Wouldscarceacceptakingdom,\'tissorich!
Shakeshandswithall,andvowsitneverknewThatlifewaslifebefore!
Wild。Nay,everywayYoudofairjustice,lady,tothechase;
Butfancieschange。
Con。Suchfancyisnotmine。
Wild。Iwoulditwerenotmine,foryourfairsake。
Ihavequitegiveno\'erthechase。
Con。Yousaynotso!
Wild。Forsworn,indeed,thesportsman\'slife,andgrown,Asyoumaypartlysee,town—gentleman。
Icarenotnowtomountasteed,unlessToamble\'longthestreet;nopacesmind,Exceptmyown,towalkthedrawing—room,Orintheball—roomtocomeoffwithgrace;
Noleapforme,tomatchthelightcoupe;
Nomusicliketheviolinandharp,Towhichthehuntsman\'sdogandhornIfindAresomewhatcoarseandhomelyminstrelsy:
Thenfieldsofill—dressedrustics,you\'llconfess,ArewellexchangedforroomsofbeauxandbellesInshort,I\'veta\'enanotherthoughtoflife—
Becomeanotherman!
Con。Thecause,Ipray?
Wild。Thecauseofcauses,lady。
Con。He\'sinlove![Aside。]
Wild。Toyou,ofwomen,Iwouldnameitlast;
Yetyourfrankbearingmeritslikereturn;
I,thatdidhuntthegame,amcaughtmyselfInchaseIneverdreamedof!
[Goesout。]
Con。Heisinlove!
Wildrake\'sinlove!\'Tisthatkeepshimintown,Turnshimfromsportsmantotown—gentleman。
Ineverdreamedthathecouldbeinlove!
Inlovewithwhom?——I\'llfindthevixenout!
Whatrighthasshetosethercapathim?
Iwarrantme,aforward,artfulminx;
Ihatehimworsethanever。I\'lldoallIcantospoilthematch。He\'llnevermarry—
Surehewillnevermarry!HewillhaveMoresensethanthat!Mybackdothopeandshut—
Mytemplesthrobandshoot——Iamcoldandhot!
Werehetomarry,therewouldbeanendToneighbourConstance——neighbourWildrake——why,Ishouldnotknowmyself!
[EnterTRUEWORTH。]
DearMasterTrueworth,Whatthinkyou!——neighbourWildrakeisinlove!
Inlove!Wouldyoubelieveit,MasterTrueworth?
Ne\'erheedmydressandlooks,butanswerme。
KnowestthouofanyladyhehasseenThat\'sliketocozenhim?
True。Iamnotsure—
Wetalkedto—dayabouttheWidowGreen!
Con。Herthatmyfatherfancies。Lethimwedher!
Marryherto—morrow——ifhewill,to—night。
Ican\'tspareneighbourWildrake——neighbourWildrake!
AlthoughIwouldnotmarryhimmyself,Icouldnothearthatothermarriedhim!
Gotomyfather——\'tisapropermatch!
Hehasmyleave!He\'swelcometobringhomeTheWidowGreen。I\'llgiveuphouseandall!
ShewouldbemadtomarryneighbourWildrake;
Hewouldwearoutherpatience——plaguehertodeath,Ashedoesme。Shemustnotmarryhim!
[Theygoout。]
ACTIII。
SCENEI。——ARoominWidowGreen\'s。
[EnterMASTERWALLER,followingLYDIA。]
Wal。Butthoushalthearme,gentleLydia。
Sweetmaiden,thouartfrightenedatthyself!
Thyownperfections\'tisthattalktothee。
Thybeautyrich!——thyrichergrace!——thymind,Morerichagainthanthat,thoughrichesteach!
Exceptforthese,Ihadnotongueforthee,Eyesforthee!——ears!——hadneverfollowedthee!—
Hadneverlovedthee,Lydia!Hearme!—
Lydia。LoveShouldseekitsmatch。NomatchamIforthee。
Wal。Right!Loveshouldseekitsmatch;andthatis,loveOrnothing!Station——fortune——findtheirmatchInthingsresemblingthem。Theyarenotlove!
Comeslove(thatsubtleessence,withoutwhichLifewerebutleadendulness!——weariness!
Aploddingtrudgeronaheavyroad!)
Comesitoftitle—deedswhichfoolsmayboast?
Orcoffersvilesthandsmayholdthekeysof?
OrthatethereallampthatlightstheeyesToshedthesparklinglustreo\'ertheface,Givestothevelvetskinitsblushingglow,Andburnsasbrightbeneaththepeasant\'sroofAsroofofpalacedprince?Yes,LoveshouldseekItsmatch——thengivemyloveitsmatchinthine,ItsmatchwhichinthygentlebreastdothlodgeSorich——soearthly,heavenlyfairandrich,Asmonarchshavenothoughtofontheirthrones,Whichkingdomsdobearup。
Lydia。Wastthouamonarch,Mewouldstthoumakethyqueen?
Wal。Iwould。
Lydia。What!PassAprincessbyforme?
Wal。Iwould。
Lydia。SupposeThysubjectswouldpreventthee?
Wal。Then,inspiteOfthem!
Lydia。Supposetheyweretoostrongforthee?
Wal。Why,thenI\'dgivethemupmythrone——contentWiththatthou\'dstyieldmeinthygentlebreast。
Lydia。Cansubjectsdowhatmonarchsdo?
Wal。Farmore!
Farless!
Lydia。Amongthosethings,wheremoretheirpower,Ismarriageone?
Wal。Yes。
Lydia。Andnopartoflove,Yousay,isrankorwealth?
Wal。Nopartoflove。
Lydia。Ismarriagepartoflove?
Wal。Attimesitis,Attimesisnot。Menloveandmarry——loveAndmarrynot。
Lydia。Thenhavetheynotthepower;
Somusttheyhaplesspartwiththosetheylove。
Wal。Oh,no!notpart!Howcouldtheyloveandpart?
Lydia。Howcouldtheylovenotpart,notfreetowed?
Wal。Aloneinmarriagedothnotunionlie!
Lydia。Alonewherehandsarefree!Oyes——alone!
Lovethatislove,bestowethallitcan!
Itisprotection,if\'tisanything,WhichnothinginitsobjectleavesexposedItscarecanshelter。Lovethat\'sfreetowed,Notwedding,butprofanesthenameoflove;
Whichis,onhighauthoritytoEarth\'s,ForHeavendidsitapprovingatitsfeast,Aholything!Whymakeyoulovetome?
Womenwhoseheartsarefree,bynaturetender,Theirfancieshitbythosetheyarebesoughtby,Dofirstimpressionsquickly——deeplytake;
And,balkedintheirelection,havebeenknownTodroopawholelifethrough!Gainforamaid,Abrokenheart!——tobarterheryounglove,Andfindshechangeditforacounterfeit!
Wal。Ifthereistruthinman,Ilovethee!Hearme!
Inwedlock,familiesclaimproperty。
Oldnotions,whichweneedsmusthumouroften,Barustowedwhereweareforcedtolove!
Thouhear\'st?
Lydia。Ido。
Wal。Myfamilyisproud;
Ourancestor,whosearmswebear,didwinAnearldombyhisdeeds。\'TisnotenoughIpleasemyself!Imustpleaseothers,whoDesertinwealthandstationonlysee。
Thouhear\'st?
Lydia。Ido。
Wal。Icannotmarrythee,AndmustIlosethee?Donotturnaway!
WithoutthealtarIcanhonourthee!
Cancherishthee,norswearittothepriest;
FormorethanlifeIlovethee!
Lydia。Saythouhatestme,AndI\'llbelievethee!WhereindiffersloveFromhate,todotheworkofhate——destroy?
Thyancestorwontitletohisdeeds!
Wasoneofthem,toteachanhonestmaidThedeedofsin——firststealherlove,andthenHervirtue?Ifthyfamilyisproud,Mine,sir,isworthy!ifwearepoor,thelackOfriches,sir,isnotthelackofshame,ThatIshouldactapart,wouldraiseablush,Norfeartoburnanhonestbrother\'scheek!
Thouwouldestshareathronewithme!ThouwouldstrobmeofAthrone!——reducemefromdominiontoBasevassalage!——pulloffmycrownforme,Andgivemyforeheadinitsplaceabrand!
Youhaveinsultedme。Toshewyou,sir,Theheartyoumakesolightof,youarebeloved—
Butshethattellsyouso,tellsyoubesideShene\'erbeholdsyoumore!
[Goesout。]
Wal。Stay,Lydia!——No!
\'Tisvain!Sheisinvirtueresolute,Assheisblandandtenderinaffection。
Sheisamiracle,beholdingwhichWonderdothgrowonwonder!Whatamaid!
Nomoodbutdothbecomeher——yea,adornher。
Sheturnsunsightlyangerintobeauty!
Sourscorngrowssweetness,touchinghersweetlips!
Andindignation,lightingonherbrow,TransformstobrightnessasthecloudtogoldThatoverhangsthesun!Iloveher!Ay!
AndallthethroesofseriouspassionfeelAtthoughtoflosingher!——somylightlove,Whichbutherpersondidatfirstaffect,Hersoulhasmetamorphosed——madeathingOfsolidthoughtsandwishes——Imusthaveher!
[EnterWIDOWGREEN,unnoticedSIRWALLER,whocontinuesabstracted。]
W。Green。What!MasterWaller,andcontemplativePresumptiveproofoflove!Ofmehethinks!
Revolvesthepoint\"tobeornottobe!\"
\"Tobe!\"byallthetriumphsofmysex!
Therewasasigh!Mylifeupon\'t,thatsigh,Ifconstrued,wouldtranslate\"DearWidowGreen!\"
Wal。Enchantingwoman!
W。Green。ThatisI!——mostdeepAbstraction,sureconcomitantoflove。
Now,couldIseehisbusyfancy\'spainting,HowshouldIblushtogazeuponmyself。
Wal。Thematchlessformofwoman!ThechoicecallingOftheaspiringartist,whoseambitionRobsNaturetooutdoher——theperfectionsOfherrarevariousworkmanshipcombinesToaggrandisehisartatNature\'scost,Andmakeaparagon!
W。Green。Gods!howhedrawsme!
Soonasheseesme,atmyfeethefalls!—
GoodMasterWaller!
Wal。Ha!TheWidowGreen!
W。Green。Heisconfounded!SoamI。Odear!
Howcatchingisemotion。Hecan\'tspeak!
Obeautifulconfusion!AmiableExcessofmodestywithpassionstruggling!
Nowcomeshetodeclarehimself,butwantsThecourage。Imusthelphim。——MasterWaller!
[EnterSIRWILLIAMFONDLOVE。]
SirWil。DearWidowGreen!
W。Green。SirWilliamFondlove!
Wal。ThankMyluckystars![Aside。]
W。Green。Iwouldhehadthegout,Andkepthisroom![Aside。]——You\'rewelcome,dearSirWilliam!
\'Tisvery,verykindofyoutocall。
SirWilliamFondlove——MasterWaller。PrayBeseated,gentlemen。——HeshallrequitemeForhisuntimelyvisit。ThoughthenailBedrivenhome,itmaywantclinchingyetTomaketheholdcomplete!Forthat,I\'llusehim。——[Aside。]
You\'relookingmonstrouswell,SirWilliam!andNowonder。You\'reamineofhappyspirits!
SomewomentalkofsuchandsuchastyleOffeaturesinaman。Givemegoodhumour;
Thatlightsthehomeliestvisageupwithbeauty,Andmakestheface,wherebeautyisalready,Quiteirresistible!
SirWil。That\'shittinghard。[Aside。]
DearWidowGreen,don\'tsayso!OnmylifeYouflatterme。Youalmostmakemeblush。
W。Green。IdurstnotturntoMasterWallernow,NorneedI。Icanfancyhowhelooks!
IwarrantmehescowlsonpoorSirWilliam,Ashecouldeathimup。ImustimproveHisdiscontent,andsomakesureofhim。——[Aside。]
Iflatteryou,SirWilliam!O,youmen!
Youmen,thattalksomeek,andallthewhileDoknowsowellyourpower!WhowouldthinkYouhadamarriageabledaughter!YouDidmarryveryyoung。
SirWil。Aboy!——aboy!
Whoknewnothisownmind。
W。Green。Yourdaughter\'stwenty。
Come,youatleastweretwentywhenyoumarried;
Thatmakesyouforty。
SirWil。Odear!WidowGreen。
W。Green。Notforty?
SirWil。Youdoquiteembarrassme!
IownIhavethefeelingsofaboy,Thefreshnessandtheglowofspring—time,yet,—
Therelishyetformyyoungschooldays\'sports;
Couldwhipatop——couldshootattaw——couldplayAtprison—barsandleapfrog——soImight—
Notwithalimb,perhaps,assupple,butWithquiteassupplewill。YetIconfessTomorethanforty!
W。Green。Doyousayso?Well,I\'llneverguessaman\'sagebyhislooksAgain。——PoorMasterWaller!HemustwritheTohearIthinkSirWilliamissoyoung。
I\'llturnhisvisityettomoreaccount。——[Aside。]
Ahandsomering,SirWilliam,thatyouwear!
SirWil。Praylookatit。
W。Green。ThementionofaringWilltakeawayhisbreath。
Wal。ShemustbemineWhate\'erherterms![Aside。]
W。Green。I\'llstealalookathim!
Wal。What!thoughitbethering?——themarriagering?
Ifthatshesticksat,shedeservestowearitOh,thedebatewhichloveandprudencehold![Aside。]
W。Green。Howhighlyheiswroughtupon!HishandsAreclenched!——Iwarrantmehisframedothshake!
PoorMasterWaller!IhavefilledhisheartBrimfulwithpassionforme。ThedelightOfprovingthusmypower!
SirWil。DearWidowGreen!—
Shehearsnot!Howtheringhathsetherthinking!
I\'lltryandmakeherjealous。[Aside。]——WidowGreen!
W。Green。SirWilliamFondlove!
SirWil。WouldyouthinkthatringCouldtellastory?
W。Green。Couldit?Ah,SirWilliam,Ifearyouarearogue。
SirWil。Ono!
W。Green。Youare!
SirWil。No,onmyhonour!WouldyouliketohearThestoryofthering?
W。Green。Much——verymuch。
SirWil。Think\'stwemayventuredrawourchairsapartAlittlemorefromMasterWaller?
W。Green。Yes。
He\'llbringittoascene!Dear——dearSirWilliam,HowmuchIamobligedtohim!Ascene!
Gods,weshallhaveascene!——GoodMasterWaller,YourleaveIprayyouforaminute,whileSirWilliamsaysawordortwotome。—
Hedurstnottrusthistongueforjealousy!——[Aside。]
Now,dearSirWilliam!
SirWil。YoumustpromisemeYouwillnotthinkmevain。
W。Green。Nofearofthat。
SirWil。Norgiventoboast。
W。Green。O!dearSirWilliam!
SirWil。NorAflirt!
W。Green。O!whowouldtakeyouforaflirt?
SirWil。Howverykindyouare!
W。Green。Goon,SirWilliam。
SirWil。Uponmylife,Ifearyou\'llthinkmevain!
I\'mcoveredwithconfusionatthethoughtOfwhatI\'vedone。\'Twasvery,verywrongTopromiseyouthestoryofthering;
Menshouldnottalkofsuchthings。
W。Green。Suchaswhat?
Asladies\'favours?
SirWil。\'Ponmylife,IfeelAsIwereliketosinkintotheearth。
W。Green。Aladythenitwasgaveyouthering?
SirWil。Don\'taskmetosayyes,butonlyscanTheinsideofthering。——Howmuchshe\'smoved。[Aside。]
Wal。Theytoeachothercompanyenough!
I,companyfornoonebutmyself。
I\'lltakemyleave,nortroublethemtopayThecomplimentsofparting。Lydia!Lydia!
[Goesout。]
W。Green。What\'shere?\"Eliza!\"Soitwasalady!—
HowwondrouslydoesMasterWallerbearit!
Hesurelywillnotholdmuchlongerout。——[Aside。]
SirWilliam!Nay,lookup!WhatcausetocastYoureyesupontheground?WhatanitwereAlady?
SirWil。You\'renotangry?
W。Green。No!
SirWil。Sheis。
I\'lltakethetoneshespeaksin\'gainsttheword,Forfiftycrowns。——IhavenottoldyouallAboutthering;thoughIwouldsoonerdieThanplaythebraggart!——yet,astruthistruth,Andtoldbyhalves,mayfromasimplething,Bymisconstruction,toamonstergrow,I\'lltellthewholetruth!
W。Green。DearSirWilliam,do!
SirWil。Theladywasamaid,andveryyoung;
NorthereinjusticetohermustIstop,Butsaythatshewasbeautifulasyoung;
Andaddtothatthatshewaslearnedtoo,Almostenoughtowinforherthattitle,Oursex,inpoorconceitoftheirownmerits,Andnarrowspiritofmonopoly,Andjealousy,whichgallantryeschews,DogivetowomenwhoasserttheirrightTomindsaswellaswe。
W。Green。What!ablue—stocking?
SirWil。Isee——she\'llcometocallingnamesatlast。——[Aside。]
Ishouldoffendmyselftoquotetheterm。
But,toreturn,foryetIhavenotdone;
Andfurtheryetmaygo,thenprogressonThatshewasyoung,thatshewasbeautiful。
Awitandlearnedarenaughttowhat\'stocome—
Shehadaheart!—
W。Green。[WhoduringSIRWILLIAM\'Sspeechhasturnedgradually。]
What,MasterWallergone![Aside。]
SirWil。Isayshehadaheart—
W。Green。[Startingup——SIRWILLIAMalso。]Aplagueuponher!
SirWil。Iknewshewouldbreakout![Aside。]
W。Green。Here,takethering。Ithasruinedme!
SirWil。IvowthouhastnocauseForanger!
W。Green。HaveInot?Iamundone,Andallaboutthatbaubleofaring。
SirWil。You\'reright,itisabauble。
W。Green。AndtheminxThatgaveitthee!
SirWil。You\'reright,shewasaminx。
Iknewshe\'dcometocallingnamesatlast。[Aside。]
W。Green。SirWilliamFondlove,leaveme。
SirWil。WidowGreen!—
W。Green。Youhaveundoneme,sir!
SirWil。Don\'tsayso!Don\'t!
Itwasagirl——achildgavemethering!
W。Green。Doyouhearme,sir?Ibadeyouleaveme。
SirWil。IfIthoughtyouweresojealous—
W。Green。Jealous,sir!
SirWilliam!quitmyhouse。
SirWil。AlittlegirlTomakeyoujealous!
W。Green。Sir,you\'lldrivememad!
SirWil。Achild,aperfectchild,nottenyearsold!
W。Green。Sir,Iwouldbealone,sir!
SirWil。YoungenoughTodandlestillherdoll!
W。Green。SirWilliamFondlove!
SirWil。DearWidowGreen!
W。Green。Ihateyou,sir!Detestyou!NeverwishToseeyoumore!Youhaveruinedme!Undoneme!
AblightedlifeIwear,andallthroughyou!
Thefairesthopesthateverwomannourished,You\'vecankeredintheveryblowing!bloomAndsweetdestroyed,andnothingleftme,butThemelancholystem。
SirWil。AndallaboutAlittleslutIgavearattleto!—
Wouldpestermeforgingerbreadandcomfits!—
Alittleroguishfeigning!Alove—trickIplayedtoproveyourlove!
W。Green。SirWilliamFondlove!
Ifofmyownhouseyou\'llnotsuffermeTobethemistress,Iwillleaveittoyou!
SirWil。DearWidowGreen!Thering—
W。Green。Confoundthering,Thedonorofit,thee,andeverything!
[Goesout。]
SirWil。Sheisoverheadandearsinlovewithme!
She\'smadwithlove!There\'sloveandallitssigns!
She\'sjealousofmeuntoverydeath!
PoorWidowGreen!IwarrantsheisnowIntears!IthinkIhearhersob!Poorthing!
SirWilliam!Oh,SirWilliam!YouhaveraisedAfurioustempest!SetyourwitstoworkToturnittoacalm。NoquestionthatShelovesme!Nonethenthatshe\'lltakeme!SoI\'llhavethemarriagesettlementsmadeoutTo—morrow,andaspeciallicencegot,Andmarryherthenextday!IwillmakeQuickworkofit,andtakeherbysurprise!
Whobutawidowerawidow\'smatch?
WhatcouldsheseewithelsebutpartialeyesToguessmeonlyforty?I\'mawonder!