[Triestolookathimagain,butcannot。]
Sostrongmyfears,DreadtoconfirmthemtakesawaythepowerTotryandendthem!Cometheworst,I’lllook。
[Shetriesagain;andagainisunequaltothetask。]
I’dsinkbeforehimifImethiseye!
Clif。Will’tpleaseyourladyshiptotaketheletter?
Julia。ThereCliffordspeaksagain!NotClifford’sheartCouldmoremakeClifford’svoice!NotClifford’stongueAndlipsmoreframeitintoClifford’sspeech!
Aquestion,and’tisover!KnowIyou?
Clif。Reverseoffortune,lady,changesfriends;
Itturnsthemintostrangers。WhatIamIhavenotalwaysbeen!
Julia。CouldInotnameyou?
Clif。Ifyourdisdainforone,perhapstooboldWhenhollowfortunecalledhimfavourite,-
NowbyherficklenessperforcereducedTotakeanhumbletone,wouldsufferyou-
Julia。Imight?
Clif。Youmight!
Julia。Oh,Clifford!isityou?
Clif。Youranswertomylord。
[Givestheletter。]
Julia。Yourlord!
[Mechanicallytakingit。]
Clif。Wiltwriteit?
Or,willitpleaseyousendaverbalone?
I’llbearitfaithfully。
Julia。You’llbearit?
Clif。Madam,Yourpardon,butmyhasteissomewhaturgent。
Mylord’simpatient,andtousedespatchWerehisrepeatedorders。
Julia。Orders?Well,I’llreadtheletter,sir。’TisrightyoumindHislordship’sorders。Theyareparamount!
Nothingshouldsupersedethem!——standbesidethem!
Theymeritallyourcare,andhaveit!Fit,Mostfit,theyshould!Givemetheletter,sir。
Clif。Youhaveit,madam。
Julia。So!HowpoorathingIlook!solost,whileheisallhimself!
HaveInopride?
[Sherings,theServantenters。]
Paper,andpen,andink!
Ifhecanfreeze,’tistimethatIgrowcold!
I’llreadtheletter。
[Opensit,andholdsitasabouttoreadit。]
Mindhisorders!So!
Quicklyhefitshishabitstohisfortunes!
Heservesmylordwithallhiswill!Hisheart’sInhisvocation。So!Isthistheletter?
’Tisupsidedown——andhereI’mporingon’t!
MostfitIlethimseemeplaythefool!
Shame!Letmebemyself!
[AServantenterswithmaterialsforwriting。]
Atable,sir,Andchair。
[TheServantbringsatableandchair,andgoesout。Shesitsawhile,vacantlygazingontheletter——thenlooksatCLIFFORD。]
Howplainlyshowshishumblesuit!
Itfitsnothimthatwearsit!Ihavewrongedhim!
Hecan’tbehappy——doesnotlookit!——isnot。
ThateyewhichreadsthegroundisargumentEnough!Helovesme。ThereIlethimstand,AndIamsitting!
[Rises,takesachair,andapproachesCLIFFORD。]
Prayyoutakeachair。
[Hebows,asacknowledginganddecliningthehonour。Shelooksathimawhile。]
Clifford,whydon’tyouspeaktome?
[Sheweeps。]
Clif。ItrustYou’rehappy。
Julia。Happy!Very,veryhappy!
YouseeIweep,Iamsohappy!TearsAresigns,youknow,ofnaughtbuthappiness!
WhenfirstIsawyou,littledidIlookTobesohappy!——Clifford!
Clif。Madam?
Julia。Madam!
IcalltheeClifford,andthoucall’stmemadam!
Clif。Suchtheaddressmydutystintsmeto。
ThouartthewifeelectofaproudEarl,Whosehumblesecretary,sole,amI。
Julia。Mostright!Ihadforgot!Ithankyou,sir,Forsoremindingme;andgiveyoujoy,Thatwhat,Isee,hadbeenaburthentoyou,Isfairlyoffyourhands。
Clif。Aburthentome!
Meanyouyourself?Areyouthatburthen,Julia?
Saythatthesun’saburthentotheearth!
Saythattheblood’saburthentotheheart!
Sayhealth’saburthen,peace,contentment,joy,Fame,riches,honours!everythingthatmanDesires,andgivesthenameofblessingtoE’ensuchaburthen,Juliaweretome,Hadfortuneletmewearher。
Julia。[Aside。]OnthebrinkOfwhataprecipiceI’mstanding!Back,Back!whilethefacultyremainstodo’t!
Aminutelonger,notthewhirlpool’sselfMoresuretosuckmedown!Oneeffort!There!
[Shereturnstoherseat,recoversherself-possession,takesuptheletter,andreads。]
Towedto-morrownight!Wedwhom?AmanWhomIcanneverlove!IshouldbeforeHavethoughtofthat。To-morrownight!ThishourTo-morrow!HowItremble!HappybandsTowhichmyheartsuchfreezingwelcomegives,Assendsanaguethroughme!AtwhatmeansWillnotthedesperatesnatch!What’shonour’sprice?
Norfriends,norlovers,——no,norlifeitself!
Clifford!Thismomentleaveme!
[CLIFFORDretiresupthestageoutofJULIA’Ssight。]
Ishegone?
Odocilelover!Dohismistress’wishThatwentagainsthisown!DoitsosoonErewell’twasuttered!Nogood-byetoher!
Noword!nolook!’Twasbestthathesowent!
Alas,thestraitofher,whoownsthatbest,Whichlastshe’dwishweredone?What’sleftmenow?
Toweep!Toweep!
[Leansherheaduponherarm,whichrestsuponthedesk,——herotherarmhanginglistlesslyatherside。CLIFFORDcomesdownthestage,looksamomentather,approachesher,andkneeling,takesherhand。]
Clif。MyJulia!
Julia。Hereagain!
Up!up!ByallthyhopesofHeaven,gohence!
Tostay’sperditiontome!Lookyou,Clifford!
Werethereagravewherethouartkneelingnow,I’dwalkinto’t,andbeinearthedalive,Eretaintshouldtouchmyname!ShouldsomeonecomeAndseetheekneelingthus!Letgomyhand!
Remember,Clifford,I’mapromisedbride-
Andtakethyarmaway!IthasnorightToclaspmywaist!Judgeyousopoorlyofme,AsthinkI’llsufferthis?Myhonour,sir!
[Shebreaksfromhim,quittingherseat。]
I’mgladyou’veforcedmetorespectmyself-
You’llfindthatIcandoso!
Clif。Iwasbold-
Forgetfulofyourstationandmyown;
TherewasatimeIheldyourhandunchid!
TherewasatimeImighthaveclaspedyourwaist-
Ihadforgotthattimewaspastandgone!
Iprayyou,pardonme!
Julia。[Softened。]Idoso,Clifford。
Clif。Ishallnomoreoffend。
Julia。Makesureofthat。
Nolongerisitfitthoukeep’stthypostIn’slordship’shousehold。Giveitup!Aday-
Anhourremainnotinit!
Clif。Wherefore?
Julia。LiveInthesamehousewithme,andIanother’s?
Putmiles,putleaguesbetweenus!ThesamelandShouldnotcontainus。Oceansshoulddivideus-
Withbarriersofconstanttempests——suchAsmarinersdurstnottempt!OClifford!
Rashwastheactsolightthatgavemeup,Thatstungawoman’spride,anddrovehermad-
Tillinherfrenzyshedestroyedherpeace!
Oh,itwasrashlydone!Hadyoureproved-
Expostulated,——hadyoureasonedwithme-
Triedtofindoutwhatwasindeedmyheart,-
Iwouldhaveshownit——you’dhaveseenit。AllHadbeenasnaughtcaneverbeagain!
Clif。Lovestthoume,Julia?
Julia。Dostthouaskme,Clifford?
Clif。Thesenuptialsmaybeshunned!-
Julia。Withhonour?
Clif。Yes!
Julia。Thentakeme!——Stop——hearme,andtakemethen!
Letnotthypassionbemycounsellor!
Dealwithme,Clifford,asmybrother。BeThejealousguardianofmyspotlessname!
Scanthoumycauseas’twerethysister’s。LetThyscrutinyo’erlooknopointofit,-
Norturnitoveronce,butmanyatime:-
Thatflaw,speck——yea,——theshadeofone,——asoilSoslight,notoneoutofathousandeyesCouldfinditout,maynotescapethee;thenSayifthesenuptialscanbeshunnedwithhonour!
Clif。Theycan。
Julia。Thentakeme,Clifford![Theyembrace。]
Wal。[Entering。]Ha!What’sthis?
Ha!treason!What!mybaronetthatwas,Mysecretarynow?Yourservant,sir!
Is’tthusyoudothepleasureofyourlord,-
Thatforyourservicefeedsyou,clothesyou,paysyou!
Ortakestthoubutthenameofhisdependent?
What’shere?——aletter。FiftycrownstooneAforgery!I’mwrong。Itishishand。
Thisprovestheedoubletraitor!
Clif。Traitor!
Julia。Nay,Controlthywrath,goodMasterWalter!Do-
AndI’llpersuadehimtogohence-
[MASTERWALTERretiresupthestage。]IseeFormethoubearestthis,andthankthee,Clifford!
Asthouhasttrulyshownthyhearttome,SotrulyItotheehaveopenedmine!
Timeflies!To-morrow!IfthylovecanfindAway,suchasthousaidst,formyenlargementByanymeansthoucanst,apprisemeofit;
And,soonasshown,I’lltakeit。
Wal。Ishegone?
Julia。Heisthismoment。Ifthoucovetestme,Winme,andwearme!MayItrustthee?Oh!
Ifthat’sthysoul,that’slookingthroughthineeyes,Thoulovestme,andImay!——Isicken,lestIneverseetheemoreClif。Aslifeismine,Theringthatonthywedding-fingergoesNohandbutmineshallplacethere!
Wal。Lingershe?
Julia。Formysake,nowaway!Andyetaword。
Byallthyhopesmostdear,betruetome!
Gonow!——yetstay!Clifford,whileyouarehere,I’mlikeabarkdistressedandcompassless,Thatbyabeaconsteers;whenyou’reaway,Thatbarkaloneandtossingmilesatsea!
Nowgo!Farewell!Mycompass——beacon——land!
Whenshallmyeyesbeblessedwiththeeagain!
Clif。Farewell![Goesout。]
Julia。Artgone?All’schance——all’scare——all’sdarkness。
[IsledoffbyMASTERWALTER。]
ACTV。
SCENEI。——AnApartmentintheEarlofRochdale’s。
[EnterHELENandFATHOM。]
Fath。Thelongandshortofitisthis——ifshemarriesthislord,she’llbreakherheart!Iwishyoucouldseeher,madam。Poorlady!
Helen。Howlooksshe,prithee?
Fath。Marry,foralltheworldlikeadripping-wetcambrichandkerchief!Shehasnocolournorstrengthinher;anddoesnothingbutweep——poorlady!
Helen。Tellmeagainwhatsaidshetothee?
Fath。SheofferedmeallshewasmistressoftotakethelettertoMasterClifford。Shedrewherpursefromherpocket——theringfromherfinger——shetookherveryearringsoutofherears——butIwasforbidden,andrefused。AndnowI’msorryforit!Poorlady!
Helen。Thoushouldstbesorry。Thouhastahardheart,Fathom。
Fath。I,madam!Myheartisassoftasawoman’s。YoushouldhaveseenmewhenIcameoutofherchamber——poorlady!
Helen。Didyoucry?
Fath。No;butIwasasnearitaspossible。Iahardheart!I
woulddoanythingtoserveher,poorsweetlady!
Helen。Willyoutakeherletter,askssheyouagain?
Fath。No——Iamforbid。
Helen。WillyouhelpMasterCliffordtoaninterviewwithher?
Fath。No——MasterWalterwouldfinditout。
Helen。Willyoucontrivetogetmeintoherchamber?
Fath。No——youwouldbesuretobringmeintomischief。
Helen。Goto!Youwoulddonothingtoserveher。Youasoftheart!Youhavenoheartatall!Youfeelnotforher!
Fath。ButItellyouIdo——andgoodrightIhavetofeelforher。
Ihavebeeninlovemyself。
Helen。Withyourdinner!
Fath。Iwouldithadbeen!Mypainwouldsoonhavebeenover,andatlittlecost。AfortuneIsquandereduponher!——trinkets——
trimmings——treatings——whatswalloweduptherevenueofawholeyear!
Wasn’tIinlove?SixmonthsIcourtedher,andadozencrownsallbutonedidIdisburseforherinthattime!Wasn’tIinlove?Anhostler——atapster——andaconstable,courtedheratthesametime,andIofferedtocudgelthewholethreeofthemforher!Wasn’tI
inlove?
Helen。Youareavaliantman,Fathom。
Fath。AmnotI?WalksnottheearththemanIamafraidof。
Helen。FearyounotMasterWalter?
Fath。No。
Helen。Youdo!
Fath。Idon’t!
Helen。I’llproveittoyou。Youseehimbreakingyouryoungmistress’sheart,andhavenotthemanhoodtostandbyher。
Fath。WhatcouldIdoforher?
Helen。Letheroutofprison。Itweretheactofaman。
Fath。ThatmanamI!
Helen。Wellsaid,braveFathom!
Fath。Butmyplace!
Helen。I’llprovidetheewithabetterone。
Fath。’Tisacapitalplace!Solittletodo,andsomuchtogetfor’t。Sixpoundsintheyear;twosuitsoflivery;shoesandstockings,andafamouslarder。He’dbeaboldmanthatwouldputsuchaplaceinjeopardy。Myplace,madam,myplace!
Helen。ItelltheeI’llprovidetheewithabetterplace。Thoushalthavelesstodo,andmoretoget。Now,Fathom,hastthoucouragetostandbythymistress?
Fath。Ihave!
Helen。That’sright。
Fath。I’llletmyladyout。
[EnterMASTERWALTERunperceived。]
Helen。That’sright。When,Fathom?
Fath。To-night。
Helen。Sheistobemarriedto-night。
Fath。Thisevening,then。MasterWalterisnowinthelibrary,thekeyisontheoutside,andI’lllockhimin。
Helen。Excellent!You’lldoit?
Fath。Relyuponit。Howhe’llstarewhenhefindshimselfaprisoner,andmyyoungladyatliberty!
Helen。Mostexcellent!You’llbesuretodoit?
Fath。Dependuponme!WhenFathomundertakesathing,hedefiesfireandwater-
Wal。[Comingforward。]Fathom!
Fath。Sir!
Wal。Assemblestraighttheservants。
Fath。Yes,sir!
Wal。Mind,AndhavetheminthehallwhenIcomedown。
Fath。Yes,sir!
Wal。Andseeyoudonotstirastep,ButwhereIorderyou。
Fath。Notaninch,sir!
Wal。Seethatyoudon’t——away!So,myfairmistress,[FATHOMgoesout。]
What’sthisyouhavebeenplotting?AnescapeFormistressJulia?
Helen。Iavowit。
Wal。Doyou?
Helen。Yes;andmoreovertoyourfaceItellyou,Mosthardlydoyouuseher!
Wal。Verily!
Helen。Iwonderwhere’sherspirit!HadshemineShewouldnottake’tsoeasily。DoyoumeanToforcethismarriageonher?
Wal。Withyourleave。
Helen。Youlaugh。
Wal。Withoutit,then。Idon’tlaughnow。
Helen。IfIwereshe,I’dfindawaytoescape。
Wal。Whatwouldyoudo?
Helen。I’dleapoutofthewindow!
Wal。Yourwindowshouldbebarred。
Helen。I’dcheatyoustill!-
I’dhangmyselfereI’dbeforcedtomarry!
Wal。Wellsaid!Youshallbemarried,then,tonight。
Helen。Marriedto-night!
Wal。AssureasIhavesaidit。
Helen。Twowordstothat。Praywho’stobemybridegroom?
Wal。Adaughter’shusbandisherfather’schoice。
Helen。Myfather’sdaughterne’ershallwedsuchhusband!
Wal。Indeed!
Helen。I’llpickahusbandformyself。
Wal。Indeed!
Helen。Indeed,sir;andindeedagain!
Wal。Godressyouforthemarriageceremony。
Helen。But,MasterWalter,whatisityoumean?
[EnterMODUS。]
Wal。Herecomesyourcousin;——heshallbeyourbridesman!
Thethought’sasuddenone,——thatwillexcuseDefectinyourappointments。Aplaindress,-
So’tisofwhite,——willdo。
Helen。I’lldressinblack。
I’llquitthecastle。
Wal。Thatyoushallnotdo。
Itsdoorsareguardedbymylord’sdomestics,Itsavenues——itsgrounds。Whatyoumustdo,Dowithagoodgrace!Inanhour,orless,Yourfatherwillbehere。MakeupyourmindTotakewiththankfulnessthemanhegivesyou。
Now,[Aside]iftheyfindnotouthowbeattheirhearts,Ihavenoskill,notI,infeelingpulses。
[Goesout。]
Helen。Why,cousinModus!What!willyoustandbyAndseemeforcedtomarry?CousinModus!
Haveyounotgotatongue?Haveyounoteyes?
DoyounotseeI’mvery——veryill,Andnotachairinallthecorridor?
Mod。I’llfindoneinthestudy。
Helen。Hangthestudy!
Mod。Myroom’sathand。I’llfetchonethence。
Helen。Youshan’tI’dfaintereyoucameback!
Mod。WhatshallIdo?
Helen。Whydon’tyouoffertosupportme?Well?
Givemeyourarm——bequick![MODUSoffershisarm。]
IsthatthewayTohelpaladywhenshe’sliketofaint?
I’lldropunlessyoucatchme![MODUSsupportsher。]
Thatwilldo。
I’mbetternow——[MODUSofferstoleaveher]don’tleaveme!IsonewellBecauseone’sbetter?Holdmyhand。Keepso。
I’llsoonrecoversoyoumovenot。Loveshe-
[Aside。]
WhichI’llbeswornhedoes,he’llownitnow。
Well,cousinModus?
Mod。Well,sweetcousin!
Helen。Well?
YouheardwhatMasterWaltersaid?
Mod。Idid。
Helen。Andwouldyouhavememarry?Can’tyouspeak?
Sayyesorno。
Mod。No,cousin!
Helen。Bravelysaid!
Andwhy,mygallantcousin?
Mod。Why?
Helen。Ay,why?-
Women,youknow,arefondofreasons——whyWouldyounothavememarry?Howyoublush!
Isitbecauseyoudonotknowthereason?
YoumindmeofastoryofacousinWhooncehercousinsuchaquestionasked。
Hehadnotbeentocollege,though——forbooks,Hadpassedhistimeinreadingladies’eyes。
Whichhecouldconstruemarvellouslywell,Thoughwritinlanguageallsymbolical。
Thusstoodtheyoncetogether,onaday-
Aswestandnow——discoursedaswediscourse,-
Butwiththisdifference,——fiftygentlewordsHespoketoher,foroneshespoketohim!-
Whatadearcousin!Well,asIdidsay,AsnowIquestionedthee,shequestionedhim。
Andwhatwashisreply?TothinkofitSetsmyheartbeating——’twassokindaone!
Solikeacousin’sanswer——adearcousin!
Agentle,honest,gallant,lovingcousin!
Whatdidhesay?——Amanmightfinditout,ThoughneverreadheOvid’sArtofLove-
Whatdidhesay?He’dmarryherhimself!
Howstupidareyou,cousin!Letmego!
Mod。Youarenotwellyet?
Helen。Yes。
Mod。I’msureyou’renot。
Helen。I’msureIam。
Mod。Nay,letmeholdyou,cousin!Ilikeit。
Helen。Doyou?IwouldwageryouYoucouldnottellmewhyyoulikeit。Well?
YouseehowtrueIknowyou!Howyoustare!
Whatseeyouinmyfacetowonderat?
Mod。Apairofeyes!
Helen。Atlasthe’llfindhistongue——[Aside。]
Andsawyoune’erapairofeyesbefore?
Mod。Notsuchapair。
Helen。Andwhy?
Mod。Theyaresobright!
YouhaveaGreciannose。
Helen。Indeed。
Mod。Indeed!
Helen。WhatkindofmouthhaveI?
Mod。Ahandsomeone。Ineversawsosweetapairoflips!
Ine’ersawlipsatalltillnow,dearcousin!
Helen。Cousin,I’mwell,——youneednotholdmenow。
Doyounothear?ItellyouIamwell!
Ineedyourarmnolonger——take’taway!
Sotightitlocksme,’tiswithpainIbreathe!
Letmego,cousin!WhereforedoyouholdYourfacesoclosetomine?Whatdoyoumean?
Mod。You’vequestionedme,andnowI’llquestionyou。
Helen。Whatwouldyoulearn?
Mod。Theuseoflips。
Helen。Tospeak。
Mod。Naughtelse?
Helen。Howboldmymodestcousingrows!
Why,otheruseknowyou?
Mod。Ido!
Helen。Indeed!
You’rewondrouswise?Andpraywhatisit?
Mod。This![Attemptstokissher。]
Helen。Soft!myhandthanksyou,cousin——formylipsIkeepthemforahusband!——Nay,standoff!
I’llnotbeheldinmanaclesagain!
Whydoyoufollowme?
Mod。Iloveyou,cousin!
Helen。Ocousin,sayyouso!That’spassingstrange!
Fallsoutmostcrossly——isadiremishap-
Athingtosighfor,weepfor,languishfor,Anddiefor!
Mod。Diefor!
Helen,Yes,withlaughter,cousin,For,cousin,Iloveyou!
Mod。Andyou’llbemine?
Helen。Iwill。
Mod。Yourhanduponit。
Helen。Handandheart。
Hietothydressing-room,andI’lltomine-
Attiretheeforthealtar——sowillI。
Whoe’ermayclaimme,thou’rtthemanshallhaveme。
Away!Despatch!Butharkyou,ereyougo,Ne’erbragofreadingOvid’sArtofLove!
Mod。Andcousin!stop——onelittlewordwithyou!
[Shereturns,hesnatchesakiss——Theygooutseverally。]
SCENEII。——Julia’sChamber。
[EnterJULIA。]
Julia。Nowordfromhim,andeveningnowsetin!
Hecannotplaymefalse!HismessengerIsdogged——orletterintercepted。I’mBesetwithspies!——Norescue!——Noescape!-
Thehourathandthatbringsmybridegroomhome!
Norelativetoaidme!friendtocounselme。
[Aknockatthedoor。]
Comein。
[EntertwoFemaleAttendants。]
Yourwill?
FirstAttendant。Yourtoiletwaits,mylady;
’Tistimeyoudress。
Julia。’TistimeIdie![Apealofbells。]What’sthat?
FirstAttendant。Yourweddingbells,mylady。
Julia。MerrilyTheyringmyknell!
[SecondAttendantpresentsanopencase。]
Andprayyouwhatarethese?
SecondAttendant。Yourweddingjewels。
Julia。Setthemby。
SecondAttendant。Indeed。
Wasne’erabraverset!Anecklace,brooch,Andearringsallofbrilliants,withahoopToguardyourweddingring。
Julia。’TwouldneedaguardThatlacksahearttokeepit!
SecondAttendant。Here’saheartSuspendedfromthenecklace——onehugediamondImbeddedinahostofsmallerones!
Oh!howitsparkles!
Julia。Showitme!Brightheart,Thylustre,shouldIwearthee,willbefalse,-
Forthoutheemblemartofloveandtruth,-
Fromherthatwearstheeuntohimthatgivesthee。
Backtothycase!Betterthoune’ershouldstleaveit-
BetterthygemsathousandfathomsdeepIntheirnativemineagain,thangracemyneck,Andlendthyfairfacetopalmoffalie!
FirstAttendant。Will’tpleaseyoudress?
Julia。Ah!ininfectedclothesNewfromapest-house!Leaveme!IfIdress,Idressalone!Oforafriend!Timegallops!
[Attendantsgoout。]
Hethatshouldguardmeismineenemy!
Constrainsmetoabidethefataldie,Myrashness,notmyreasoncast!Hecomes,Thatwillexacttheforfeit!——MustIpayit?-
E’enatthecostofutterbankruptcy!
What’stobedone?PronouncethevowthatpartsMybodyfrommysoul!TowhatitloathesLinksthat,whilethisislinkedtowhatitloves!
Condemnedtosuchperdition!What’stobedone?
Standatthealtarinanhourfromthis!
Anhourthenceseatedathisboard——awifeThence!——frenzy’sinthethought!What’stobedone?
[EnterMASTERWALTER。]
Wal。What!runthewavessohigh?Notreadyyet!
Yourlordwillsoonbehere!Theguestscollect。
Julia。Showmesomewayto’scapethesenuptials!Doit!
Someopeningforavoidanceorescape,-
OrtothychargeI’lllayabrokenheart!
Itmaybe,brokenvows,andblastedhonour,Orelseaminddistraught!
Wal。What’sthis?
Julia。ThestraitI’mfallenintomypatiencecannotbear。
Itfrightsmyreason——warpsmysenseofvirtue!
Religion!——changesmeintoathingIlookatwithabhorring!
Wal。Listentome。
Julia。Listentome!IfthiscontractThouholdestmeto——abidethoutheresult!
AnswertoheavenforwhatIsuffer!——act!
PreparethyselfforsuchcalamityTofallonme,andthosewhoseevilstarsHavelinkedthemwithme,asnopastmishap,Howeverrare,andmarvellouslysadCanparallel!laythyaccounttoliveAsmilelesslife,dieanunpitieddeath-
Abhorred,abandonedofthykind,——asoneWhohadtheguardingofayoungmaid’speace,-
Lookedonandsawherrashlyperilit;
Andwhenshesawherdanger,andconfessedHerfault,compelledhertocompleteherruin!
Wal。Hastdone?
Julia。Anothermoment,andIhave。
Bewarned!BewarehowyouabandonmeTomyself!I’myoung,rash,inexperienced!temptedBymostinsufferablemisery!
Bold,desperate,andreckless!ThouhastageExperience,wisdom,andcollectedness,-
Power,freedom,——everythingthatIhavenot,Yetwant,asnonee’erwanted!Thoucanstsaveme,Thououghtst!thoumust!ItelltheeathisfeetI’llfallacorse——eremounthisbridalbed!
Sochoosebetwixtmyrescueandmygrave;-
Andquicklytoo!ThehourofsacrificeIsnear!AnontheimmolatingpriestWillsummonme!DevisesomespeedymeansTocheatthealtarofitsvictim。Doit!
Norleavethetasktome!
Wal。Hastdone?
Julia。Ihave。
Wal。Thenlisttome——andsilently,ifnotWithpatience。——[Bringschairsforhimselfandher。]
HowIwatchedtheefromthychildhoodI’llnotrecalltothee。Thyfather’swisdom-
WhosehumbleinstrumentIwas——directedYournonageshouldbepassedinprivacy,Fromyouraptmindthatfaroutstrippedyouryears,Fearingthetaintofaninfectedworld;-
For,intherichgrounds,weedsoncetakingroot,Growstrongasflowers。Hemightberightorwrong!
Ithoughthimright;andthereforedidhisbidding。
Mostcertainlyhelovedyou——sodidI;
Ay!wellasIhadbeenmyselfyourfather!
[Hishandisrestinguponhisknee,JULIAattemptstotakeit——hewithdrawsit——looksather——shehangsherhead。]
Well;youmaytakemyhand!IneednotsayHowfastyougrewinknowledge,andingoodness,-
ThathopecouldscarceenjoyitsgoldendreamsSosoonfulfilmentrealisedthemall!
Enough。Youcametowomanhood。Yourheart,Pureastheleafoftheconsummatebud,That’snewunfoldedbythesmilingsun,Andne’erknewblightnorcanker!
[JULIAattemptstoplaceherotherhandonhisshoulder——heleansfromher——looksather——shehangsherheadagain。]
Putitthere!
WhereleftIoff?Iknow!WhenagoodwomanIsfitlymated,shegrowsdoublygood,Howgoodsoe’erbefore!IfoundthemanIthoughtamatchforthee;and,soonasfound,Proposedhimtothee。’Twasyourfather’swill,Occasionoffering,youshouldbemarriedSoonasyoureachedtowomanhood。——YoulikedMychoice,acceptedhim。——Wecametotown;
Where,byimportantmattersummonedthence,Ileftyouanaffiancedbride!
Julia。Youdid!
Youdid![Leansherheaduponherhandandweeps。]
Wal。Nay,checkthytears!Letjudgmentnow,Notpassion,beawake。Onmyreturn,Ifoundthee——what?I’llnotdescribethethingIfoundtheethen!I’llnotdescribemypangsToseetheesuchathing!TheengineerWholaysthelaststoneofhissea-builttower,Itcosthimyearsandyearsoftoiltoraise-
And,smilingatit,tellsthewindsandwavesToroarandwhistlenow——but,inanight,Beholdsthetempestsportinginitsplace-
Maylookaghast,asIdid!
Julia。[Fallingonherknees。]Pardonme!
Forgiveme!pityme!
Wal。Resumethyseat。[Raisesher。]
Ipitythee;perhapsnottheealoneItfitstosueforpardon。
Julia。Mealone!
Noneother!
Wal。Buttovindicatemyself,Inamethylover’ssterndesertionofthee。
Whatwastthouthenwithwoundedpride?AthingToleapintoatorrent!throwitselfFromaprecipice!rushintoafire!IsawThymadness——knewtothwartitweretochafeit-
Andhumouredittotakethatcourse,Ithought,Adopted,least’twouldrue!
Julia。’Twaswiselydone。
Wal。Atleast’twasforthebest。
Julia。ToblametheeforitWasaddingshametoshame!ButMasterWalter,Thesenuptials!——musttheyneedsgoon?
Servant。[Entering。]MoreguestsArrive。
Wal。Attendtothem。[Servantgoesout。]
Julia。DearMasterWalter!
Istherenowaytoescapethesenuptials?
Wal。Know’stnotWhatwiththesenuptialscomes?Hastthouforgot?
Julia。What?
Wal。Nothing!——Ididtelltheeofathing。
Julia。Whatwasit?
Wal。Toforgetitwasafault!
Lookbackandthink。
Julia。Ican’trememberit。
Wal。Fathers,makestrawsyourchildren!Nature’snothing,Bloodnothing!Onceinotherveinsitruns,Itnomoreyearnethfortheparentflood,Thandoththestreamthatfromthesourcedisparts。
Talknotofloveinstinctive——whatyoucallsoIsbutthebratofcustom!YourownfleshByhabitcleavestoyou——without,Hathnoadhesion。[Aside。]So;youhaveforgotYouhaveafather,andareheretomeethim!
Julia。I’llnotdenyit。
Wal。Youshouldblushfor’t。
Julia。No!
No!no:hear,MasterWalter!what’safatherThatyou’venotbeentome?Nay,turnnotfromme,ForatthenameaholyaweIown,Thatnowalmostinclinesmykneetoearth!
Butthoutome,exceptafather’sname,Hastallthefatherbeen:thecare——thelove-
Theguidance——theprotectionofafather。
Canstwonder,then,iflikethychildIfeel,-
Andfeelingso,thatfather’sclaimforgetWhomne’erIknewsavebythenameofone?
Oh,turntome,anddonotchideme!orIfthouwiltchide,chideon!butturntome!
Wal。[Strugglingwithemotion。]MyJulia!
[Embracesher。]
Julia。Now,dearMasterWalter,hearme!
Istherenowayto’scapethesenuptials?
Wal。Julia,Apromisemadeadmitsnotofrelease,SavebyconsentorforfeitureofthoseWhoholdit——soitshouldbeponderedwellBeforeweletitgo。EremanshouldsayIbrokethewordIhadthepowertokeep,I’dlosethelifeIhadthepowertopartwith!
Remember,Julia,thouandIto-dayMust,tothyfather,ofthytrainingrenderAstrictaccount。Whilehonour’slefttous,Wehavesomething——nothing,havingallbutthat。
Nowforthylastactofobedience,Julia!
Presentthyselfbeforethybridegroom![Sheassents。]Good!
MyJulia’snowherself!Showhimthyheart,Andtohishonourleave’ttosettheefreeOrholdtheebound。Thyfatherwillbeby!
SCENEIII。——TheBanqueting’Room。
[EnterMASTERWALTERandMASTERHEARTWELL。]
Heart。Thanks,MasterWalter!Ne’erwaschildmorebentTodoherfather’swill,you’llown,thanmine:
Yetneveronemorefroward。
Wal。Allrunsfair-
Fairmayallend!To-dayyou’lllearnthecauseThattookmeoutoftown。Butsoftawhile,-
Herecomesthebridegroom,withhisfriends,andhereTheall-obedientbride。
[EnterononehandJULIA,andontheotherhandLORDROCHDALEwithLORDTINSELandfriends——afterwardsCLIFFORD。]
Roch。Isshenotfair?
Tin。She’lldo。Yourservant,lady!MasterWalter,We’regladtoseeyou。Sirs,you’rewelcomeall。
Whatwaittheyfor?Arewetowedornot?
We’reready——whydon’ttheypresentthebride?
Ihopetheyknowsheistowedanearl。
Roch。ShouldIspeakfirst?
Tin。Notforyourcoronet!
I,asyourfriend,maymakethefirstadvance。
We’vecomeheretobemarried。Where’sthebride?
Wal。Therestandsshe,lord;if’tisherwilltowed,Hislordship’sfreetotakeher。
Tin。Notastep!
I,asyourfriend,mayleadhertoyourlordship。
Fairlady,byyourleave。
Julia。No!nottoyou。
Tin。Iaskyourhandtogiveittohislordship。
Julia。Nortohislordship——savehewillacceptMyhandwithoutmyheart!butI’llpresentMykneetohim,and,byhisloftyrank,ImplorehimnowtodoaloftydeedWillliftitsstatelyheadabovehisrank,-
Asserthimnobleryetinworththanname,-
And,intheplaceofanunwillingbride,Untoawillingdebtormakehimlord,-
Whosethanksshallbehisvassals,nightanddayThatstillshallwaituponhim!
Tin。Whatmeansthis?
Julia。Whatis’tbehovesawifetobringherlord?
Wal。Awholeheart,andatrueone。
Julia。Ihavenone!
Nothalfaheart——thefractionofaheart!
AmIawomanitbefitstowed?
Wal。Why,where’sthyheart?
Julia。Gone——outofmykeeping!
Lost,pastrecovery:rightandtitletoit-
Andallgivenup!andhethat’sowneron’t,Sofittowearit,wereitfiftyhearts,I’dgiveittohimall!
Wal。ThoudostnotmeanHislordship’ssecretary?
Julia。Yes。AwayDisguises!inthatsecretaryknowThemasteroftheheart,ofwhichthepoor,Unvalued,emptycasket,atyourfeet-
Itsjewelgone——Inowdespairingthrow!
[Kneels。]
Ofhislord’sbridehe’slord!lordparamount!
Towhomhervirginhomagefirstshepaid,-
’Gainstwhomrebelledinfrowardnessalone,Norknewherselfhowloyaltohim,tillAnotherclaimedherduty——thenawokeTosenseofallsheowedhim——allhisworth-
Andallherundeservings!
Tin。Lady,wecamenotheretotreatofhearts,-
Butmarriage;which,sopleaseyou,iswithusAsimplejoining,bythepriest,ofhands。
Aring’sputon,aprayerortwoissaid;
You’remanandwife,——andnothingmore!Forhearts,Weoftenerdowithout,thanwiththem,lady!
Clif。Sodoesnotwedthislady!
Tin。Whoareyou?
Clif。I’msecretarytotheEarlofRochdale。
Tin。Mylord!
Roch。Iknowhimnot-
Tin。Iknowhimnow-
Yourlordship’srival!OnceSirThomasClifford。
Clif。Yes,andthebridegroomofthatladythen,Thenlovedher——lovesherstill!
Julia。Waslovedbyher-
Thoughthensheknewitnot!——islovedbyher,Asnowsheknows,andalltheworldmayknow!
Tin。Wecan’tbelaughedat。Weareheretowed,Andshallfulfilourcontract。
Julia。Clifford!
Clif。Julia!
Youwillnotgiveyourhand?
[Apause。JULIAseemsutterlylost。]
Wal。YouhaveforgotAgain。Youhaveafather!
Julia。Bringhimnow,-
ToseethyJuliajustifythytraining,Andlayherlifedowntoredeemherword!
Wal。Andsoredeemsherall!Isityourwill,Mylord,thesenuptialsshouldgoon?
Roch。Itis。
Wal。Thenisitminetheystop!
Tin。ItoldyourlordshipYoushouldnotkeepaHunchbackforyouragent。
Wal。Thoughtlikemyfather,mygoodlord,whosaidHewouldnothaveaHunchbackforhisson-
SodoIpardonyouthesavageslight。
Mylord,thatIamnotasstraightasyou,Wasblemishneitherofmythoughtnorwill,Myheadnorheart。Itwasnoactofmine-
YetdiditcurdleNature’skindlymilkE’enwhere’tisrichest——inaparent’sbreast-
Tocastmeouttoheartlessfosterage,Norheartlessalways,asitproved——andgiveMyportiontoanother!thesameblood-
ButI’llbesworn,invein,mylord,andsoul-
Althoughhistrunkdidswervenomorethanyours-
NothalfsostraightasI。
Tin。UponmylifeYou’vegotamodestagent,Rochdale!NowHe’llprovehimselfdescended——markmywords-
FromsomesmallgentlemanWal。Andsoyouthought,WhereNatureplayedthechurl,itwouldbefitThatfortuneplayedittoo。YouwouldhavehadMylordabsolvemeofmyagency!
Fairlord,theflawdidcostmefiftytimes-
Ahundredtimesmyagency:-butall’sRecovered。Look,mylord,atestamentTomakeapensionofhislordship’srent-roll!
Itismyfather’s,andwasleftbyhim,Incasehisheirshoulddiewithoutason,Thentobeopened。HeavendidsendasonToblesstheheir。Heaventookitsgiftaway,Hedied——hisfatherdied。AndMasterWalter-
Theunsightlyagentofhislordshipthere-
TheHunchbackwhomyourlordshipwouldhavestrippedOfhisagency——isnowtheEarlofRochdale!
Tin。We’vemadeasmallmistakehere。Nevermind,’Tisnothinginalord。
Julia。TheEarlofRochdale!
Wal。Andwhatofthat?Thouknow’stnothalfmygreatness!
Aproudertitle,Julia,haveIyet,SoonerthanpartwithwhichI’dgivethatup,AndbeagainplainMasterWalter。What!
Dostthounotapprehendme?Yes,thoudost!
Commandthyself;don’tgasp。Mypupil——daughter!
Cometothyfather’sheart!
[JULIArushesintohisarms。]
[EnterFATHOM。]
Fath。Thievery!Elopement——escape——arrest!
Wal。What’sthematter?
Fath。MistressHelenisrunningawaywithMasterModus——MasterModusisrunningawaywithMistressHelen——butwehavecaughtthem,securedthem,andheretheycome,toreceivetherewardoftheirmerits。
[EnterHELENandMODUS,followedbyServants。]
Helen。I’llne’erwedman,ifnotmycousinModus。
Mod。NorwomanI,savecousinHelen’sshe。
Wal。[ToMASTERHEARTWELL。]Adaughter,haveyou,andanephew,too,Withouttheirmatchinduty!Letthemmarry。
Foryou,sir,whoto-dayhavelostanearldom,Yetwouldhavesharedthatearldomwithmychild-
Myonlyone——contentyourselfwithprospectOfthesuccession;itmustfalltoyou,Andfityourselftograceit。ApenotthoseWhorankbypride。ThemanofsimplestbearingIsyetalord,whenhe’salordindeed!
Tin。Theparadoxisobsolete。Ne’erheed!
Learnfromhisbook,andpractiseoutofmine!
Wal。SirThomasClifford,takemydaughter’shand!
Ifnowyouknowthemasterofherheart!
Giveit,myJulia!Yoususpect,Isee,Andrightly,therehasbeensomemaskinghere。
Contentthee,daughter,thoushaltknowanon,Howjealousyofmymis-shapenbackMadememistrustfulofachild’saffections-
Whodoubtede’enawife’s——sothatIdroppedThetitleofthyfather,lestthydutyShouldpaythedebtthylovecouldsolvealone。
Allthisandmore,thattothyfriendsandtheePertains,atfittingtimethoushaltbetold。
Butnowthynuptialswait——thehappycloseOfthyhardtrial——wholesome,thoughsevere!
Theworldwon’tcheattheenow——thyheartisproved;-
Thouknow’stthypeacebyfindingoutitsbane,Andne’erwillactfromrecklessimpulsemore!
Footnotes:
{1}Theotherplay,TheLove-Chase,isreleasedinaseparatedeTextwithProjectGutenbergandnotincludedhere。——DP。
{2}Inrepresentation,thepassagesfollowingthisarecurtailedandthescenerunsasfollows:-
MasterWaltercontinues-
Thefirstsideshowstheirpassioninthedawn-
Inthenextside’tisshiningopenday-
Inthethirdthere’sclouding——IbuttouchontheseTomakealongtalebrief,andbringtheetoThelastside。
Julia。Whatshowsthat?
Wal。ThefateofloveThatwillnotbeadvised。——Thescene’sadungeon,Itstenantisthepage——heliesinfetters。
Julia。Hard!
Hardasthesteel,thehandsthatputthemon!&c。