looking for his wife she immediately thought he was Mr Waters.
She accepted some money from the gentleman, and took him
upstairs to Mrs Waters's room.
In the polite world, a gentleman always knocks before he
enters his wife's bedroom. This gentleman did knock, but in such
a violent way that the door flew open and he fell into the room.
As he got to his feet again he saw (we admit it with shame and
sorrow) our hero himself in bed, demanding to know the reason
for this rude behaviour.
The gentleman was about to apologize when he saw, in the
moonlight, various pieces of a woman's clothing on the floor. In
a jealous rage, he rushed to the bed.
Tom jumped out of the bed to stop him. And now Mrs Waters
(for we must confess she was in the same bed) began to scream,
'Murder! Robbery!' until the guest in the next room rushed in
to help.
This guest was an Irishman who was on his way to Bath. He
stood at the door, holding a candle in one hand and his sword in
the other. He looked at the furious gentleman and cried out, 'Mr
Fitzpatrick, what is the meaning of this?'
The gentleman immediately answered, 'Oh, Mr Maclachlan, I
am glad you are here. This devil is in bed with my wife ! '
'Your wife?' cried Mr Maclachlan. 'I know Mrs Fitzpatrick
very well, and I don't see her here.'
Fitzpatrick now looked more closely at the lady in the bed
and saw his unfortunate mistake. He began to apologize.
At that moment, the landlady came in, and Mrs Waters quickly
called out to her, 'What kind of place is this? All these men have
broken into my room to rob me!'
Fitzpatrick, hanging down his head, explained his mistake,
apologized again and left with his friend. Tom explained that he
had rushed in to help Mrs Waters when he heard all the noise.
'Thank God my reputation is not ruined,' cried the landlady.
52
'There has never been a robbery in my inn. Only good, honest
people come here. 'And she returned downstairs.
And what about Mr Fitzpatrick? After he had disturbed the
house in this unfortunate way, the reader will find it hard to
believe he was a gentleman.
Mr Fitzpatrick was indeed born a gentleman, but without any
money. Luckily he had married a young woman with a fortune.
He was cruel to his wife, but generous with her fortune. Now he
had spent it all, and she had run away.
Mr Fitzpatrick had followed his wife, and was sure he would
find her in the inn at Upton. After his terrible mistake, he never
thought she might be in another room. Tired and disappointed,
he accepted Mr Maclachlan's kind offer to share his bed for the
rest of the night.