按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
Roch。 A curate's son。
Tin。 A curate's! Better be a yeoman's son!
Was it the rector's son; he might be known;
Because the rector is a rising man;
And may become a bishop。 He goes light;
The curate ever hath a loaded back!
He may be called the yeoman of the church;
That sweating does his work; and drudges on;
While lives the hopeful rector at his ease。
How made you his acquaintance; pray?
Roch。 We read
Latin and Greek together。
Tin。 Dropping them …
As; now that you're a lord; of course you've done …
Drop himYou'll say his lordship's not at home。
Will。 So please your lordship; I forgot to say;
One Richard Cricket likewise is below。
Tin。 Who?Richard Cricket! You must see him; Rochdale!
A noble little fellow! A great man; sir!
Not knowing whom; you would be nobody!
I won five thousand pounds by him!
Roch。 Who is he?
I never heard of him。
Tin。 What! never heard
Of Richard Cricket!never heard of him!
Why; he's the jockey of Newmarket; you
May win a cup by him; or else a sweepstakes。
I bade him call upon you。 You must see him。
His lordship is at home to Richard Cricket。
Roch。 Bid him wait in the ante…room。
'WILLIAMS goes out。'
Tin。 The ante…room!
The best room in your house! You do not know
The use of Richard Cricket! Show him; sir;
Into the drawing…room。 Your lordship needs
Must keep a racing stud; and you'll do well
To make a friend of Richard Cricket。 Well; sir:
What's that?
'Enter WILLIAMS。'
Will。 So please your lordship; a petition。
Tin。 Hadst not a service 'mongst the Hottentots
Ere thou camest hither; friend? Present thy lord
With a petition! At mechanics' doors;
At tradesmen's; shopkeepers'; and merchants' only;
Have such things leave to knock! Make thy lord's gate
A wicket to a workhouse! Let us see it …
Subscriptions to a book of poetry!
Cornelius Tense; M。A。
Which means he construes Greek and Latin; works
Problems in mathematics; can chop logic;
And is a conjurer in philosophy;
Both natural and moral。Pshaw! a man
Whom nobody; that is anybody; knows!
Who; think you; follows him? Why; an M。D。;
An F。R。S。; an F。AS。; and then
A D。D。; Doctor of Divinity;
Ushering in an LL。D。; which means
Doctor of Lawstheir harmony; no doubt;
The difference of their trades! There's nothing here
But languages; and sciences; and arts。
Not an iota of nobility!
We cannot give our names。 Take back the paper;
And tell the bearer there's no answer for him:…
That is the lordly way of saying 〃No。〃
But; talking of subscriptions; here is one
To which your lordship may affix your name。
Roch。 Pray; who's the object?
Tin。 A most worthy man!
A man of singular deserts; a man
In serving whom your lordship will serve me; …
Signor Cantata。
Roch。 He's a friend of yours?
Tin。 Oh; no; I know him not! I've not that pleasure。
But Lady Dangle knows him; she's his friend;
He will oblige us with a set of concerts;
Six concerts to the set。The set; three guineas。
Your lordship will subscribe?
Roch。 Oh; by all means。
Tin。 How many sets of tickets? Two at least。
You'll like to take a friend? I'll set you down
Six guineas to Signor Cantata's concerts;
And now; my Lord; we'll to him; then we'll walk。
Roch。 Nay; I would wait the lady's answer。
Tin。 Wait! take an excursion to the country; let
Her answer wait for you!
Roch。 Indeed!
Tin。 Indeed!
Befits a lord nought like indifference。
Say an estate should fall to you; you'd take it
As it concerned more a stander by
Than you。 As you're a lord; be sure you ever
Of that make little other men make much of;
Nor do the thing they do; but the right contrary。
Where the distinction else 'twixt them and you?
'They go out。'
SCENE II。An Apartment in Master Heartwell's House。
'MASTER WALTER discovered looking through title…deeds and papers。'
Wal。 So falls out everything; as I would have it;
Exact in place and time。 This lord's advances
Receives she;as; I augur; in the spleen
Of wounded pride she will;my course is clear。
She comesall's wellthe tempest rages still。
'JULIA enters; and paces the room in a state of high excitement。'
Julia。 What have my eyes to do with water? Fire
Becomes them better!
Wal。 True!
Julia。 Yet; must I weep
To be so monitored; and by a man!
A man that was my slave! whom I have seen
Kneel at my feet from morn till noon; content
With leave to only gaze upon my face;
And tell me what he read there;till the page
I knew by heart; I 'gan to doubt I knew;
Emblazoned by the comment of his tongue!
And he to lesson me! Let him come here
On Monday week! He ne'er leads me to church!
I would not profit by his rank; or wealth;
Though kings might call him cousin; for their sake!
I'll show him I have pride!
Wal。 You're very right!
Julia。 He would have had to…day our wedding…day!
I fixed a month from this。 He prayed and prayed;
I dropped a week。 He prayed and prayed the more!
I dropped a second one。 Still more he prayed!
And I took off another week;and now
I have his leave to wed; or not to wed!
He'll see that I have pride!
Wal。 And so he ought。
Julia。 O! for some way to bring him to my foot!
But he should lie there! Why; 'twill go abroad
That he has cast me off。 That there should live
The man could say so! Or that I should live
To be the leavings of a man!
Wal。 Thy case
I own a hard one!
Julia。 Hard? 'Twill drive me mad!
His wealth and title! I refused a lord …
I did!that privily implored my hand;
And never cared to tell him on't! So much
I hate him now; that lord should not in vain
Implore my hand again!
Wal。 You'd give it him?
Julia。 I would。
Wal。 You'd wed that lord?
Julia。 That lord I'd wed; …
Or any other lord;only to show him
That I could wed above him!
Wal。 Give me your hand
And word to that。
Julia。 There! Take my hand and word!
Wal。 That lord hath offered you his hand again。
Julia。 He has?
Wal。 Your father knows it: he approves of him。
There are the title…deeds of the estates;
Sent for my jealous scrutiny。 All sound; …
No flaw; or speck; that e'en the lynx…eyed law
Itself could find。 A lord of many lands!
In Berkshire half a county; and the same
In Wiltshire; and in Lancashire! Across
The Irish Sea a principality!
And not a rood with bond or lien on it!
Wilt give that lord a wife? Wilt make thyself
A countess? Here's the proffer of his hand。
Write thou content; and wear a coronet!
Julia。 'Eagerly。' Give me the paper。
Wal。 There! Here's pen and ink。
Sit down。 Why do you pause? A flourish of
The pen; and you're a countess。
Julia。 My poor brain
Whirls round and round! I would not wed him now;
Were he more lowly at my feet to sue
Than e'er he did!
Wal。 Wed whom?
Julia。 Sir Thomas Clifford。
Wal。 You're right。
Julia。 His rank and wealth are roots to doubt;
And while they lasted; still the weed would grow;
Howe'er you plucked it。 No! That's o'erthat's done。
Was never lady wronged so foul as I! 'Weeps。'
Wal。 Thou'rt to be pitied。
Julia。 'Aroused。' Pitied! Not so bad
As that。
Wal。 Indeed thou art; to love the man
That spurns thee!
Julia。 Love him! Love! If hate could find
A word more harsh than its own name; I'd take it;
To speak the love I bear him! 'Weeps。'
Wal。 Write thy own name;
And show him how near akin thy hate's to hate。
Julia。 'Writes。' 'Tis done!
Wal。 'Tis well! I'll come to you anon! 'Goes out。'
Julia。 'Alone。' I'm glad 'tis done! I'm very glad 'tis done!
I've done the thing I ought。 From my disgrace
This lord shall lift me 'bove the reach of scorn …
That idly wags its tongue; where wealth and state
Need only beckon to have crowds to laud!
Then how the tables change! The hand he spurned
His betters take! Let me remember that!
I'll grace my rank! I will! I'll carry it
As I was born to it! I warrant none
Shall say it fits me not:… but; one and all
Confess I wear it bravely; as I ought!
And he shall hear it! Ay; and he shall see it!
I will roll by him in an equipage
Would mortgage his estatebut he shall own
His slight of me was my advancement! Love me!
He never loved me! if he had; he ne'er
Had given me up! Love's not a spider's web
But fit to mesh a flythat you can break
By only blowing on't! He never loved me!
He knows not what love is!or; if he does;
He has not been o'erchary of his peace!
And that he'll find when I'm another's wife;
Lost!lost to him for ever! Tears again!
Why should I weep for him? Who make their woes。
Deserve them! What have I to do with tears?
'Enter HELEN。'
Helen。 News; Julia; news!
Julia。 What! is't about Sir Thomas?
Helen。 Sir Thomas; say you? He's no more Sir Thomas!
That cousin lives; as heir to whom; his wealth
And title came to him。
Julia。 Was he not dead?
Helen。 No more than I am dead。
Julia。 I would 'twere not so。
Helen。 What say you; Julia?
Julia。 Nothing!
Helen。 I could kiss
That cousin! couldn't you; Julia?
Julia。 Wherefore?
Helen。 Why
For coming back to life again; as 'twere
Upon his cousin to revenge you。
Julia。 Helen!
Helen。 Indeed 'tis true。 With what a sorry grace
The gentleman wi