began to be at odds with myself whether to be glad or sorry;
but my affection biassed all the rest, and it was impossible to
conceal my joy, which was too great for smiles, for it burst
out into tears. He was no sooner entered the room but he ran
to me and took me in his arms, holding me fast, and almost
stopping my breath with his kisses, but spoke not a word.
At length I began. ‘My dear,’ said I, ‘how could you go away
from me?’ to which he gave no answer, for it was impossible
for him to speak.
When our ecstasies were a little over, he told me he was gone
about fifteen miles, but it was not in his power to go any farther
without coming back to see me again, and to take his leave of
me once more.
I told him how I had passed my time, and how loud I had
called him to come back again. He told me he heard me very
plain upon Delamere Forest, at a place about twelve miles off.
I smiled. ‘Nay,’ says he, ‘do not think I am in jest, for if ever
I heard your voice in my life, I heard you call me aloud, and
sometimes I thought I saw you running after me.’ ‘Why,’
said I, ‘what did I say?’–for I had not named the words to him.
‘You called aloud,’ says he, ‘and said, O Jemmy! O Jemmy!
come back, come back.’
I laughed at him. ‘My dear,’ says he, ‘do not laugh, for, depend
upon it, I heard your voice as plain as you hear mine now; if
you please, I’ll go before a magistrate and make oath of it.’ I
then began to be amazed and surprised, and indeed frightened,
and told him what I had really done, and how I had called after
him, as above.
When we had amused ourselves a while about this, I said to
him: ‘Well, you shall go away from me no more; I’ll go all
over the world with you rather.’ He told me it would be very
difficult thing for him to leave me, but since it must be, he
hoped I would make it as easy to me as I could; but as for him,
it would be his destruction that he foresaw.
However, he told me that he considered he had left me to
travel to London alone, which was too long a journey; and
that as he might as well go that way as any way else, he was
resolved to see me safe thither, or near it; and if he did go
away then without taking his leave, I should not take it ill of
him; and this he made me promise.
He told me how he had dismissed his three servants, sold
their horses, and sent the fellows away to seek their fortunes,
and all in a little time, at a town on the road, I know not where.
‘And,’ says he, ‘it cost me some tears all alone by myself, to
think how much happier they were than their master, for they
could go to the next gentleman’s house to see for a service,
whereas,’ said he, ‘I knew not wither to go, or what to do
with myself.’
I told him I was so completely miserable in parting with him,
that I could not be worse; and that now he was come again,
I would not go from him, if he would take me with him, let
him go whither he would, or do what he would. And in the
meantime I agreed that we would go together to London; but
I could not be brought to consent he should go away at last
and not take his leave of me, as he proposed to do; but told
him, jesting, that if he did, I would call him back again as loud
as I did before. Then I pulled out his watch and gave it him
back, and his two rings, and his ten guineas; but he would not
take them, which made me very much suspect that he resolved
to go off upon the road and leave me.