Tom Jones Book 15, Chapter 8

Short and Sweet

• Mrs. Miller scolds Tom gently the next morning for the noise from his room the night before.
• But after she's gotten that out of the way, she asks Tom to come downstairs and give Nancy away.
• Mr. Nightingale is there, ready for the wedding.
• At his uncle's house the night before, Bro Nightingale gave Mr. Nightingale wine until he passed out.
• Bro Nightingale was going to use his nephew's drunkenness to keep him away from Nancy the next morning.
• But before he could lock up Mr. Nightingale, he got some bad news of his own.
• As soon as he left for London, Bro Nightingale's daughter eloped with a local clergyman.
• Bro Nightingale does not at all approve of the match.
• So he races off home.
• Bro Nightingale's servant wakes Mr. Nightingale to tell him where his uncle has gone.
• Mr. Nightingale immediately heads over to Mrs. Miller's house.
• (That's why he was so drunk when he tried to come into Tom's room.)
• The next morning, everybody is where they are supposed to be: Mr. Nightingale, Mrs. Miller, Nancy, Betsy, and Tom.
• There's nothing to prevent Nancy and Mr. Nightingale from getting married.