Даниэль Дефо - Roxana

But Amy soon came to a better Understanding of him; for she presently learnt, that he had a most scoundrel Character; that there was nothing of Weight in any thing he said; but that he was, in short, a meer Sharper; one that would stick at nothing to get Money, and that there was no depending on any thing he said; and that, more especially, about the Lieutenant’s Commission, she understood, that there was nothing at-all in it; but they told her, how he had often made use of that Sham , to borrow Money, and move Gentlemen to pity him, and lend him Money, in hopes to get him Preferment; that he had re ported, that he had a Wife, and five Children, in England , who he maintain’d out of his Pay; and by these Shifts [122] Shifts : tricks, dodges. had run into Debt in several Places; and upon several Complaints for such things, he had been threatened to be turn’d out of the Gensd’arms ; and that, in short, he was not to be believ’d in any thing he said, or trusted on any Account.

Upon this Information, Amy began to cool in her farther meddling with him; and told me, it was not safe for me to attempt doing him any Good, unless I resolv’d to put him upon Suspicions and Enquiries, which might be to my Ruin, in the Condition I was now in.

I was soon confirm’d in this Part of his Character; for the next time that Amy came to talk with him, he discover’d himself more effectually; for while she had put him in Hopes of procuring One to advance the Money for the Lieutenant’s Commission for him, upon easie Conditions, he by Degrees, dropt the Discourse, then pretended it was too late, and that he could not get it; and then descended to ask poor Amy to lend him 500 Pistoles.

Amy pretended Poverty; that her Circumstances were but mean; and that she cou’d not raise such a Sum; and this she did, to try him to the utmost; he descended to 300, then to 100, then to 50, and then to a Pistole, which she lent him, and he never intending to pay it, play’d out of her Sight, as much as he cou’d; and thus being satisfied that he was the same worthless Thing he had ever been, I threw off all Thoughts of him; whereas, had he been a Man of any Sence, and of any Principle of Honour, I had it in my Thoughts to retire to England again, send for him over, and have liv’d honestly with him: But as a Fool is the worst of Husbands to do a Woman Good, so a Fool is the worst Husband a Woman can do Good to: I wou’d willingly have done him Good, but he was not qualified to receive it, or make the best Use of it; had I sent him ten Thousand Crowns, instead of eight Thousand Livres, [123] ten Thousand Crowns, instead of eight Thousand Livres : the French crown (as the écu was commonly called in England) was worth slightly less than the English crown or five shilling piece. Ten thousand French crowns were worth £2,300. Eight thousand livres were worth only £490. and sent it with express Condition, that he should immediately have bought himself the Commission he talk’d of, with Part of the Money, and have sent some of it to relieve the Necessities of his poor miserable Wife at London , and to prevent his Children to be kept by the Parish, it was evident, he wou’d have been still but a private Trooper, and his Wife and Children should still have starv’d at London , or been kept of meer Charity, as, for ought he knew, they then were.

Seeing therfore, no Remedy, I was oblig’d to withdraw my Hand from him, that had been my first Destroyer, and reserve the Assistance that I intended to have given him, for another more desirable Opportunity; all that I had now to do, was to keep myself out of his Sight, which was not very difficult for me to do, considering in what Station he liv’d.

Amy and I had several Consultations then, upon the main Question, namely, how to be sure never to chop upon [124] chop upon : run into, chance suddenly upon. him again, by Chance, and so be surpriz’d into a Discovery; which would have been a fatal Discovery indeed: Amy propos’d, that we shou’d always take Care to know where the Gensd’arms were quarter’d, and thereby effectually avoid them; and this was one Way.

But this was not so as to be fully to my Satisfaction; no ordinary Way of enquiring where the Gensd’arms were quarter’d, were sufficient to me; but I found out a Fellow, who was compleatly qualified for the Work of a Spy, (for France has Plenty of such People,) this Man I employ’d to be a constant and particular Attendant upon his Person and Motions; and he was especially employ’d, and order’d to haunt him as a Ghost ; that he should scarce let him be ever out of his Sight; he perform’d this to a Nicety, and fail’d not to give me a perfect Journal of all his Motions, from Day to Day; and whether for his Pleasures, or his Business, was always at his Heels.

This was somewhat expensive, and such a Fellow merited to be well paid; but he did his Business so exquisitely punctual, that this poor Man scarce went out of the House, without my knowing the Way he went, the Company he kept, when he went Abroad, and when he stay’d at Home.

By this extraordinary Conduct I made myself safe, and so went out in publick, or stay’d at-home, as I found he was, or was not, in a Possibility of being at Paris , at Versailles , or any Place I had Occasion to be at: This, tho’ it was very chargeable, [125] chargeable : expensive. yet as I found it absolutely necessary, so I took no Thought about the Expence of it; for I knew I cou’d not purchase my Safety too dear.

By this Management I found an Opportunity to see what a most insignificant, unthinking Life, the poor indolent Wretch, who by his unactive Temper had at first been my Ruin, now liv’d; how he only rose in the Morning, to go to-Bed at Night; that saving the necessary Motion of the Troops, which he was oblig’d to attend, he was a meer motionless Animal, of no Consequence in the World; that he seem’d to be one, who, tho’ he was indeed alive, had no manner of Business in Life, but to stay to be call’d out of it; he neither kept any Company, minded any Sport, play’d at any Game, or indeed, did any thing of moment; but, in short , saunter’d about, like one, that it was not two Livres Value whether he was dead or alive; that when he was gone, would leave no Remembrance behind him that ever he was here; that if ever he did any thing in the World to be talk’d of, it was, only to get [126] get : beget. five Beggers, and starve his Wife: The Journal of his Life, which I had constantly sent me every Week, was the least significant of any-thing of its Kind, that was ever seen; as it had really nothing of Earnest in it, so it wou’d make no Jest, to relate it; it was not important enough, so much as to make the Reader merry withal; and for that Reason I omit it.

Yet this Nothing-doing Wretch was I oblig’d to watch and guard against, as against the only thing that was capable of doing me Hurt in the World, I was to shun him, as we wou’d shun a Spectre, or even the Devil, if he was actually in our Way; and it cost me after the Rate of a 150 Livres a Month, and very cheap too, to have this Creature constantly kept in View; that is to say , my Spy undertook, never to let him be out of his Sight an Hour, but so as that he cou’d give an Account of him; which was much the easier to be done, considering his Way of Living; for he was sure, that for whole Weeks together, he wou’d be ten Hours of the Day, half asleep on a Bench at the Tavern-Door where he quarter’d, or drunk within the House.

Tho’ this wicked Life he led, sometimes mov’d me to pity him, and to wonder how so well-bred, Gentlemanly a Man as he once was, could degenerate into such a useless thing, as he now appear’d; yet, at the same time, it gave me most contemptible Thoughts of him, and made me often say, I was a Warning for all the Ladies of Europe , against marrying of FOOLS; a Man of Sence falls in the World, and gets-up again, and a Woman has some Chance for herself; but with a FOOL! once fall, and ever undone; once in the Ditch, and die in the Ditch; once poor, and sure to starve.