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ACT THE THIRD.

SCENE I.

A Room in COLONEL OLDBOY's House.

Enter HARMAN, with his Hat, Boots, and Whip, followed by Diana.

Diana. Pr'ythee, hear me.

Har. My dear, what would you say?

Diana. I am afraid of the step we are going to take-indeed, I am: 'tis true, my father is the contriver of it; but, really, on consideration, I think I should appear less culpable if he was not so; I am, at once, criminal myself, and rendering him ridiculous.

Har. Do you love me?

Diana. Suppose I do, you give me a very ill proof of your love for me, when you would take advantage of my tenderness, to blind my reason.

Har. Come, get yourself ready-where is your band-box, hat, and cloak?-Slip into the garden-be there at the iron gate, which you showed me just now, and, as the post-chaise comes round, I will step and take you in.

Diana. Dear Harman, let me beg of you to desist. Har. Dear Diana, let me beg of you to go on. Diana. I shall never have resolution to carry me through it.

Har. We shall have four horses, my dear, and they will assist us.

Diana. In short-I-cannot go with you.
Har. But before me-into the garden-Won't you?

AIR-DIANA.

Come then, pining, peevish lover,
Tell me what to do and say;
From your doleful dumps recover,
Smile, and it shall have its way.

With their humours thus to teaze us,
Men are sure the strangest elves!
Silly creatures, would you please us,
You should still seem pleased yourselves.

Enter COLONEL OLDBOY.

[Exit.

Col. O. Hey-day! what's the meaning of this? Who is it that went out of the room there? Have you and my daughter been in conference, Mr Harman?

Har. Yes, 'faith, sir; she has been taking me to task here very severely, with regard to this affair; and she has said so much against it, and put it into such a strange light

Col. O. A busy, impertinent baggage ! egad I wish I had catched her meddling, and after I ordered her pot: but you have sent to the girl, and you say she is ready to go with you; you must not disappoint her

now.

Har. No, no, Colonel; I always have politeness enough to hear a lady's reasons; but constancy enough to keep a will of my own.

Col O. Very well now let me ask you don't you, think it would be proper, upon this occasion, to have. a letter ready writ for the father, to let him know who has got his daughter, and so forth?

Har. Certainly, sir; and I'll write it directly.
Col. O. You write it! you be damned! I won't trust

E

you with it; I tell you, Harman, you'll commit some cursed blunder, if you don't leave the management of this whole affair to me: I have writ the letter for you myself.

Har. Have you, sir?

Col. O. Ay-here, read it: I think it's the thing: however, you are welcome to make any alteration.

Har. Sir, I have loved your daughter a great while, secretly; she assures me there is no hope of your consenting to our marriage; I therefore take her without it. I am a gentleman who will use her well: and, when you consider the matter, I dare swear you will be willing to give her a fortune. If not, you shall find I dare behave myself like a man-A word to the wise-You must expect to hear from me in another style.

Col. O. Now, sir, I will tell you what you must do with this letter: as soon as you have got off with the girl, sir, send your servant back, to leave it at the house, with orders to have it delivered to the old gentleman.

Har. Upon my honour, I will, Colonel.

Col. O. Then look into the court there, sir; a chaise with four of the prettiest bay geldings in England, with two boys in scarlet and silver jackets, that will whisk you along,

Har. Boys, Colonel! Little Cupids, to transport me to the summit of my desires.

Col. O. Ay, but for all that, it mayn't be amiss for me to talk to them a little out of the window for you. Dick, come hither; you are to go with this gentleman, and do whatever he bids you; and take into the chaise whoever he pleases; and drive like devils, do you hear? but be kind to the dumb beasts.

Har. Leave that to me, sir-And so, my dear Colonel-bon voyage. [Exit.

Enter LADY MARY OLDBOY.

Lady M. O. Mr Oldboy, here is a note from Sir John Flowerdale; it is addressed to me, entreating my son to come over there again this morning. A maid brought it: she is in the anti-chamber-We had better speak to her-Child, child, why don't you come in?

Jenny. [Without.]. I chuse to stay where I am, if your ladyship pleases.

Lady M. O. Stay where you are! why so?,

Enter JENNY.

Jenny. I am afraid of the old gentleman there.
Col O. Afraid of me, hussy?

Lady M. O. Pray, Colonel, have patience-Afraid -Here is something at the bottom of this-What did you mean by that expression, child?

Jenny. Why, the Colonel knows very well, madam, he wanted to be rude with me yesterday.

Lady M. O. Oh, Mr Oldboy!

Col. O. Lady Mary, don't provoke me; but let me talk to the girl about her business. How came you to bring this note here?

Jenny. Why, Sir John gave it to me, to deliver ta my uncle Jenkins, and I took it down to his house; but while we were talking together, he remembered that he had some business with Sir John, so he desired me to bring it, because he said it was not proper to be sent by any of the common servants.

Lady M. O. Colonel, look in my face, and help blushing if you can.

Col. O. What the plague's the matter, my lady! I have not been wronging you, now, as you call it. Jenny. Indeed, madam, he offered to make me his kept madam: I am sure his usage of me put me into such a twitter, that I did not know what I was doing all the day after,

Lady M. O. I don't doubt it, though I so lately forgave him: but, as the poet says, his sex is all deceit. Read Pamela, child, and resist temptation.

Jenny. Yes, madam, I will.

Col. O. Why, I tell you, my lady, it was all a joke. Jenny. No, sir, it was no joke; you made me a proffer of money, so you did; whereby I told you, you had a lady of your own, and that though she was old, you had no right to despise her.

Lady M. O. And how dare you, mistress, make use of my name? Is it for such trollops as you to talk of persons of distinction behind their backs?

Jenny. Why, madam, I only said you was in years. Lady M. O. Sir John Flowerdale shall be informed of your in pertinence, and you shall be turned out of the family; I see you are a confident creature, and I believe you are no better than you should be.

Jenny. I scorn your words, madam.

Lady M. O. Get out of the room; how dare you stay in this room to talk impudently to me?

Jenny. Very well, madam, I shall let my lady know how you have used me; but I sha'n't be turned out of my place, madam, nor at a loss, if I am; and if you are angry with every one that won't say you are young, I believe there is very few you will keep friends with!

AIR.

I wonder, I'm sure, why this fuss should be made;
For my part, I'm neither ashamed nor afraid
Of what I have done, nor of what I have said,
A servant, I hope, is no slave;

And though, to their shames,

Some ladies call names,

I know better how to behave.
Times are not so bad,
If occasion I had,

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