The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

THE EXPEDITION OF HUMPHRY CLINKER 287
of which he was fond to a degree of enthusiasm, to cultivate his
estate, which was very improvable; to enjoy the exercise of rural
diversions; to maintain an intimacy of correspondence with some
friends that were settled in his neighbourhood; to keep a comfort-
able house, without suffering his expence to exceed the limits of
his income; and to find pleasure and employment for his wife in
the management and avocations of her own family—This, how-
ever, was a visionary scheme, which he never was able to realize.
His wife was as ignorant as a new-born babe of every thing that
related to the conduct of a family; and she had no idea of a country-
life—Her understanding did not reach so far as to comprehend the
first principles of discretion; and, indeed, if her capacity had been
better than it was, her natural indolence would not have permitted
her to abandon a certain routine, to which she had been habituated.
She had not taste enough to relish any rational enjoyment; but her
ruling passion was vanity, not that species which arises from self-
conceit of superior accomplishments, but that which is of a bastard
and idiot nature, excited by shew and ostentation, which implies
not even the least consciousness of any personal merit.
The nuptial peal of noise and nonsense being rung out in all the
usual changes, Mr. Baynard thought it high time to make her
acquainted with the particulars of the plan which he had pro-
jected—He told her that his fortune, though sufficient to afford
all the comforts of life, was not ample enough to command all the
superfluities of pomp and pageantry, which, indeed, were equally
absurd and intolerable—He therefore hoped she would have no
objection to their leaving London in the spring, when he would
take the opportunity to dismiss some unnecessary domestics,
whom he had hired for the occasion of their marriage—She heard
him in silence, and, after some pause, ‘So, (said she) I am to be
buried in the country!’ He was so confounded at this reply, that he
could not speak for some minutes: at length he told her, he was
much mortified to find he had proposed any thing that was dis-
agreeable to her ideas—‘I am sure (added he) I meant nothing
more than to lay down a comfortable plan of living within the
bounds of our fortune, which is but moderate.’ ‘Sir, (said she) you
are the best judge of your own affairs—My fortune, I know, does
not exceed twenty thousand pounds—Yet, even with that pittance,
I might have had a husband who would not have begrudged me a
house in London—’ ‘Good God! my dear, (cried poor Baynard,