In the
midst of these my musings, she desired me to reach her a little salt
upon the point of my knife, which I did in such a trepidation and
hurry of obedience that I let it drop by the way; at which she
immediately startled, and said it fell towards her. Upon this I
looked very blank; and observing the concern of the whole table,
began to consider myself, with some confusion, as a person that had
brought a disaster upon the family. The lady, however, recovering
herself after a little space, said to her husband with a sigh, "My
dear, misfortunes never come single." My friend, I found, acted but
an under part at his table; and, being a man of more good-nature
than understanding, thinks himself obliged to fall in with all the
passions and humours of his yoke-fellow. "Do not you remember,
child," says she, "that the pigeon-house fell the very afternoon
that our careless wench spilt the salt upon the table?"--"Yes," says
he, "my dear; and the next post brought us an account of the battle
of Almanza." The reader may guess at the figure I made, after
having done all this mischief. I despatched my dinner as soon as I
could, with my usual taciturnity; when, to my utter confusion, the
lady seeing me quitting my knife and fork, and laying them across
one another upon my plate, desired me that I would humour her so far
as to take them out of that figure and place them side by side.
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