Tom Jones Book 4, Chapter 7 Summary

Being the Shortest Chapter of This Book

  • Molly's mother, Goody Seagrim, soon notices that Molly appears to be, um, pregnant.
  • (BTW, "Goody" is an old-fashioned way of saying "Mrs.," but specifically for poorer married women.)
  • Goody Seagrim tries to hide her daughter's pregnancy by doing something very stupid.
  • She dresses Molly in one of Sophia's former dresses, which Sophia gave to the Seagrim family as charity.
  • Goody Seagrim's idea is that Molly should go to church in something less revealing than her usual rags.
  • Molly is psyched that she gets to appear in public in much better clothes than she usually wears.
  • She also adds a bunch of jewelry that Tom has given her to her outfit.
  • So, by the time that Molly makes it in to church, she's looking super decked out.
  • Far from fading into the background, Molly becomes doubly attention-grabbing.
  • All of the women in the village immediately start gossiping about her.