Tom Jones Book 5, Chapter 4

A Little Chapter, In Which Is Contained a Little Incident

• Mrs. Honour also stops in to say hello to Tom during his recovery.
• She comes by the day after Tom's struggle over his feelings for Sophia.
• She starts chattering, as is her habit.
• Mrs. Honour tells Tom to "look a little higher than such trumpery as Molly Seagrim" (5.4.2). ("Trumpery" means something hollow or without value.)
• She asks Tom if he remembers that time when he kissed Sophia's muff? (See Book 4, Chapter 14 for the original incident in question.)
• Well, Mrs. Honour has told Sophia all about it.
• (Tom is really embarrassed to hear this, but Mrs. Honour hasn't gotten to the point of her story yet.)
• Apparently, Sophia had given the muff in question to Mrs. Honour several days earlier.
• But once Sophia hears Mrs. Honour's story about Tom kissing it, she asks for it back in exchange for a newer muff.
• Sophia holds onto the old muff and, according to Mrs. Honour, she kisses it when she thinks no one sees her.
• (This is, honestly, the strangest romantic gesture we have ever heard. But the point is, both Tom and Sophia have been kissing this hand-covering as a substitute for one another. Whatever floats their boats, right?)
• As Mrs. Honour winds up her story, Squire Western spots them talking and tells Tom to knock it off.
• Squire Western assumes that Tom is trying to seduce Mrs. Honour now.
• Sophia is playing the harpsichord while this is going on.
• As she is playing, she drops her muff—the same muff that has been the cause of all of this fuss between her and Tom.
• Squire Western is so surprised and annoyed that he throws the muff on the fire.
• Sophia jumps up and grabs the muff from the fire.
• This sudden, unconscious demonstration of Sophia's feelings for Tom totally bowls him over.
• All of Tom's careful thinking about honor and fairness to Molly—blown away in an instant.
• Sophia has now totally conquered his heart.