A Short Account of the History of Mrs. Miller
- Mrs. Miller invites Tom to tea that afternoon, since she doesn't want them to part on bad terms.
- She decides to tell him all about her own history with Squire Allworthy.
- Going back in time, Mrs. Miller's father is an officer in the army.
- When he dies, his pension stops with him.
- So Mrs. Miller and her two sisters are left penniless.
- Both of her sisters also die within a year.
- Mrs. Miller has been in love with a local clergyman for a long time before her father's death.
- Right after her father dies, she marries him.
- They live together happily for five years, and she has her two children (Nancy and Betsy).
- But then, her husband also dies.
- Mrs. Miller is left heartbroken and alone.
- Squire Allworthy, who was a friend of Mr. Miller the clergyman, writes a letter to Mrs. Miller.
- In that letter, he offers her the temporary help of a servant, as well as a twenty-guinea present (about $4,200 today.)
- Squire Allworthy also gives her the house in London that she is currently running as a landlady.
- It is thanks to Squire Allworthy's help that she has been able to keep her daughters so comfortably.
- Tom breaks it to Mrs. Miller that he's not actually a relative of Squire Allworthy's.
- Mrs. Miller knows exactly who Tom is, but she doesn't think that there is anything shameful in being born out of wedlock. It's not like that's Tom's fault.
- It's almost nine, and Tom's appointment with Lady Bellaston is coming up..
- Tom promises that this is the last time he'll see her, that she really is an upper-class woman, and that nothing will happen between them.
- So Mrs. Miller agrees to let him meet with Lady Bellaston at her house.
- Tom goes to his room, sits, and waits.
- But Lady Bellaston never shows up.