The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Book 15, Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Tom returns to his room to find three letters, all from Lady Bellaston, all saying she changed her mind and wants to see him immediately. Mr. Nightingale walks in, and though he was very drunk the previous night, he was able to figure out that Tom was with Lady Bellaston. He assures Tom that if word gets out about Tom and Lady Bellaston, it will not seriously damage Lady Bellaston’s already-spotty reputation. Tom figured Lady Bellaston wasn’t a virgin, but he didn’t know the full extent of her past until Mr. Nightingale repeats it, with a level of detail that the narrator glosses over.

As Lady Bellaston’s pace of letter-writing intensifies, this shows how she is spiraling and become more obsessed with her schemes to win over Tom. But in spite of how fixated on Tom she seems to be, Mr. Nightingale informs Tom that Tom was far from the first man to be involved with Lady Bellaston. The narrator’s unwillingness to describe Lady Bellaston’s sexual history both allows the story to avoid breaking taboos about explicit descriptions of sex while also giving the audience a lot to imagine.

Active Themes

Tom tells Mr. Nightingale he doesn’t love Lady Bellaston but has gotten too entangled with her. Mr. Nightingale considers the problem, then has an idea: He suggests the best way for Tom to get rid of Lady Bellaston is to propose marriage. This is how things ended between Lady Bellaston and a former lover. Tom is reluctant but eventually writes to Lady Bellaston proposing marriage.

Mr. Nightingale’s advice—that the best way to break up with Lady Bellaston is to propose to marry her—is dubious, and that fact that Tom takes this advice shows how deeply he trusts Mr. Nightingale. It is possible, perhaps, that Mr. Nightingale is implying that he himself ended a relationship with Lady Bellaston by proposing marriage, or at least that he proposed marriage in a similar situation.

Active Themes

Lady Bellaston writes back saying she is offended at how cold Tom’s marriage proposal is. With Mr. Nightingale’s guidance, Tom writes back that he is indeed serious about his passion for Lady Bellaston. She replies with a short note saying that Tom is a “villain” and shouldn’t bother trying to see her ever again. Tom is relieved to end things with her but still uneasy about the methods he used to do so. Mrs. Miller summons Tom and Mr. Nightingale to dinner. After dinner, Mrs. Miller receives a letter.

Active Themes

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book 15, Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis