Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/83

 them a week, in order to find out (if possible) what could be the cause of a man's fondness for such a woman. In all the time he was there he observed she indulged herself in drinking tea and in such expenses as a man in his way could not possibly supply, notwithstanding all his industry; but he thought nothing too much for her. After all the reflections that could be made on this subject, there could be no other reason assigned for this poor man's being such a willing slave, bat her great pride, and high spirit, which imposed on him, and made him afraid to disoblige her, together with a certain self-sufficiency in all she said or did; which, joined to her superiority to him in birth (she having been a lady's waiting-gentlewoman) made him imagine her much more capable than she really was in all respects. I think it very likely, if she had known her own deserts, and been humble in her behaviour, he would have paid her no other compliment than that of confessing her in the right in the mean thoughts she had of herself. He then would have been master in his own house, and have made a drudge of her; an instance of which David saw while he was there, by a man who came one day to visit his neighbour, and was what is called by those sort of people a jolly companion: the first thing he did was to abuse his wife. He said, he had left her at home out of humour, and would always deal with her after that manner when he found her inclined to be ill-tempered. The carpenter cast a look on his wife, which expressed his satisfaction in having so much the advantage of his acquaintance. The other went on, in saying, for his part, he could never have anything he liked at home, therefore he would stay but little there. David hearing all this, had a great desire to see if this woman was as much better than her husband