hearing of all this, and it was some time before we could recollect ourselves enough to speak; this was thought to be owing to our guilt, and the shame of being detected, instead of amazement and indignation at hearing our innocence thus falsely accused. It was in vain for us to endeavour at clearing ourselves, for my aunt was a very good sort of a woman, as far as her understanding would give her leave; but she had the misfortune of having such a turned head, that she was always in the wrong, and there was never any possibility of convincing her of the contrary of anything she had once resolved to believe. She had run away warmly with the thoughts of the terrible sin of incest, and therefore we were to be condemned unheard, and be thought guilty without any proof."
David could contain himself no longer; but looking at Camilla with an air of the greatest compassion, cried out, "Good God ! madam, what have you suffered! and how were you able to bear up in the midst of all these afflictions? I would rather go and live in some cave, where I may never see anything in human shape again, than hear of another Livia. And how could aunt be so barbarous as not to give you leave to justify yourselves?"
"So far from it, sir," replied Camilla, "my aunt would by no means suffer such wicked creatures, as she now believed us, to remain under the same roof with her. Thus were we abandoned and destitute of all means of support; for we had but one guinea in the world; and Livia took care to make the story that we were run from home, that we might have a better opportunity to carry on our intrigues, fly like lightning through all our relations and acquaintance. So that, although we tried to speak to several of them, it was in vain, no one would admit us, except one old maiden cousin, who, instead of doing anything for our relief, said all the ill-natured things (on the report she had heard of us) the utmost malice could think of. She had always been very circumspect in her own conduct, and was rather a devotee than otherwise; and I verily believe she was glad of an opportunity to vent her own spleen, while she was silly enough to imagine she was exerting herself in the cause of virtue.
"We knew not which way to turn ourselves; but, as we happened to be tolerably dressed, we thought we might possibly be admitted into a lodging where we were not known: we happened on that very house, sir, where you found us, and took that little floor you afterwards had; but what to do for money to pay for it, or to keep us, we could not imagine. While we were in this unhappy situation, poor Valentine fell into a violent fever; this misfortune made me almost distracted: what to do to support him I could not tell; and to see him want what was necessary for him was what I could not bear. Drove by this necessity, and urged on by my eager desire to serve my brother, I took a resolution of trying whether I could raise compassion enough in any person to induce them to relieve me. I avoided all places where I was known, but went to several gentlemen's houses; I told just the heads of my story, concealing my name, and all those circumstances which might fix it on our family, supposing the persons I told it to should have heard anything of my father, or of our running away.
"Amongst the people I went to, I found some gentlemen who had good-nature enough, as I then thought it, to supply me so far as to enable me to get Valentine necessaries. My heart was full of gratitude towards them, and I thought I could never enough acknowledge the obligation; but when I went to them a second time (for they bld me come again when that was gone) they severally entertained me with the beauty of my person, and began to talk to me in a style which gave me to understand they were not silly enough to part with their money for nothing. In short, I found I had nothing further to expect from them, unless I would pay a price I thought too dear for anything they could do for me. Here I was again disappointed, and obliged to seek out new ways of getting bread for us both. By the care I had taken I had got my brother out of his fever; but it had left him so weak, he was not able to stir out of his bed. I could not show my head amongst any of my old acquaintance, and I perceived all the ladies I applied to looked on me with disdain, though I knew not for what reason; and I found amongst the men I had but one way of raising charity. My spirits were now quite worn out, and I was drove to the last despair: I was almost ready to sink under the weight of my afflictions; and I verily believe should have done it, had t not been for the consideration I had for Valentine.
"It came into my head, one morning, as I was revolving in my mind what step I should take next, to disguise myself in such a manner as that no one could be under any temptation from my person. I made myself a hump-back, dyed my skin in several places with great spots of yellow; so that, when I looked in the glass, I was almost frightened at my own figure. I dressed myself decently, and was resolved to try what I could procure this way. I now found there was not a man would hearken to me: if I began to speak of my misery, they laughed on one another, and seemed to think it was no manner of consequence what a wretch suffered who had it not in her power to give them any pleasure. The women, indeed, ceased their disdain, and seemed to take compassion on me; but it was a very small matter I got from them, for they all told me they would serve me if it was in their power; and then sent me to somebody else, who, they said, was immensely rich, and could afford to give away money; but when I came to these rich people, all I heard from them was a complaint of their poverty, and how sorry they were they could not help me. You must imagine it could not be amongst persons in very high life I went, for I had no means of getting into their houses; but amongst those sort of people where being dressed like a gentlewoman is passport enough for being seen and spoken to. The figure I had borrowed availed me as little as that which nature had given me. I began now to look on myself with horror, and to consider I was the cause that Valentine lay in such a condition, without any hopes of being restored to his health again; for his weakness was so great, it required much more than I was able to procure for him to support him. I reflected, that if I could have commanded my passions, to have borne my father's slights and Livia's ill-usage with patience, he might have had necessaries, though he would not have lived a pleasant life; and I had the inexpressible torment ot thinking myself guilty of a crime in bringing such miseries on the best of brothers. This consideration, added to all my other sufferings, had very nigh got the better of me; and how I was able to go through all this I cannot conceive. If I had had nothing but myself to have taken care of, I certainly should have sat down and been starved to death, without making any struggle to have withstood my hard fate; but when I looked on Valentine, my heart was ready to burst, and my head was full of schemes what way I should find out to bring him comfort. At last a thought came into my head, that I would put on rags, and go a-begging. I immediately put this scheme into execution, and accordingly took my stand at a corner of a street, where I stood a whole day, and told as much of my story as they would hear, to every person that passed by. Numbers shook their heads, and cried, It was a shame so many beggars were suffered to be in the streets, that people could not go about their business without being molested by them, and walked on without giving me anything; but amongst the crowds that passed by, a good many threw me a penny, or a halfpenny, till I found in the evening my gains amounted to half a crown.
"When it grew dark, I was going joyfully home, and was very thankful for what little I had got; but on a sudden I was surrounded by three or four fellows, who hustled me amongst them, so that I had no way to escape; one of them whispered me in the ear, that if I made the least noise, I should be immediately murdered. I have often since wondered how that threat could have any terror on one in my circumstances; but I don't know how it was, whether it was owing to the timidity of my temper, or that I was stumied with the suddenness of the thing, I let them carry me where they would, without daring to cry out. They took me under the arm, as if 1 had been of their company, and pulled me into a room; where, the moment they had me fast, they rifled my bag, in which I had put all my little treasure, and took it every farthing from me, and then asked me how I dared to stand begging in their district without their leave; they would have me to know that street belonged to them. And saying this, they every one struck me a blow, and then led me through such windings and turnings, it was impossible I should find my way back again, and left me in a street I did not know. But I inquired my way home; and, as I was in my rags and my borrowed ugliness, was not attacked by any one, I suppose it was owing to that disguise that I escaped meeting with brutal usage of another kind from those wretches."
David shook with horror at that thought; and, although he had never cursed anybody, yet, when he reflected on Camilla's sufferings, he could hardly forbear cursing Livia; and said no punishment could be bad enough for her. He was now afraid every time Camilla opened her mouth what he should hear next; for he found himself so strongly interested in everything which concerned her, that he felt in his own mind all the misery she had gone through; and he then asked her what she could possibly do in this unhappy situation. To which she replied, "I knew not what to do, my spirits were depressed, and worn out with fatigue, and I felt the effects of the blows those barbarous creatures had given me. But this indeed was trifling, in comparison of the horror which filled my mind when I saw Valentine faint, and hardly able to speak from want of proper nourishment, and I had no method of getting him any.
"The landlady of the house had been already clamorous for her money; but I had, by persuasions and promises to get it for her as soon as ever I could, pacified her from time to time. I was afraid tha laying open our starving condition to her would be the means of being turned out of doors; and yet, desperate as this remedy appeared, I was forced to [ venture at it. I therefore called her up, and begged her to give something to relieve the poor wretch whom she saw sick in bed; for that I was in the utmost distress to get some food for him. She fell a-scolding at me and said she wondered how I could think poor people could live, and pay their rent, if such as I took their lodgings, and hed nothing to pay for them; why did not I work as well as other people, if I had no other means of supporting myself? Sure! she did not understand I what people meant by setting up for gentlefolks. I I told her, if she would be so good to get me any employment, I would work my fingers to the bone to pay her what I owed her, and only begged her to give me something for my present support. 'Yes,' answered she, 'that is a likely matter truly! then I should have the work to answer for, and be still a greater loser; for I don't know who would trust anything in the hands of beggars.'"
"Good God!" said David, "have I lived under the same roof with such a monster, a creature who could be so barbarous as to upbraid instead of assisting her fellow-creatures, when drove to such a height of misery?"
"Alas, sir!" said Camilla, "there is no situation so deplorable, no condition so much to be pitied, as that of a gentlewoman in real poverty. I mean by real poverty, not having sufficient to procure us necessaries; for good sense will teach people to moderate their desires, and lessen their way of living, and yet be content. Birth, family, and education, become misfortunes when we cannot attain some means of supporting ourselves in the station they throw us into; our friends and former acquaintance look on it as a disgrace to own us. In my case, indeed, there was something peculiarly unhappy; for my loss of reputation gave my relations some excuse for their barbarity: though I am confident they would have acted near the same part without it. Men think our circumstances give them a liberty to shock our ears with proposals ever so dishonourable; and I am afraid there are women who do not feel much uneasiness at seeing any one, who is used to be upon a level with themselves, thrown greatly below them. If we were to attempt getting our living by any trade, people in that station would think we were endeavouring to take their bread out of their mouths, and combine together against us; saying, we most certainly deserve our distress, or our great relations would support us. Men in very high life are taken up with such various cares that, were they ever so good-natured, they cannot hearken to everybody's complaint who applies to them for relief. And the lower sort of people use a person who was born in a higher station, and is thrown amongst them by any misfortune, just as I have seen cows in a field use one another; for, if by accident any of them fall into a ditch, the rest all kick against them, and endeavour to keep them down, that they may not get out again. They will not suffer us to be equal with them, and get our bread as they do; if we cannot be above them, they will have the pleasure of casting us down infinitely below them. In short, persons who are so unfortunate as to be in this situation are in a world full of people, and yet are as solitary as if they were in the wildest desert; nobody will allow them to be of their rank, nor admit them into their community. They see all the blessings which Nature deals out with such a lavish hand to all her creatures, without finding any possibility of sharing the least part of them. This, sir, was my miserable till your bounty relieved me."
The raptures David felt at that moment, when Camilla had thus suddenly turned his thoughts on the consideration that he was the cause she was relieved from that most miserable of all conditions, Which she had just described, are not to be expressed, and can only be imagined by those people who are capable of the same actions. He could not forbear crying out, was he to live a thousand years, he could never meet with another pleasure equal to the thought of having served her; and said, if she thought herself any way oblieged to him, the only favour he had to ask of her in return was never to mention it more. She was amazed at his generosity; however, took no further notice of it, but went on thus with her story—
"Whilst this hard-hearted woman, sir, was talking in this strain, a neighbour of hers, who accidentally came to see her, hearing her voice louder than usual (though she never spoke in a very low key); came up to us to know what was the matter. I took hold of her the moment she entered the room, and as soon as I could have an opportunity (for the landlady would hardly give me leave to speak) I told her ray case. The poor woman, though she worked for her bread, was so touched with what she heard, and with my brother's pale, languid look, that she pulled out sixpence and gave it me; this enabled me to support him two days, for his stomach was too weak to take anything but biscuits. As to myself, I swallowed nothing but dry bread and water, for I would not rob him of a farthing more than just served to keep me alive. The mistress of the house, as soon as this our benefactress was gone, began again in her old strain, and said she must send for the proper officers of the parish to which we belonged, and charge them with us, for she could not venture to bring any expense upon herself. I begged her, for God's sake, not to turn us out in that condition, and at last prevailed so far on her good-nature that she consented we should stay in her house, provided we would go up into the garret, and be contented with one room; for truly she could not spare more to such creatures; and if we could not in a week find some method of paying her, she was resolved no longer to be imposed on, because we had found out she could not help being compassionate, with many hints how happy we were to have met with her, for there were very few people in this hard-hearted world could arrive at such a pitch of goodness. To these terms we were forced to submit, and get upstairs into that hole which you found us in. She did not fail coming up once a day to inform us how much she wanted her money, although she knew it was impossible for us to pay her.
"The poor woman who had relieved us last, spared us one sixpence more; but she happened to get a service, and go into the country, so that now all our hopes were lost. I have really several times, during this dreadful week, wished Valentine dead, that I might not see him thus languish away in misery before my face. I sat up with him the whole time. I will not shock a nature so tender as yours, sir, with the repetition of what horrors passed in my mind, between my then present sufferings and the expectation of seeing my dear brother, in his miserable condition, soon turned into the street. The time was just expired, when she was come up with a resolution of turning us out of doors, when the noise she made brought you up to see and relieve our misery. What little things there were in that dismal room when first we went up, she by degrees took away, under the pretence of wanting them for some use or other, till she left us nothing at all; and a poor creature ill, as Valentine was, could not get even the coarsest clothes to cover him. I had managed the little that good woman spared me from her own labour in such a manner, that he had been but one day totally without any sustenance; but, for my part, I had for two days tasted nothing but cold water: and we must both have perished in that deplorable misery, had not you opportunely come to save us, and restored us to life and plenty."
Camilla ceased speaking; and David, after looking at her with amazement, was going to make some observation on the various scenes of wretchedness she had gone through, when Valentine entering the room, made them turn the conversation on more indifferent subjects, and so passed the evening very agreeably together. And with Camilla's story till she met with David I shall conclude this chapter.