DRAMATISPERSONAE。
MR。HORACEMILLIKEN,aWidower,awealthyCityMerchant。
GEORGEMILLIKEN,aChild,hisSon。
CAPTAINTOUCHIT,hisFriend。
CLARENCEKICKLEBURY,brothertoMilliken’slateWife。
JOHNHOWELL,M’sButlerandconfidentialServant。
CHARLESPAGE,Foot—boy。
BULKELEY,LadyKicklebury’sServant。
MR。BONNINGTON。
Coachman,Cabman;aBluecoatBoy,anotherBoy(Mrs。Prior’sSons)。
LADYKICKLEBURY,Mother—in—lawtoMilliken。
MRS。BONNINGTON,Milliken’sMother(marriedagain)。
MRS。PRIOR。
MISSPRIOR,herDaughter,GovernesstoMilliken’sChildren。
ARABELLAMILLIKEN,aChild。
MARYBARLOW,School—roomMaid。
Agrown—upGirlandChildofMrs。Prior’s,LadyK。’sMaid,Cook。
THEWOLVESANDTHELAMB。
ACTI。
Scene。——MILLIKEN’SvillaatRichmond;twodrawing—roomsopeningintooneanother。ThelateMRS。MILLIKEN’Sportraitoverthemantel—piece;bookcases,writing—tables,piano,newspapers,ahandsomelyfurnishedsaloon。Theback—roomopens,withverylargewindows,onthelawnandpleasure—ground;gate,andwall——overwhichtheheadsofacabandacarriageareseen,aspersonsarrive。Fruit,andaladderonthewalls。Adoortothedining—
room,anothertothesleeping—apartments,&c。
JOHN。——Everybodyout;governorinthecity;governess(heigh—ho!)
walkingintheParkwiththechildren;ladyshipgoneoutinthecarriage。Let’ssitdownandhavealookatthepapers。ButtonsfetchtheMorningPostoutofLadyKicklebury’sroom。Where’stheDailyNews,sir?
PAGE。——Thinkit’sinMilliken’sroom。
JOHN。——Milliken!youscoundrel!WhatdoyoumeanbyMilliken?
Speakofyouremployerasyourgovernorifyoulike;butnotassimpleMilliken。Confoundyourimpudence!you’llbecallingmeHowellnext。
PAGE。——Well!Ididn’tknow。YOUcallhimMilliken。
JOHN。——BecauseIknowhim,becauseI’mintimatewithhim,becausethere’snotasecrethehasbutImayhaveitfortheasking;
becausethelettersaddressedtoHoraceMilliken,Esq。,mightaswellbeaddressedJohnHowell,Esq。,forIread’em,Iput’emawayanddocket’em,andremember’em。Iknowhisaffairsbetterthanhedoes:hisincometoashilling,payhistradesmen,wearhiscoatsifIlike。ImaycallMr。MillikenwhatIplease;butnotYOU,youlittlescampofaclod—hoppingploughboy。Knowyourstationanddoyourbusiness,oryoudon’twearTHEMbuttonslong,Ipromiseyou。[ExitPage。]
Letmegoonwiththepaper[reads]。Howbrilliantthiswritingis!Times,Chronicle,DailyNews,they’reallgood,blestiftheyain’t。Howmuchbetterthenineleadersinthemthreedailypapersis,thanninespeechesintheHouseofCommons!Takeaverybestspeechinthe’Ousenow,andcompareitwithanarticleinTheTimes!Isay,thenewspaperhasthebestofitforphilosophy,forwit,novelty,goodsensetoo。Andthepartythatwritestheleadingarticleisnobody,andthechapthatspeaksintheHouseofCommonsisahero。Lord,Lord,howtheworldis’umbugged!
Pop’larrepresentation!whatISpop’larrepresentation?Dammy,it’safarce。Hallo!thisarticleisstole!IrememberapassageinMontesquieuuncommonlylikeit。[Goesandgetsthebook。Asheisstandinguponsofatogetit,andsittingdowntoreadit,MISS
PRIORandtheChildrenhavecomeinatthegarden。Childrenpassacrossstage。MISSPRIORentersbyopenwindow,bringingflowersintotheroom。]
JOHN。——ItISlikeit。[Heslapsthebook,andseeingMISSPRIOR
whoenters,thenjumpsupfromsofa,sayingveryrespectfully,]
JOHN。——Ibegyourpardon,Miss。
MISSP。——[sarcastically。]DoIdisturbyou,Howell?
JOHN。——Disturb!Ihavenorighttosay——aservanthasnorighttobedisturbed,butIhopeImaybepardonedforventuringtolookatavolumeinthelibery,Miss,justinreferencetoanewspaperharticle——that’sall,Miss。
MISSP。——Youareveryfortunateinfindinganythingtointerestyouinthepaper,I’msure。
JOHN。——Perhaps,Miss,youarenotaccustomedtopoliticaldiscussion,andignorantof——ah——Ibegyourpardon:aservant,Iknow,hasnorighttospeak。[Exitintodining—room,makingalowbow。]
MISSPRIOR。——Thecoolnessofsomepeopleisreallyquiteextraordinary!theairstheygivethemselves,thewayinwhichtheyanswerone,thebookstheyread!Montesquieu:"EspritdesLois!"
[takesbookupwhichJ。hasleftonsofa。]Ibelievethemanhasactuallytakenthisfromtheshelf。IamsureMr。Milliken,orherladyship,neverwould。Theotherday"Helvetius"wasfoundinMr。
Howell’spantry,forsooth!ItiswonderfulhowhepickedupFrenchwhilstwewereabroad。"EspritdesLois!"whatisit?itmustbedreadfullystupid。Andasforreading"Helvetius"(who,Isuppose,wasaRomangeneral),Ireallycan’tunderstandhow——Dear,dear!
whatairsthesepersonsgivethemselves!Whatwillcomenext?A
footman——IbegMr。Howell’spardon——abutlerandconfidentialvaletlollsonthedrawing—roomsofa,andreadsMontesquieu!Impudence!
Andaddtothis,hefollowsmeforthelasttwoorthreemonthswitheyesthatarequitehorrid。Whatcanthecreaturemean?ButIforgot——Iamonlyagoverness。Agovernessisnotalady——agovernessisbutaservant——agovernessistoworkandwalkalldaywiththechildren,dineintheschool—room,andcometothedrawing—roomtoplaythemanofthehousetosleep。Agovernessisadomestic,onlyherplaceisnottheservants’hall,andsheispaidnotquitesowellasthebutlerwhoservesherherglassofwine。Odious!George!Arabella!therearethoselittlewretchesquarrellingagain![Exit。Childrenareheardcallingout,andseenquarrellingingarden。]
JOHN[re—entering]。——Seewhereshemoves!graceisinallhersteps。’Eaveninherhigh——no——a—heaveninherheye,ineverygesturedignityandlove——ah,IwishIcouldsayit!Iwishyoumayprocureit,poorfool!Shepassesbyme——shetr—r—amplesonme。Here’sthechairshesetsin[kissesit。]Here’sthepianosheplayson。Prettykeys,themfingersout—hivoriesyou!Whensheplaysonit,Istandandlistenatthedrawing—roomdoor,andmyheartthr—obsintime!Fool,fool,fool!whydidyoulookonher,JohnHowell!whydidyoubeatforher,busyheart!Youweretranquiltillyouknewher!IthoughtIcouldhavebeena—happywithMarytillthen。Thatgirl’saffectionsoothedme。Herconversationdidn’tamusememuch,herideersain’texactlyelevated,buttheyarejustandproper。Herattentionspleasedme。
Sheeverkep’thebestcupofteaforme。Shecrispedmybutteredtoast,ormixedmyquiettumblerforme,asIsatofheveningsandreadmynewspaperinthekitching。Sherespectedthesanctatyofmypantry。WhenIwasa—studyingthere,sheneverinterruptedme。
Shedarnedmystockingsforme,shestarchedandfoldedmychokers,andshesowedonthehabsentbuttonsofwhichtimeandchancehadbereftmylinning。Shehasagoodheart,Maryhas。Iknowshe’dgetupandblackthebootsformeofthecoldestwintermornings。
Shedidwhenwewasinhumblerlife,shedid。
EnterMARY。
Youhaveagoodheart,Mary!
MARY。——HaveI,dearJohn?[sadly。]
JOHN。——Yes,child——yes。Ithinkabetterneverbeatinwoman’sbosom。You’regoodtoeverybody——goodtoyourparentswhomyousendhalfyourwagesto:goodtoyouremployerswhomyouneverrobbedofahalfpenny。
MARY[whimpering]。——Yes,Idid,John。Itookthejellywhenyouwereinbedwiththeinfluenza;andbroughtyouthepork—winenegus。
JOHN。——Port,notpork,child。PorkisthehanimalwhichJewsab’or。PortisfromOportoinPortugal。
MARY[stillcrying]。——Yes,John;youknoweverythinga’most,John。
JOHN。——Andyou,poorchild,butlittle!It’snotheartyouwant,youlittletrump,it’seducation,Mary:it’sinformation:it’shead,head,head!Youcan’tlearn。Younevercanlearn。Yourideersain’tnogood。Younevercanhinterchangeemwithmine。
Conversationbetweenusisimpossible。It’snotyourfault。Somepeoplearebornclever;someareborntall,Iain’ttall。
MARY。——Ho!you’rebigenoughforme,John。[Offerstotakehishand。]
JOHN。——Letgomy’and——mya—hand,Mary!Isay,somepeoplearebornwithbrains,andsomewithbigfigures。Lookatthatgreatass,Bulkeley,LadyK。’sman——thebesotted,stupidbeast!He’sasbigasalife—guardsman,butheain’tnomoreeducationnorideersthantheoxhefeedson。
MARY。——Law,John,whateverdoyoumean?
JOHN。——Hm!youknownot,littleone!younevercanknow。HaveYOU
everfeltthepangsofimprisonedgenius?haveYOUeverfeltwhat’tistobeaslave?
MARY。——Notinafreecountry,Ishouldhope,JohnHowell——nosuchathing。Aplaceisaplace,andIknowmine,andamcontentwiththespearoflifeinwhichitpleasesheaventoplaceme,John:andIwishyouwere,andrememberedwhatwelearnedfromourparsonwhenwewenttoschooltogetherindearoldPigeoncot,John——whenyouusedtohelplittleMarywithherlessons,John,andfoughtBobBrown,thebigbutcher’sboy,becausehewasrudetome,John,andhegaveyouthatblackhi。
JOHN。——Sayeye,Mary,notheye[gently]。
MARY。——Eye;andIthoughtyouneverlookedbetterinallyourlifethanyoudidthen:andwebothtookserviceatSquireMilliken’s——
measdairy—girl,andyouasknife—boy;andgoodmastershavetheybeentousfromouryouthhup:botholdSquireMillikenandMr。
Charlesasismasternow,andpoorMrs。asisdead,thoughshehadhertantrums——andIthoughtweshouldsaveupandtakethe"MillikenArms"——andnowwehavesavedup——andnow,now,now——oh,youareastone,astone,astone!andIwishyouwerehungroundmyneck,andIwereputdownthewell!There’sthehup—stairsbell。[Shestarts,changinghermannerasshehearsthebell,andexit。]
JOHN[lookingafterher]。——It’salltrue。Gospel—true。Wewerechildreninthesamevillage——satonthesameformatschool。AnditwasforhersakethatBobBrownthebutcher’sboywhoppedme。A
blackeye!I’mnothandsome。ButifIwereugly,uglyastheSaracen’s’Ead,uglyasthatbeastBulkeley,IknowitwouldbeallthesametoMary。SHEhasneverforgottheboysheloved,thatbroughtbirds’—nestsforher,andspenthishalfpennyoncherries,andboughtafairingwithhisfirsthalf—crown——abroochitwas,I
remember,oftwobillingdovesa—hoppingononetwig,andbroughtithomeforlittleyellow—haired,blue—eyed,red—cheekedMary。
Lord,Lord!Idon’tliketothinkhowI’vekissed’em,theprettycheeks!they’vegotquitepalenowwithcrying——andshehasneveroncereproachedme,notonce,thetrump,thelittletr—rump!
Isitmyfault[stamping]thatFatehasseparatedus?WhydidmyyoungmastertakemeuptoOxford,andgivemetherunofhisliberyandthesocietyofthebestscoutsintheUniversity?Whydidhetakemeabroad?WhyhaveIbeentoItaly,France,Jummanywithhim——theirmannersnotedandtheirrealmssurveyed,byjingo!
I’veimprovedmyself,andMaryhasremainedasyouwas。Itryaconversation,andshecan’trespond。She’snevergotawordofpoetrybeyondWatt’sIms,andifItalkofByronorMooretoher,I’mblestifsheknowsanythingmoreabout’emthanthecook,whoisashignorantasapig,orthatbeastBulkeley,LadyKick’sfootman。Aboveall,why,whydidIseethewomanuponwhommywretchedheartisfixedforever,andwhocarriesawaymysoulwithher——prostrate,Isay,prostrate,throughthemudattheskirtsofhergownd!Enslaver!whydidIevercomenearyou?OenchantressKelipso!howyouhavegotholdofme!ItwasFate,Fate,Fate。
WhenMrs。MillikenfellillofscarletfeveratNaples,MillikenwasawayatPetersborough,Rooshia,lookingafterhisproperty。
Herforingwomanfled。Meandthegovernessremainedandnursedherandthechildren。Wenursedthelittleonesoutofthefever。
Weburiedtheirmother。WebroughtthechildrenhomeoverHalpandHappenine。Inursed’emallthree。Itended’emallthree,theorphans,andthelovelygu—gu—governess。AtRome,whereshetookill,Iwaitedonher;aswewenttoFlorence,hadwebeenattackedbytwentythousandbrigands,thislittlearmhadcourageforthemall!AndifIlovedthee,Julia,wasIwrong?andifIbaskedinthybeautydayandnight,Julia,amInotaman?andif,beforethisPeri,thisenchantress,thisgazelle,IforgotpoorlittleMaryBarlow,howcouldIhelpit?Isay,howthedoosecouldI
helpit?
EnterLadyKICKLEBURY,BULKELEYfollowingwithparcelsandaspaniel。
LADYK。——Arethechildrenandthegovernesscomehome?
JOHN。——Yes,mylady[inaperfectlyalteredtone]。
LADYK。——Bulkeley,takethoseparcelstomysitting—room。
JOHN。——Getup,oldstoopid。Pushalong,olddaddylonglegs[asidetoBULKELEY]。
LADYK。——Doesanyonedinehereto—day,Howell?
JOHN。——CaptainTouchit,mylady。
LADYK。——He’salwaysdininghere。
JOHN。——Mymaster’soldestfriend。
LADYK。——Don’ttellme。Hecomesfromhisclub。Hesmellsofsmoke;heisalow,vulgarperson。SendPinhornuptomewhenyougodownstairs。[ExitLadyK。]
JOHN。——Iknow。SendPinhorntome,means,Sendmybonnybrownhair,andsendmybeautifulcomplexion,andsendmyfigure——and,O
Lord!OLord!whatanoldtigressthatis!WhatanoldHector!
HowshedotwistMillikenroundherthumb!He’sborntobebulliedbywomen:andIrememberhimhenpecked——let’ssee,eversince——eversincethetimeofthatlittlegloveressatWoodstock,whosepicterpoorMrs。M。madesuchanoiseaboutwhenshefounditinthelumber—room。Heh!HERpicturewillbegoingintothelumber—roomsomeday。M。mustmarrytogetridofhismother—in—lawandmotheroverhim:nomancanstandit,notM。himself,who’saJobofaman。Isn’the,lookathim![Ashehasbeenspeaking,thebellhasrung,thePagehasruntothegarden—door,andMILLIKENentersthroughthegarden,ladenwithahamper,band—box,andcricket—
bat。]
MILLIKEN。——Whywasthecarriagenotsentforme,Howell?Therewasnocabatthestation,andIhavehadtotoilallthewayupthehillwiththeseconfoundedparcelsofmylady’s。
JOHN。——Isupposetheshowertookoffallthecabs,sir。WhenDIDamanevergitacabinashower?——orapolicemanatapinch——orafriendwhenyouwantedhim——oranythingattherighttime,sir?
MILLIKEN。——But,sir,whydidn’tthecarriagecome,Isay?
JOHN。——YOUknow。
MILLIKEN。——HowdoyoumeanIknow?confoundyourimpudence!
JOHN。——LadyKickleburytookit——yourmother—in—lawtookit——wentouta—visiting——HamCommon,Petersham,Twick’nam——dooseknowswhere。She,andherfootman,andherspan’ldog。
MILLIKEN。——Well,sir,supposeherladyshipDIDtakethecarriage?
Hasn’tsheaperfectright?Andifthecarriagewasgone,Iwanttoknow,John,whythedevilthepony—chaisewasn’tsentwiththegroom?AmItobringabonnet—boxandahamperoffishinmyownhands,Ishouldliketoknow?
JOHN。——Heh![laughs。]
MILLIKEN。——Whydoyougrin,youCheshirecat?
JOHN。——Yourmother—in—lawhadthecarriage;andyourmothersentforthepony—chaise。YourPawantedtogoandseetheWicarofPutney。Mr。Bonningtondon’tlikewalkingwhenhecanride。
MILLIKEN。——Andwhyshouldn’tMr。Bonningtonride,sir,aslongasthere’sacarriageinmystable?Mr。Bonningtonhashadthegout,sir!Mr。Bonningtonisaclergyman,andmarriedtomymother。HehasEVERYtitletomyrespect。
JOHN。——Andtoyourpony—chaise——yes,sir。
MILLIKEN。——Andtoeverythinghelikesinthishouse,sir。
JOHN。——Whatagoodfellowyouare,sir!You’dgiveyourheadoffyourshoulders,thatyouwould。Isthefishfordinnerto—day?
Band—boxformylady,Isuppose,sir?[Looksin]——Turban,feathers,bugles,marabouts,spangles——dooseknowswhat。Yes,it’sforherladyship。[ToPage。]Charles,takethisband—boxtoherladyship’smaid。[Tohismaster。]Whatsaucewouldyoulikewiththeturbot?LobstersauceorHollandaise?Hollandaiseisbest——
mostwholesomeforyou。AnybodybesidesCaptainTouchitcomingtodinner?
MILLIKEN。——NoonethatIknowof。