Tom Jones Book 17, Chapter 3

The Arrival of Mr. Western, With Some Matters Concerning the Paternal Authority

• Squire Western comes striding in, angry as always.
• He tells Squire Allworthy that, all of this time, they have been worrying about Tom, when really, they should have been worrying about some lord.
• Squire Western went to see his sister the night before.
• He found her surrounded by ladies, including Lady Bellaston.
• The ladies swooped in and told him that he should engage Sophia to Lord Fellamar.
• Squire Allworthy offers to break off the engagement between Sophia and Mr. Blifil.
• Squire Allworthy sees that Sophia really, truly does not want to marry Mr. Blifil.
• It makes him sad, but he refuses to agree to their marriage under these circumstances.
• Squire Western refuses not to consent to it. By which we mean, he absolutely insists that it go forward.
• Mr. Blifil jumps in: certainly, it's wrong to use violence to get a woman to marry you.
• But is it wrong to keep working at it (nonviolently, of course) until she agrees?
• After all, he doesn't think she wants to marry Lord Fellamar, either.
• She still wants to marry Tom, "that wickedest of men" (17.3.17).
• Squire Allworthy gives Mr. Blifil permission to write and visit Sophia, but he won't have her locked up or any of the crazy things Squire Western has been up to.
• Squire Western, meanwhile, is dancing around the room with happiness that Tom is about to be hanged.
• After Squire Western is gone, Squire Allworthy advises Mr. Blifil to give up on Sophia.