L. Rus. The distresses of your family, child, are quite out of the question at present; had Sir Oliver been pleased to consider them, I should have been well content; but he has absolutely taken no notice of you in his will, and that to me must and shall be a law. Tell your father and your sister I totally dis. approve of their coming up to town. Charles. Must I tell my father that before your ladyship knows the motive that brought him hither ? Allur'd by the offer of exchanging for a commission on full pay, the veteran, after thirty years service, prepares to encounter the fatal heats of Senegambia ; but wants a small supply to equip him for the expedition. Enter Servant. Enter Major O’FLAHERTY. O'Fla. Spare your speeches, young man; don't you think her ladyship can take my word for that? I hope, madam, 'tis evidence enough of my being present, when I've the honour of telling you so myself. . L. Rus. Major O'Flaherty, I am rejoiced to see you. Nephew Dudley, you perceive I'm engaged. Charles. I shall not intrude upon your ladyship's more agreeable engagements. I presume I have my answer. L. Rus. Your answer, child! What answer can you possibly expect; or how can your romantic father suppose that I am to abet him in all his idle and ex. travagant undertakings? Come, major, let me shew you the way into my dressing-room; and let us leave this young adventurer to his meditation. [Exit. O'Fla. I follow vou, my lady. Young gentleman, your obedient! Upon my conscience, as fine a young fellow as I wou'd wish to clap my eyes on : he might have answer'd my salute, however-well, let it pass; fortune, perhaps, frowns upon the poor lad; she's a damn'd slippery lady, and very apt to jilt us poor fellows, that wear cockades in our hats. Fare-thee. well, honey, whoever thou art. [Exit. Charles. So much for the virtues of a puritan ; out upon it, her heart is fint; yet that woman, that aunt of mine, without one worthy particle in her composition, wou'd, I dare be sworn, as soon set her foot in a pest-house as in a play-house. [Going Miss RusPORT enters to him. Char. Stop, stay a little, Charles, whither are you going in such haste ? Charles. Madam; Miss Rusport; what are your commands? Char. Why so reserved? We had used to answer to no other names than those of Charles and Charlotte. Charles. What ails you ? You've been weeping. Char. No, no; or if I have your eyes are full too; but I have a thousand things to say to you : before you go, tell me, I conjure you, where you are Mic D.. to be found; here, give me your direction; write it upon the back of this visiting-ticket- Have you a pencil ? Charles. I have: but why shou'd you desire to find us out? 'tis a poor, little, inconvenient place; my sister has no apartment fit to receive you in. Servant enters. Serv. Madam, my lady desires your company di. rectly. Char. I am coming-well, have you wrote it? Give it nie. O Charles! either you do not, or you will not understand me. [Exeunt severally. : ACT II. SCENE I. A Room in FULMER's House. Enter FULMER and Mrs. FULMER. Mrs. Fulmer. Why, how you sit, musing and mopeing, sighing and desponding! I'm ashamed of you, Mr. Fulmer : is this the country you described to me, a second El. dorado, rivers of gold and rocks of diamonds ? You found me in a pretty snug retir'd way of life at Bologne, out of the noise and bustle of the world, and wholly at my ease; you, indeed, was upon the wing, with a fiery persecution at your back: but, like a true son of Loyola, you had then a thousand ingenious devices to repair your fortune : and this, your native country, was to be the scene of your performances: fool that I was, to be inveigled into it by you : but, thank Heaven, our partnership is revocable; I am not your wedded wife, praised be my stars ! for what have we got, whom have we gulld but ourselves; which of all your trains has taken fire; even this poor expedient of your bookseller's shop seems abandoned; for if a chance customer drops in, who is there, pray, to help him to what he wants. Ful. Patty, you know it is not upon slight grounds that I despair; there had us'd to be a livelihood to be pick'd up in this country, both for the honest and dishonest: I have tried each walk, and am likely to starve at last : there is not a point to which the wit and faculty of man can turn, that I have not set · mine to; but in vain, I am beat through every quarter of the compass. Mrs. Ful. Ah! common efforts all : strike me a master stroke, Mr. Fulmer, if you wish to make any figure in this country. Ful. But where, how, and what? I have bluster'd for prerogative; I have bellowed for freedom; I have offer'd to serve my country; I have engaged to betray it; a master-stroke, truly; why, I have talked treason, writ treason, and if a man cann't live by that he can live by nothing. Here I set up as a bookseller, why men left off reading; and if I was to turn butcher, I believe o' my conscience they'd leave off eating [Captain Dudley crosses the stage. Mrs. Ful. Why there now's your lodger, old Captain Dudley, as he calls himself; there's no fint without fire ; something might be struck out of him, if you'd the wit to find the way. Ful. Hang him, an old dry skin'd curmudgeon; you may as well think to get truth out of a courtier, or candour out of a critic: I can make nothing of him; besides, he's poor, and therefore not for our purpose. Mrs. Ful. The more fool he! Would any man be poor that had such a prodigy in his possession ? Ful. His daughter, you mean ; she is, indeed, un. commonly beautiful. Mrs. Ful. Beautiful! Why she need only be seen, to have the first men in the kingdom at her feet. Egad, I wish I had the leasing of her beauty; what would some of our young nabobs give s Ful. Hush! here comes the captain; good girl, leave us to ourselves, and let me try what I can make of him. Mrs. Ful. Captain, truly! i'faith, I'd have a regiment, had I such a daughter, before I was three months older. · [Exit. SCENE II. Captain Dudley enters to him. |