Rory。IcallitRory’ssong。Now,mind,Ihaveaverseforeverybody——
o’theleadinglads,Imean。andIshallput’eminorlave’emout,accordingtotheirinclinationsanddeserts,wise-a-weetoyou,mylittlefrind。SoyoucomprehenditwillbeRory’ssong,withvariations。
TalbotandLordJohn。Let’shaveit。let’shaveitwithoutfurtherpreface。
Rorysings。
I’mtruegametothelast,andnoWHEELERforme。
Rory。There’sastroke,inthefirstplace,forWheeler,——youtakeit?
Talb。Oyes,yes,wetakeit。goon。
Rorysings。
I’mtruegametothelast,andnoWheelerforme。
Ofallbirds,beasts,orfishes,thatswiminthesea,Webb’dorfinn’d,blackorwhite,manorchild,WhigorTory,NonebutTalbot,O,Talbot’sthedogforRory。
Talb。Talbotthedogismuchobligedtoyou。
LordJ。ButifIhaveanyear,oneofyourlinesisafoottoolong,Mr。
O’Ryan。
Rory。Phoo,putthebestfootforemostforafrind。Sluritinthesinging,anddon’tbequarrelling,anyhow,forafootmoreorless。Themorefeetthebetteritwillstand,youknow。Onlyletmegoon,andyou’llcometosomethingthatwillplaseyou。
Rorysings。
Thenthere’shewiththepursethat’saslongasmyarm。
Rory。That’sBursal,mindnow,whomImeantoalludetointhisverse。
LordJ。Iftheallusion’sgood,weshallprobablyfindoutyourmeaning。
Talb。Onwithyou,Rory,anddon’treadusnotesonasong。
LordJ。Goon,andletushearwhatyousayofBursal。
Rorysings。
Thenthere’shewiththepursethat’saslongasmyarm。
Hisfather’satanner,——butthenwhere’stheharm?
Heirtohouses,andhunters,andhorsepondsinfee,Won’thisskinssuresoonbuyhimapedigree?
LordJ。Encore!encore!Why,Rory,Ididnotthinkyoucouldmakesogoodasong。
Rory。Sure’twasnoneofImadeit——’twasTalbothere。
Talb。I!
Rory。aside。Notaword:I’llmakeyouapresentofit:sure,then,it’syourown。
Talb。Ineverwroteawordofit。
Rory。toLordJ。。Phoo,Phoo!he’sonlydenyingitoutoffalsemodesty。
Lord。J。Well,nomatterwhowroteit,——singitagain。
Rory。Beeasy。soIwill,andasmanymoreversesasyouwilltothebackofit。WinkingatTalbotaside。Youshallhavethecreditofall。Aloud。PutmeinwhenI’mout,Talbot,andyoutoLordJohn
join——join。
Rorysings,andLordJohnsingswithhim。
Thenthere’shewiththepursethat’saslongasmyarm。
Hisfather’satanner,——butthenwhere’stheharm?
Heirtohouses,andhunters,andhorsepondsinfee,Won’thisskinssuresoonbuyhimapedigree?
There’smylordwiththebackthatneverwasbent——
LordJohnstopssinging。TalbotmakessignstoRorytostop。butRorydoesnotseehim,andsingson。
There’smylordwiththebackthatneverwasbent。
Lethimlivewithhisancestors,Iamcontent。
RorypushesLordJ。andTalbotwithhiselbows。
Rory。Join,join,bothofye——whydon’tyoujoin?Sings。
Who’llbuymyLordJohn?thearchfishwomancried,Aniceoystershutupinachoiceshellofpride。
Rory。Butjoinoryespoilall。
Talb。Youhavespoiledall,indeed。
LordJ。makingaformallowbow。Mr。Talbot,LordJohnthanksyou。
Rory。LordJohn!bloodandthunder!Iforgotyouwereby——quiteandclean。
LordJ。putshimasideandcontinuesspeakingtoTalbot。LordJohnthanksyou,Mr。Talbot:thisisthesecondpartofthecaricature。LordJohnthanksyoufortheseproofsoffriendship——LordJohnhasreasontothankyou,Mr。Talbot。
Rory。Noreasoninlifenow。Don’tbethankingsomuchfornothinginlife。orifyoumustbethankingofsomebody,it’smeyououghttothank。
LordJ。Ioughtanddo,sir,forunmaskingonewho——
Talb。warmly。Unmasking,mylord——
Roryholdingthemasunder。Phoo!phoo!phoo!beeasy,can’tye?——
there’snounmaskingatallinthecase。MyLordJohn,Talbot’swritingthesongwasallamistake。
LordJ。Asmuchamistakeasyoursingingit,sir,Ipresume——
Rory。Justasmuch。’Twasallamistake。Sonowdon’tyougoandmakeamistakeintoamisunderstanding。ItwasImadeeverywordofthesongouto’theface*——thataboutthebackthatneverwasbent,andtheancestorsoftheoyster,andall。Hedidnotwasteawordofit。uponmyconscience,Iwroteitall——thoughI’llengageyoudidn’tthinkIcouldwriteagoodthing。LordJohnturnsaway。I’mtellingyouthetruth,andnotawordofalie,andyetyouwon’tbelieveme。
*Frombeginningtoend。
LordJ。Youwillexcuseme,sir,ifIcannotbelievetwocontradictoryassertionswithintwominutes。Mr。Talbot,Ithankyougoing。
RorytriestostopLordJohnfromgoing,butcannot——ExitLordJohn。
Rory。Well,ifheWILLgo,lethimgothen,andmuchgoodmayitdohim。
Nay,butdon’tyougotoo。
Talb。ORory,whathaveyoudone?——TalbotrunsafterLordJ。Hearme,mylord。ExitTalbot。
Rory。Hearhim!hearhim!hearhim!——Well,I’mpointblankmadwithmyselfformakingthisblunder。buthowcouldIhelpit?AssureaseverIammeaningtodothebestthingonearth,itturnsouttheworst。
Enterapartyoflads,huzzaing。
Roryjoins。Huzza!huzza!——Who,pray,areyehuzzaingfor?
1stBoy。Wheeler!Wheelerforever!huzza!
Rory。Talbot!Talbotforever!huzza!CaptainTalbotforever!huzza!
2ndBoy。CAPTAINhe’llneverbe,——atleastnotto-morrow。forLordJohnhasjustdeclaredforWheeler。
lstBoy。Andthatturnsthescale。
Rory。Oh,thescalemayturnbackagain。
3rdBoy。Impossible!LordJohnhasjustgivenhispromisetoWheeler。
Iheardhimwithmyownears。
Severalspeakatonce。AndIheardhim。andI!andI!andI!——Huzza!
Wheelerforever!
Rory。Oh,murder!murder!murder!Aside。Thisgoestomyheart!it’sallmydoing。O,mypoorTalbot!——murder!murder!murder!ButIwon’tletthemseemecastdown,anditisgoodtobehuzzaingatallevents。
HuzzaforTalbot!Talbotforever!huzza!Exit。
EnterWHEELERandBURSAL。
Wheel。WhowasthathuzzaingforTalbot?
Rorybehindthescenes,HuzzaforTalbot!Talbotforever!huzza!
Burs。Pooh,itisonlyRoryO’Ryan,ortheroaringlionasIcallhim。
Ha!ha!ha!RoryO’Ryan,aliasO’Ryan,theroaringlion。that’sagoodone。putitabout——RoryO’Ryan,theroaringlion,ha!ha!ha!butyoudon’ttakeit——youdon’tlaugh,Wheeler。
Wheeler。Ha!ha!ha!O,uponmyhonourIdolaugh。ha!ha!ha!
Aside。Itisthehardestworktolaughathiswit。Aloud。RoryO’Ryan,theroaringlion——ha!ha!ha!YouknowIalwayslaugh,Bursal,atyourjokes——he!he!he!——readytokillmyself。
Burs。sullenly。Youareeasilykilled,then,ifthatmuchlaughingwilldothebusiness。
Wheel。coughing。Justthen——somethingstuckinmythroat。Ibegyourpardon。
Burs。stillsullen。Oh,youneednotbegmypardonaboutthematter。
Idon’tcarewhetheryoulaughorno——notI。NowyouhavegotLordJohntodeclareforyou,youareabovelaughingatmyjokes,Isuppose。
Wheel。No,uponmywordandhonour,IDIDlaugh。
Burs。aside。Afigforyourwordandhonour。Aloud。IknowI’mofnoconsequencenow。butyou’llremember,thatifhislordshiphasthehonourofmakingyoucaptain,hemusthavethehonourtopayforyourcaptain’saccoutrements。forIsha’n’tpaythepiper,Ipromiseyou,sinceI’mofnoconsequence。
Wheel。Ofnoconsequence!But,mydearBursal,whatcouldputthatintoyourhead?that’sthestrangest,oddestfancy。Ofnoconsequence!
Bursal,ofnoconsequence!Why,everybodythatknowsanything——everybodythathasseenBursalHouse——knowsthatyouareofthegreatestconsequence,mydearBursal。
Burs。takingouthiswatch,andopeningit,looksatit。No,I’mofnoconsequence。IwonderthatrascalFinsburyisnotcomeyetwiththedressesstilllookingathiswatch。
Wheel。aside。IfBursaltakesitintohisheadnottolendmethemoneytopayformycaptain’sdress,whatwillbecomeofme?forIhavenotashilling——andLordJohnwon’tpayforme——andFinsburyhasordersnottoleavethehousetillheispaidbyeverybody。Whatwillbecomeofme?——biteshisnails。
Burs。aside。HowIlovetomakehimbitehisnails!Aloud。IknowI’mofnoconsequence。Strikeshisrepeater。
Wheel。Whatafinerepeaterthatisofyours,Bursal!ItisthebestI
everheard。
Burs。Soitwellmaybe。foritcostamintofmoney。
Wheel。Nomattertoyouwhatanythingcosts。Happydogasyouare!Yourollinmoney。andyetyoutalkofbeingofnoconsequence。
Burs。ButIamnotofhalfsomuchconsequenceasLordJohn——amI?
Wheel。Areyou?Why,aren’tyoutwiceasrichashe!
Burs。Verytrue,butI’mnotpurse-proud。
Wheel。Youpurse-proud!Ishouldneverhavethoughtofsuchathing。
Burs。NorI,ifTalbothadnotusedtheword。
Wheel。ButTalbotthinkseverybodypurse-proudthathasapurse。
Burs。aside。Well,thisWheelerdoesputoneintoagoodhumourwithone’sselfinspiteofone’steeth。Aloud。Talbotsaysbluntthings。
butIdon’tthinkhe’swhatyoucancallclever——hey,Wheeler?
Wheel。Clever?Oh,nothe。
Burs。IthinkIcouldwalkroundhim。
Wheel。Tobesureyoucould。Why,doyouknow,I’vequizzedhimfamouslymyselfwithinthisquarterofanhour!
Burs。Indeed!IwishIhadbeenby。
Wheel。SodoI,’faith!Itwasthebestthing。Iwanted,yousee,togethimoutofmyway,thatImighthavethefieldclearforelectioneeringto-day。SoIbowlsuptohimwithalongface——suchafaceasthis。Mr。Talbot,doyouknow——I’msorrytotellyou,here’sJackSmithhasjustbroughtthenewsfromSaltHill。Yourmother,ingettingintothecarriage,slipped,andhasBROKEherleg,andthereshe’slyingatafarmhouse,twomilesoff。Isnotittrue,Jack?saidI。
Isawthefarmerhelpingherinwithmyowneyes,criesJack。OffgoesTalbotlikeanarrow。Quizzedhim,quizzedhim!saidI。
Burs。Ha!ha!ha!quizzedhimindeed,withallhiscleverness。thatwasfamouslydone。
Wheel。Ha!ha!ha!Withallhisclevernesshewillbealltheeveninghuntingforthefarmhouseandthemotherthathasbrokeherleg。soheisoutofourway。
Burs。Butwhatneedhaveyoutowanthimoutofyourway,nowLordJohnhascomeovertoyourside?Youhavethethingatadeadbeat。
Wheel。Notsodeadeither。forthere’sagreatindependentparty,youknow。andifYOUdon’thelpme,Bursal,tocanvassthem,Ishallbenocaptain。ItisyouIdependuponafterall。Willyoucomeandcanvassthemwithme?DearBursal,pray——alldependsuponyou。
Pullshimbythearm——Bursalfollows。
Burs。Well,ifalldependsuponme,I’llseewhatIcandoforyou。
Aside。ThenIamofsomeconsequence!Moneymakesamanofsomeconsequence,Isee。atleastwithsomefolks。
SCENEII。
Inthebacksceneaflockofsheepareseenpenned。Infront,apartyofcountryladsandlasses,gailydressed,asinsheep-shearingtime,withribandsandgarlandsofflowers,etc。,aredancingandsinging。
EnterPATTY,dressedastheQueenoftheFestival,withalambinherarms。Thedancersbreakoffwhenshecomesin,anddirecttheirattentiontowardsher。
1stPeasant。Oh,herecomesPatty!HerecomestheQueeno’theday。
Whathaskeptyoufromussolong,Patty?
2ndPeasant。PleaseyourMajesty,youshouldsay。
Patty。Thispoorlittlelambofminewaswhatkeptmesolong。Itstrayedawayfromtherest。andIshouldhavelosthim,soIshould,forever,ifithadnotbeenforagoodyounggentleman。Yonderheis,talkingtoFarmerHearty。That’stheyounggentlemanwhopulledmylamboutoftheditchforme,intowhichhehadfallen——prettycreature!
1stPeasant。Prettycreature——or,yourMajesty,whicheveryouchoosetobecalled——comeanddancewiththem,andI’llcarryyourlamb。
Exeunt,singinganddancing。
EnterFARMERHEARTYandTALBOT。
Farmer。Why,younggentleman,I’mgladIhappenedtolightuponyouhere,andsotohinderyoufromgoingfartherastray,andsetyourheartateaselike。
Talb。Thanks,goodfarmer,youhavesetmyheartatease,indeed。Butthetruthis,theydidfrightenmeconfoundedly——morefoolI。
Farm。Nofoolatall,tomynotion。Ishould,atyourage,ay,oratmyage,justtheself-samewayhavebeenfrightenedmyself,ifsobethatmentionhadbeenmadetome,thatway,ofmyownmother’shavingbrokeherlegorso。Andgreater,byagreatdeal,theshameforthemthatfrightedyou,thanforyoutobefrighted。Howyounggentlemen,now,canbringthemselvesfortotellsuchlies,istome,now,amatterofamazement,like,thatIcan’tnowaysgetover。
Talb。Oh,farmer,suchliesareverywitty,thoughyouandIdon’tjustnowlikethewitofthem。Thisisfun,thisisquizzing。butyoudon’tknowwhatweyounggentlemenmeanbyquizzing。
Farm。Ay,butIdothough,tomycost,eversincelastyear。Lookyou,now,atyonfinefieldofwheat。Well,itwasjustasfine,andfiner,lastyear,tillayoungEtonjackanapes——
Talb。Takecarewhatyousay,farmer。forIamayoungEtonjackanapes。
Farm。No。butyoubenottheyoungEtonjackanapesthatI’ma-thinkingon。Itellyouitwasthistimelastyear,man。hewasa-horseback,I
tellye,mounteduponafinebayhunter,outa-hunting,like。
Talb。Itellyouitwasthistimelastyear,man,thatIwasmounteduponafinebayhunter,outa-hunting。
Farm。Zooks!wouldyouargufyamanoutofhiswits?Youwon’tgofortotellmethatyouarethatimpertinentlittlejackanapes!
Talb。No!no!I’llnottellyouthatIamanimpertinentlittlejackanapes!
Farmwipinghisforehead。Well,don’tthen,forIcan’tbelieveit。
andyouputmeout。WherewasI?
Talb。Mounteduponafinebayhunter。
Farm。Ay,sohewas。Here,YOU,sayshe,meaningme——openthisgateforme。Now,ifhehadbuta-spokemefair,Iwouldnothavegainsaidhim:buthefallstoswearing,soIbidhimopenthegateforhimself。
There’sabullbehindyou,farmer,sayshe。Iturns。Quizzedhim!
criesmyjackanapes,andoffhegallopshim,throughtheverythickofmycorn。buthegotafall,leapingtheditchoutyonder,whichpacifiedme,like,attheminute。SoIgoesuptoseewhetherhewaskilled。buthewasnotawhittheworseforhistumble。SoIshouldha’fellintoapassionwithhimthen,tobesure,aboutmycorn。buthishorsehadgotsuchaterriblesprain,Icouldn’tsayanythingtohim。forIwasa-
pityingthepooranimal。Asfineahunteraseveryousaw!Iamsartainsurehecouldnevercometogoodafter。
Talb。aside。Idothink,fromthedescription,thatthiswasWheeler。
andIhavepaidforthehorsewhichhespoiled!Aloud。Shouldyouknoweitherthemanorthehorseagain,ifyouweretoseethem?
Farm。Ay,thatIshould,tomydyingday。
Talb。Willyoucomewithme,then,andyou’lldomesomeguineas’worthofservice?
Farm。Ay,thatIwill,withadealofpleasure。foryoubeacivilspokenyounggentleman。and,besides,Idon’tthinktheworseonyouforbeingFRIGHTEDalittleaboutyourmother。beingwhatImightha’been,atyourage,myself。forIhadamothermyselfonce。Soleadon,master。
Exeunt。
ENDOFTHESECONDACT。
ACTTHETHIRD。
SCENEI。
ThegardenoftheWindmillInn,atSaltHill。
MISSBURSAL,MRS。NEWINGTON,SALLY,theChambermaid。
MissBursal,inafaintingstate,issittingonagardenstool,andleaningherheadagainsttheLandlady。Sallyisholdingaglassofwaterandasmellingbottle。
MissBursal。WhereamI?WhereamI?
Landlady。AttheWindmill,atSaltHill,younglady。andillorwell,youcan’tbebetter。
Sally。Doyoufindyourselfbettersincecomingintotheair,miss?
MissB。Better!Oh,Ishallneverbebetter!
Leansherheadonhand,androcksherselfbackwardsandforwards。
Landlady。Mydearyounglady,don’ttakeonso。Aside。NowwouldI
givesomethingtoknowwhatitwasmyLadyPiercefieldsaidtothefather,andwhatthefathersaidtothisone,andwhat’sthematteratthebottomofaffairs。Sally,didyouhearanythingatthedoors?
Sallyaside。No,indeed,ma’am。IneverBE’Satthedoors。
Landladyaside。Simpleton!Aloud。But,mydearMissBursal,ifI
maybesobold——ifyou’donlydisembosomyourmindofwhat’sonit——
MissB。Disembosommymind!Nonsense!I’venothingonmymind。Prayleaveme,madam。
Landladyaside。Madam,indeed!madam,forsooth!Oh,I’llmakeherpayforthat!ThatMADAMshallgodowninthebill,assureasmyname’sNewington。Landlady,inahighertone。Well,Iwishyoubetter,ma’am。IsupposeI’dbestsendyourownservant?
MissB。sullenly。Yes,Isupposeso。ToSally。Youneednotwait,child,norlooksocurious。
Sally。CUR’OUS!Indeed,miss,ifIlookalittleCUR’OUS,orsolookingatherdress,’tisonlybecauseIwasFRIGHTEDtoseeyoutakeon,whichmademeforgetmycleanapron,whenIcameout。andthisapron——
MissB。Hush!Hush!child。Don’ttellmeaboutcleanaprons,norrunonwithyourvulgartalk。Isthereeveraseatonecansetoninthat_H_arbouryonder?
Sally。Odear’ART,yes,miss。’tisthepleasantest_H_arbouron_H_earth。Bepleasedtoleanonmy_H_arm,andyou’llsoonbethere。
MissB。going。Thentellmywomansheneednotcometome,andletnobodyINTERUDEonme——doyou’EAR?Aside。Oh,whatwillbecomeofme?andtheTalbotswillsoonknowit!Andtheponies,andthecurricle,andthevis-a-vis——whatwillbecomeofthem?andhowshallImakemyappearanceattheMontem,oranyWAREelse?
SCENEII。
LORDJOHN——WHEELER——BURSAL。
Wheeler。Well,butmylord——Well,butBursal——thoughmyLadyPiercefield——thoughMissBursaliscometoSaltHill,youwon’tleaveusallatsixesandsevens。Whatcanwedowithoutyou?
LordJ。Youcandoverywellwithoutme。
Bursal。Youcandoverywellwithoutme。
Wheel。toBurs。。Impossible!——impossible!YouknowMr。Finsburywillbeherejustnow,withthedresses。andwehavetotrythemon。
Burs。Andtopayforthem。
Wheel。Andtosettleabouttheprocession。Andthen,mylord,theelectionistocomeonthisevening。Youwon’tgotillthat’sover,asyourlordshiphasPROMISEDmeyourlordship’svoteandinterest。
LordJ。MyvoteIpromisedyou,Mr。Wheeler。butIsaidnotasyllableaboutmyINTEREST。Myfriends,perhaps,havenotbeenoffended,thoughI
have,byMr。Talbot。Ishallleavethemtotheirowninclinations。
Burs。whistling。Wheugh!wheugh!wheugh!Wheeler,theprincipal’snothingwithouttheinterest。
Wheel。Oh,theinterestwillgoalongwiththeprincipal,ofcourse。forI’mpersuaded,ifmylordleaveshisfriendstotheirinclinations,itwillbetheinclinationofmylord’sfriendstovoteashedoes,ifhesaysnothingtothemtothecontrary。
LordJ。Itoldyou,Mr。Wheeler,thatIshouldleavethemtothemselves。
Burs。stillwhistling。Well,I’lldomybesttomakethatfatherofminesendmeofftoOxford。I’msureI’mfittogo——alongwithWheeler。
Why,you’dbestbemytutor,Wheeler!——adevilishgoodthought。
Wheel。Anexcellentthought。
Burs。AndacursedfinedustweshouldkickupatOxford,withyourMontemmoneyandall!——Money’sTHEGOafterall。Iwishitwascometomymakingyoumylastbow,yedistantspires,yeANTICtowers!
Wheel。asidetoLordJ。。YeANTICtowers!——fitforOxford,mylord!
LordJ。Antiquetowers,IsupposeMr。Bursalmeans。
Burs。Antique,tobesure!——Isaidantique,didnotI,Wheeler?
Wheel。O,yes。
LordJ。aside。Whatameananimalisthis!
EnterRORYO’RYAN。
Rory。Why,now,what’sbecomeofTalbot,Iwanttoknow?Thereheisnottobefoundanywhereinthewideworld。andthere’sahullabalooamongsthisfriendsforhim。
WheelerandBursalwinkatoneanother。
Wheel。Weknownothingofhim。
LordJ。Ihavenotthehonour,sir,tobeoneofMr。Talbot’sfriends。
Itishisownfault,andIamsorryforit。
Rory。’Faith,soamI,especiallyasitismine——faultImean。andespeciallyastheelectionisjustgoingtocomeon。
Enterapartyofboys,whocry,Finsbury’scome!——Finsbury’scomewiththedresses!
Wheel。Finsbury’scome?Oh,letusseethedresses,andletustry’emonto-night。
Burs。pushingthecrowd。Onwithye——onwithye,there!——Let’stry’emon!——Try’emon——I’mtobecolonel。
lstBoy。AndIlieutenant。
2ndBoy。AndIensign。
3rdBoy。AndIcollegesalt-bearer。
4thBoy。AndIoppidan。
5thBoy。Oh,whatapityI’minmourning。
Severalspeakatonce。
Andweareservitors。Wearetobetheeightservitors。
Wheel。AndIamtobeyourCaptain,Ihope。Comeon,myColonel。ToBursal。Mylord,youarecoming?
Rory。By-and-by——I’veawordinhisear,byyourLAVEandhis。
Burs。Why,whatthedevilstopstheway,there?——Pushon——onwiththem。
6thBoy。I’mmarshal。
Burs。Onwithyou——onwithyou——whocareswhatyouare?
Wheel。toBursal,aside。You’llpayFinsburyforme,yourichJew?
ToLordJohn。Yourlordshipwillrememberyourlordship’spromise。
LordJ。Idonotusuallyforgetmypromises,sir。andthereforeneednottoberemindedofthem。
Wheel。Ibegpardon——Ibegtenthousandpardons,mylord。
Burs。takinghimbythearm。Comeon,man,anddon’tstandbeggingpardonthere,orI’llleaveyou。
Wheel。toBurs。Ibegpardon,Bursal——Ibegpardon,tenthousandtimes。
Exeunt。
ManentLORDJOHNandRORYO’RYAN。
Rory。Wheugh!——Nowputthecase。IfIwasgoingtobehanged,forthelifeofmeIcouldn’tbeafterbeggingsomanypardonsfornothingatall。Butmanymen,manyminds——Hums。Truegametothelast!NoWheelerforme。Oh,murder!Iforgot,Iwasnighlettingthecatouto’
thebagagain。
LordJ。Youhadsomethingtosaytome,sir?Iwaittillyourrecollectionreturns。
Rory。’Faith,andthat’sverykindofyou。andifyouhadalwaysdoneso,youwouldneverhavebeenoffendedwithme,mylord。
LordJ。Youaremistaken,Mr。O’Ryan,ifyouthinkthatyoudidorcouldoffendme。
Rory。MistakenwasI,then,sureenough。butweareallliabletomistakes,andshouldforgetandforgiveoneanother。that’sthewaytogothrough。
LordJ。Youwillgothroughtheworldyourownway,Mr。O’Ryan,andallowmetogothroughitmyway。
Rory。Veryfair——fairenough——thenweshan’tcross。Butnow,tocometothepoint。Idon’tliketobemakingdisagreeableretrospects,ifI
couldanywayavoidit。nortobegoingaboutthebush,especiallyatthistimeo’day。when,asMr。Finsbury’scome,we’venotsomuchtimetoloseaswehad。Isthereanytruth,then,mylord,inthereportthatisgoingaboutthishourpast,thatyouhavegoneinahuff,andgivenyourpromisetheretothatsneakingWheelertovoteforhimnow?
LordJ。Inanswertoyourquestion,sir,IamtoinformyouthatIHAVE
promisedMr。Wheelertovoteforhim。
Rory。Inahuff?——Ay,now,thereitis!——Well,whenaman’sMAD,tobesure,he’smad——andthat’sallthatcanbesaidaboutit。AndIknow,ifIhadbeenMADmyself,Imighthavedoneafoolishthingaswellasanother。Butnow,mylord,thatyouarenotmad——
LordJ。Iprotest,sir,Icannotunderstandyou。Inoneword,sir,I’mneithermadnorafool!——Yourmostobedientgoing,angrily。
Roryholdinghim。Takecarenow。youaregoingmadwithmeagain。Butphoo!Ilikeyouthebetterforbeingmad。I’mveryoftenmadmyself,andIwouldnotgiveapotatoforonethathadneverbeenmadinhislife。
LordJ。aside。He’llnotbequiet,tillhemakesmeknockhimdown。
Rory。Agh!agh!agh!——IbegintoguesswhereaboutsIamatlast。MAD,inyourcountry,Itakeit,meansfitforBedlam。butwithusinIreland,now,’tisnosuchthing。itmean’snothinginlifebutthebeinginapassion。Well,onecomfortis,mylord,asyou’reabitofascholar,wehavetheLatinproverbinourfavour——IrafurorbrevisestAngerisshortmadness。Theshorterthebetter,Ithink。So,mylord,toputanendtowhateverofthekindyoumayhavefeltagainstpoorTalbot,I’llassureyouhe’sasinnocento’thatunfortunatesongasthebabeunborn。
LordJ。ItisratherlateforMr。Talbottomakeapologiestome。
Rory。Hemakeapologies!Nothe,’faith。he’dsendmetoCoventry,or,maybe,toaworseplace,didhebutknowIwascondescendingtomakethisbitofexplanation,unknowntohim。But,uponmyconscience,I’vearegardforyouboth,anddon’tliketoseeyougotogetherbytheears。
Now,lookyou,mylord。Bythisbook,andallthebooksthatwereevershutandopened,heneversaworheardofthatunluckysongofminetillIcameoutwithitthismorning。
LordJ。Butyoutoldmethismorningthatitwashewhowroteit。
Rory。ForthatItakeshametomyself,asitturnedout。butitwasonlyaWHITElietoSARVEafriend,andmakehimcutadashwithanewsongatelectiontime。ButI’vedoneforeverwithwhitelies。
LordJ。walkingaboutasifagitated。Iwishyouhadneverbegunwiththem,Mr。O’Ryan。Thismaybeagoodjoketoyou。butitisnonetomeorTalbot。SoTalbotneverwroteawordofthesong?
Rory。Notawordorsyllable,goodorbad。
LordJ。AndIhavegivenmypromisetovoteagainsthim。He’lllosehiselection。
Rory。Notifyou’llgivemeleavetospeaktoyourfriendsinyourname。
LordJ。Ihavepromisedtoleavethemtothemselves。andWheeler,Iamsure,hasengagedthembythistime。
Rory。Blessmybody!I’llnotstaypratingherethen。
ExitRory。
LordJ。follows。ButwhatcanhavebecomeofTalbot?Ihavebeentoohastyforonceinmylife。Well,Ishallsufferforitmorethananybodyelse。forIloveTalbot,sincehedidnotmakethesong,ofwhichIhatetothink。Exit。
SCENEIII。
AlargehallinEtonCollege——Astaircaseattheend——Etonlads,dressedintheirMontemDressesintheScene——Infront,WHEELERdressedasCaptain,BURSALandFINSBURY。
Fins。Igiveyouinfinitecredit,Mr。Wheeler,forthisdress。
Burs。INFINITECREDIT!Why,he’llhavenoobjectiontothat——hey,Wheeler?ButIthoughtFinsburyknewyoutoowelltogiveyoucreditforanything。
Fins。Youarepleasedtobepleasant,sir。Mr。Wheelerknows,inthatsenseoftheword,itisoutofmypowertogivehimcredit,andI’msurehewouldnotaskit。
Wheel。aside。O,Bursal,payhim,andI’llpayyoutomorrow。
Burs。Now,ifyouweren’ttobecaptainafterall,Wheeler,whataprettyfigureyou’dcut。Ha!ha!ha!——Hey?
Wheel。Oh,Iamassureofbeingcaptainasofbeingalive。Aside。Dopayforme,now,there’sagood,dearfellow,beforeTHEYlookingback
comeup。
Burs。aside。Ilovetomakehimlickthedust。Aloud。Hollo!
here’sFinsburywaitingtobepaid,lads。Totheladswhoareinthebackscene。Whohaspaid,andwhohasnotpaid,Isay?
Theladscomeforward,andseveralexclaimatonce,I’vepaid!I’vepaid!
EnterLORDJOHNandRORYO’RYAN。
Rory。Oh,KingofFashion,howfineweare!Why,now,tolookatyeallonemightfancyone’sselfattheplayhouseatonce,oratafancyballindearlittleDublin。Come,strikeupadance。
Burs。Pshaw!Whereveryoucome,RoryO’Ryan,nooneelsecanbeheard。
Whohaspaid,andwhohasnotpaid,Isay?
SeveralBoysexclaim。We’veallpaid。
1stBoy。I’venotpaid,buthere’smymoney。
SeveralBoys。Wehavenotpaid,buthere’sourmoney。
6thBoy。Orderthere,Iammarshal。Allthathavepaidmarchofftothestaircase,andtakeyourseatsthere,onebyone。March!
Astheymarchby,onebyone,soastodisplaytheirdresses,Mr。
Finsburybows,andsays,
Athousandthanks,gentlemen。Thankyou,gentlemen。Thanks,gentlemen。
ThefinestsighteverIsawoutofLon’on。
Rory,aseachladpasses,catcheshisarm,AreyouaTalbotITEoraWheelerITE?ToeachwhoanswersAWheelerite,Roryreplies,Phoo!
danceoff,then。Gotothedevilandshakeyourself。*EachwhoanswersATalbotite,Roryshakesbythehandviolently,singing,Talbot,oh,Talbot’sthedogforRory。
*Thisisthenameofacountrydance。
Whentheyhavealmostallpassed,LordJohnsays,ButwherecanMr。
Talbotbeallthistime?
Burs。Whoknows?Whocares?
Wheel。Aprettyelectioneerer!AsidetoBursal。Finsbury’swaitingtobepaid。
LordJ。Youdon’twaitforme,Mr。Finsbury。Youknow,Ihavesettledwithyou。
Fins。Yes,mylord——yes。Manythanks:andIhaveleftyourlordship’sdresshere,andeverybody’sdress,Ibelieve,asbespoke。
Burs。Here,Finsbury,isthemoneyforWheeler,who,betweenyouandme,isaspoorasarat。
Wheeleraffectingtolaugh。。Well,IhopeIshallbeasrichasaJewto-morrow。Bursalcountsmoney,inanostentatiousmanner,intoFinsbury’shand。
Fins。Athousandthanksforallfavours。
Rory。YouwillbekindenoughtoLAVEMr。Talbot’sdresswithme,Mr。
Finsbury,forI’mafriend。
Fins。Indubitably,sir:butthemisfortuneis——he!he!he!——Mr。Talbot,sir,hasbespokenodress。Yourservant,gentlemen。
ExitFinsbury。
Burs。SoyourfriendMr。Talbotcouldnotaffordtobespeakadress——
BursalandWheelerlaughinsolently。Howcomesthat,Iwonder?
LordJ。IfI’mnotmistaken,herecomesTalbottoanswerforhimself。
Rory。Butwho,inthenameofSt。Patrick,hashealongwithhim?
EnterTALBOTandLANDLORD。
Talb。Comeinalongwithus,FarmerHearty——comein。
WhilsttheFarmercomesin,theboyswhoweresittingonthestairs,riseandexclaim,
Whomhavewehere?Whatnow?Comedown,lads。here’smorefun。
Rory。What’shere,Talbot?
Talb。Anhonestfarmer,andagoodnaturedlandlord,whowouldcomeherealongwithmetospeak——
Farm。interrupting。Tospeakthetruth——strikeshisstickontheground。
Landlordunbuttoninghiswaistcoat。ButIamsohot——soshort-winded,thatpantingandpuffing——thatforthesoulandbodyofme,IcannotsaywhatIhavegotfortosay。
Rory。’Faith,now,themoreshortwindedastory,thebetter,tomyfancy。
Burs。Wheeler,what’sthematter,man?youlookasifyourunderjawwasbroke。
Farm。Thematteris,younggentlemen,thattherewasonceuponatimeafine,bayhunter。
Wheel。squeezinguptoTalbot,aside。Don’texposeme,don’tlethimtell。TotheFarmer。I’llpayforthecornIspoiled。TotheLandlord。I’llpayforthehorse。
Farm。Idoesnotwanttobepaidformycorn。Theshortofitis,younggentlemen,this’unhere,inthefinething-em-bobspointingtoWheeler,isashabbyfellow。hewentandspoiledMasterNewington’sbesthunter。
Land。panting。Ruinationedhim!ruinationedhim!
Rory。Butwasthatalltheshabbiness?NowImight,oranyofusmight,havehadsuchanaccidentasthat。Isupposehepaidthegentlemanforthehorse,orwilldoso,ingoodtime。
Land。holdinghissides。Oh,thatIhadbutalittlebreathinthisbodyo’minetospeakall——speakon,Farmer。
Farm。strikinghisstickonthefloor。Oons,sir,whenaman’sputout,hecan’tgoonwithhisstory。
Omnes。Bequiet,Rory——hush!Roryputshisfingeronhislips。
Farm。Why,sir,Iwasa-goingtotellyoutheshabbiness——why,sir,hedidnotpaythelandlord,here,forthehorse。buthegoesandsaystothelandlord,here——Mr。Talbothadyourhorseontheself-sameday。
’twashedidthedamage。’tisfromheyoumustgetyourmoney。SoMr。
Talbot,here,whoisanothersortofagentlemanthoughhehasnotsofineacoatwouldnotseeamanataloss,thatcouldnotaffordit。andnotknowingwhichof’emitwasthatspoiledthehorse,goes,whenhefindstheotherwouldnotpayafarthing,andpaysall。
Roryrubbinghishands。There’sTalbotforye。And,now,gentlementoWheelerandBursal,youguesstheRASON,asIdo,Isuppose,whyhebespokenodress。hehadnotmoneyenoughtobefine——andhonest,too。
Youareveryfine,Mr。Wheeler,todoyoujustice。
LordJ。Pray,Mr。O’Ryan,letthefarmergoon。hehasmoretosay。Howdidyoufindout,pray,mygoodfriend,thatitwasnotTalbotwhospoiledthehorse!Speakloudenoughtobeheardbyeverybody。
Farm。Ay,thatIwill——IsayveryloudlyIsayIsawhimtherepointingtoWheelertakethejumpwhichstrainedthehorse。andI’mreadytosweartoit。Yetheletanotherpay。there’stheshabbiness。
Ageneralgroanfromallthelads。Oh,shabbyWheeler,shabby!I’llnotvoteforshabbyWheeler!
LordJ。aside。Alas!Imustvoteforhim。
Rorysings。
Truegametothelast。noWheelerforme。
Talbot,oh,Talbot’sthedogforme。
Severalvoicesjointhechorus。
Burs。Wheeler,ifyouarenotchosenCaptain,youmustseeandpaymeforthedress。
Wheel。Iamaspoorasarat。
Rory。Oh,yes!ohyes!hearye!hearye,allmannerofmen——theelectionisnowgoingtobeginforthwithinthebigfield,andRoryO’RyanholdsthepollforTalbot。Talbotforever!——huzza!
ExitRory,followedbytheBoys,whoexclaimTalbotforever!——huzza!
TheLandlordandFarmerjointhem。
LordJ。Talbot,IamgladyouarewhatIalwaysthoughtyou——I’mgladyoudidnotwritethatodioussong。Iwouldnotlosesuchafriendforallthesongsintheworld。Forgivemeformyhastinessthismorning。
I’vepunishedmyself——I’vepromisedtovoteforWheeler。
Talb。Oh,nomatterwhomyouvotefor,mylord,ifyouarestillmyfriend,andifyouknowmetobeyours。Theyshakehands。
LordJ。Imustnotsay,HuzzaforTalbot!Exeunt。
SCENEIV。
WINDSORTERRACE。
LADYPIERCEFIELD,MRS。TALBOT,LOUISA,andalittlegirlofsixyearsold,LADYVIOLETTA,daughtertoLADYPIERCEFIELD。
ViolettalookingatapaperwhichLouisaholds。IlikeitVERYmuch。
LadyP。WhatisitthatyoulikeVERYmuch,Violetta?
Violet。Youarenottoknowyet,mamma。itis——Imaytellherthat——itisalittledrawingthatLouisaisdoingforme。Louisa,Iwishyouwouldletmeshowittomamma。
Louisa。Andwelcome,mydear。itisonlyasketchofTheLittleMerchants,astorywhichViolettawasreading,andsheaskedmetotrytodrawthepicturesofthelittlemerchantsforher。WhilstLadyP。
looksatthedrawing,ViolettasaystoLouisa
Butareyouinearnest,Louisa,aboutwhatyouweresayingtomejustnow,——quiteinearnest?
Louisa。Yes,inearnest,——quiteinearnest,mydear。
Violet。AndmayIaskmamma,NOW?
Louisa。Ifyouplease,mydear。
Violet。runstohermother。Stoopdowntome,mamma。I’vesomethingtowhispertoyou。
LadyPiercefieldstoopsdown。Violettathrowsherarmsroundhermother’sneck。
Violet。asidetohermother。Mamma,doyouknow——youknowyouwantagovernessforme。
LadyP。Yes,ifIcouldfindagoodone。
Violet。aloud。Stoopagain,mamma,I’vemoretowhisper。Asidetohermother。SHEsaysshewillbemygoverness,ifyouplease。
LadyP。SHE!——whoisSHE?
Violet。Louisa。
LadyP。pattingVioletta’scheek。Youarealittlefool。MissTalbotisonlyplayingwithyou。
Violet。No,indeed,mamma。sheisinearnest。arenotyou,Louisa?——Oh,sayyes!
Louisa。Yes。
Violet。clapsherhands。YES,mamma。doyouhearYES?
Louisa。IfLadyPiercefieldwilltrustyoutomycare,IampersuadedthatIshouldbemuchhappierasyourgoverness,mygoodlittleVioletta,thanasanhumbledependentofMissBursal’s。Asidetohermother。
Youseethat,nowIamputtothetrial,Ikeeptomyresolution,dearmother。
Mrs。T。YourladyshipwouldnotbesurprisedatthisofferofmyLouisa,ifyouhadheard,aswehavedonewithinthesefewhours,ofthelossoftheEastIndiashipinwhichalmostourwholepropertywasembarked。
Louisa。TheBombayCastleiswrecked。
LadyP。TheBombayCastle!Ihavethepleasuretotellyouthatyouaremisinformed——itwastheAirlyCastlethatwaswrecked。
LouisaandMrs。T。Indeed!
LadyP。Yes。youmaydependuponit——itwastheAirlyCastlethatwaslost。YouknowIamjustcomefromPortsmouth,whereIwenttomeetmybrother,GovernorMorton,whocamehomewiththelastIndiafleet,andfromwhomIhadtheintelligence。
HereViolettainterrupts,toaskhermotherforhernosegay——LadyP。
givesittoher,thengoesonspeaking。
LadyP。Theywereinsuchhaste,foolishpeople!tocarrytheirnewstoLondon,thattheymistookonecastleforanother。ButdoyouknowthatMr。Bursallosesfiftythousandpounds,itissaid,bytheAirlyCastle!
WhenItoldhimshewaslost,Ithoughthewouldhavedroppeddown。
However,IfoundhecomfortedhimselfafterwardswithabottleofBurgundy:butpoorMissBursalhasbeeninhystericseversince。
Mrs。T。Poorgirl!MyLouisa,YOUdidnotfallintohysterics,whenI
toldyouofthelossofourwholefortune。
Violetta,duringthisdialogue,hasbeenseatedonthegroundmakingupanosegay。
Violet。aside。Fallintohysterics!Whatarehysterics,Iwonder。
Louisa。MissBursalismuchtobepitied。forthelossofwealthwillbethelossofhappinesstoher。
LadyP。ItistobehopedthatthelossmayatleastcheckthefoolishprideandextravaganceofyoungBursal,who,asmysontellsme——
AcryofHuzza!huzza!behindthescenes。
EnterLORDJOHN。
LordJ。hastily。Howd’yedo,mother!MissTalbot,Igiveyoujoy。
LadyP。Takebreath——takebreath。
Louisa。Itismybrother。
Mrs。T。Hereheis!——Hark!hark!
AcrybehindthescenesofTalbotandtruthforever!Huzza!
Louisa。Theyarechairinghim。
LordJ。Yes,theyarechairinghim。andhehasbeenchosenforhishonourableconduct,notforhiselectioneeringskill。for,todohimjustice,Coriolanushimselfwasnotaworseelectioneerer。
EnterRORYO’RYANandanotherEtonlad,carryingTALBOTinachair,followedbyacrowdofEtonlads。
Rory。ByyourLAVE,mylord——byyourLAVE,ladies。
Omnes。Huzza!Talbotandtruthforever!Huzza!
Talb。Setmedown!There’smymother!There’smysister!
Rory。Easy,easy。Sethimdown?NosuchTING!givehimt’otherhuzza!
There’snothinglikeagoodloudhuzzainthisworld。Yes,thereis!
for,asmyLordJohnsaidjustnow,outofsomebook,oroutofhisownhead,——
Oneself-approvinghourwholeyearsoutweighs,Ofstupidstarersandofloudhuzzas。
CURTAINFALLS。
FORGIVEANDFORGET。
IntheneighbourhoodofaseaporttowninthewestofEngland,therelivedagardener,whohadoneson,calledMaurice,towhomhewasverypartial。Onedayhisfathersenthimtotheneighbouringtowntopurchasesomegardenseedsforhim。WhenMauricegottotheseed-shop,itwasfullofpeople,whowereallimpatienttobeserved:firstagreattallman,andnextagreatfatwomanpushedbeforehim。andhestoodquietlybesidethecounter,waitingtillsomebodyshouldbeatleisuretoattendtohim。Atlength,whenalltheotherpeoplewhowereintheshophadgotwhattheywanted,theshopmanturnedtoMaurice——Andwhatdoyouwant,mypatientlittlefellow?saidhe。
Iwantalltheseseedsformyfather,saidMaurice,puttingalistofseedsintotheshopman’shand。andIhavebroughtmoneytopayforthemall。
TheseedsmanlookedoutalltheseedsthatMauricewanted,andpackedthemupinpaper:hewasfoldingupsomepaintedlady-peas,when,fromadooratthebackoftheshop,therecameinasquare,rough-facedman,whoexclaimed,themomenthecamein,AretheseedsIorderedready?——
Thewind’sfair——theyoughttohavebeenaboardyesterday。Andmychinajar,isitpackedupanddirected?whereisit?
Itisupthereontheshelfoveryourhead,sir,answeredtheseedsman。
Itisverysafe,yousee。butwehavenothadtimetopackityet。Itshallbedoneto-day。andwewillgettheseedsreadyforyou,sir,immediately。
Immediately!thenstiraboutit。Theseedswillnotpackthemselvesup。
Makehaste,pray。
Immediately,sir,assoonasIhavedoneuptheparcelforthislittleboy。
Whatsignifiestheparcelforthislittleboy?Hecanwait,andI
cannot——windandtidewaitfornoman。Here,mygoodlad,takeyourparcel,andsheeroff,saidtheimpatientman。and,ashespoke,hetookuptheparcelofseedsfromthecounter,astheshopmanstoopedtolookforasheetofthickbrownpaperandpackthreadtotieitup。
Theparcelwasbutlooselyfoldedup,andastheimpatientmanliftedit,theweightofthepeaswhichwerewithinsideofitburstthepaper,andalltheseedsfelloutuponthefloor,whilstMauriceinvainheldhishandstocatchthem。Thepeasrolledtoallpartsoftheshop。theimpatientmansworeatthem,butMaurice,withoutbeingoutofhumour,setaboutcollectingthemasfastaspossible。
Whilsttheboywasbusiedinthismanner,themangotwhatseedshewanted。andashewastalkingaboutthem,asailorcameintotheshop,andsaid,Captain,thewindhaschangedwithinthesefiveminutes,anditlooksasifweshouldhaveuglyweather。
Well,I’mgladofit,repliedtheroughfacedman,whowasthecaptainofaship。Iamgladtohaveadaylongertostayashore,andI’vebusinessenoughonmyhands。Thecaptainpushedforwardtowardstheshopdoor。Maurice,whowaskneelingonthefloor,pickinguphisseeds,sawthatthecaptain’sfootwasentangledinsomepackthreadwhichhungdownfromtheshelfonwhichthechinajarstood。Mauricesawthat,ifthecaptaintookonemorestepforward,hemustpullthestring,sothatitwouldthrowdownthejar,roundthebottomofwhichthepackthreadwasentangled。Heimmediatelycaughtholdofthecaptain’sleg,andstoppedhim。Stay!Standstill,sir!saidhe,oryouwillbreakyourchinajar。
Themanstoodstill,looked,andsawhowthepackthreadhadcaughtinhisshoebuckle,andhowitwasneardraggingdownhisbeautifulchinajar。
Iamreallyverymuchobligedtoyou,mylittlefellow,saidhe。Youhavesavedmyjar,whichIwouldnothavebrokenfortenguineas,foritisformywife,andI’vebroughtitsafefromabroadmanyaleague。ItwouldhavebeenapityifIhadbrokenitjustwhenitwassafelanded。
Iamreallymuchobligedtoyou,mylittlefellow,thiswasreturninggoodforevil。IamsorryIthrewdownyourseeds,asyouaresuchagoodnatured,forgivingboy。Besokind,continuedhe,turningtotheshopman,astoreachdownthatchinajarforme。
Theshopmanlifteddownthejarverycarefully,andthecaptaintookoffthecover,andpulledoutsometuliproots。Youseem,bythequantityofseedsyouhavegot,tobelongtoagardener。Areyoufondofgardening?saidhetoMaurice。
Yes,sir,repliedMaurice,veryfondofit。formyfatherisagardener,andheletsmehelphimathiswork,andhehasgivenmealittlegardenofmyown。
Thenhereareacoupleoftulip-rootsforyou。andifyoutakecareofthem,I’llpromiseyouthatyouwillhavethefinesttulipsinEnglandinyourlittlegarden。ThesetulipsweregiventomebyaDutchmerchant,whotoldmethattheyweresomeoftherarestandfinestinHolland。
Theywillprosperwithyou,I’msure,windandweatherpermitting。
Mauricethankedthegentleman,andreturnedhome,eagertoshowhisprecioustulip-rootstohisfather,andtoacompanionofhis,thesonofanurseryman,wholivednearhim。Arthurwasthenameofthenurseryman’sson。
ThefirstthingMauricedid,aftershowinghistulip-rootstohisfather,wastoruntoArthur’sgardeninsearchofhim。Theirgardenswereseparatedonlybyalowwallofloosestones:Arthur!Arthur!whereareyou?Areyouinyourgarden!Iwantyou。ButArthurmadenoanswer,anddidnot,asusual,comerunningtomeethisfriend。Iknowwhereyouare,continuedMaurice,andI’mcomingtoyouasfastastheraspberry-busheswillletme。Ihavegoodnewsforyou——somethingyou’llbedelightedtosee,Arthur!——Ha!——buthereissomethingthatIamnotdelightedtosee,Iamsure,saidpoorMaurice,who,whenhehadgotthroughtheraspberry-bushes,andhadcomeinsightofhisowngarden,beheldhisbell-glass——hisbelovedbell-glass,underwhichhiscucumbersweregrownsofinely——hisonlybell-glass,brokentopieces!
Iamsorryforit,saidArthur,whostoodleaninguponhisspadeinhisowngarden。Iamafraidyouwillbeveryangrywithme。
Why,wasityou,Arthur,brokemybell-glass!Oh,howcouldyoudoso?
Iwasthrowingweedsandrubbishoverthewall,andbyaccidentagreatlumpofcouch-grass,withstoneshangingtotheroots,felluponyourbell-glass,andbrokeit,asyousee。
Mauriceliftedupthelumpofcouch-grass,whichhadfallenthroughthebrokenglassuponhiscucumbers,andhelookedathiscucumbersforamomentinsilence——Oh,mypoorcucumbers!youmustalldienow。Ishallseeallyouryellowflowerswitheredtomorrow。butitisdone,anditcannotbehelped。so,Arthur,letussaynomoreaboutit。
Youareverygood。Ithoughtyouwouldhavebeenangry。IamsureI
shouldhavebeenexceedinglyangryifyouhadbrokentheglass,ifithadbeenmine。
Oh,forgiveandforget,asmyfatheralwayssays。that’sthebestway。
LookwhatIhavegotforyou。ThenhetoldArthurthestoryofthecaptainoftheship,andthechinajar。theseedshavingbeenthrowndown,andofthefinetulip-rootswhichhadbeengiventohim。andMauriceconcludedbyofferingoneofthepreciousrootstoArthur,whothankedhimwithgreatjoy,andrepeatedlysaid,Howgoodyouwerenottobeangrywithmeforbreakingyourbell-glass!Iammuchmoresorryforitthanifyouhadbeeninapassionwithme!
Arthurnowwenttoplanthistulip-root:andMauricelookedatthebedswhichhiscompanionhadbeendigging,andatallthethingswhichwerecomingupinhisgarden。
Idon’tknowhowitis,saidArthur,butyoualwaysseemasgladtoseethethingsinmygardencomingup,anddoingwell,asiftheywereallyourown。Iammuchhappiersincemyfathercametolivehere,andsinceyouandIhavebeenallowedtoworkandtoplaytogether,thanI
everwasbefore。foryoumustknow,beforewecametolivehere,Ihadacousininthehousewithme,whousedtoplagueme。Hewasnotnearlysogood-naturedasyouare。Henevertookpleasureinlookingatmygarden,oratanythingthatIdidthatwaswelldone。andhenevergavemeashareofanythingthathehad。andsoIdidnotlikehim。howcouldI?
But,Ibelievethathatingpeoplemakesusunhappy。forIknowIneverwashappywhenIwasquarrellingwithhim。andIamalwayshappywithyou,Maurice。Youknowweneverquarrel。
Itwouldbewellforalltheworldiftheycouldbeconvinced,likeArthur,thattoliveinfriendshipisbetterthantoquarrel。ItwouldbewellforalltheworldiftheyfollowedMaurice’smaximofForgiveandForget,whentheyreceive,orwhentheyimaginethattheyreceive,aninjury。
Arthur’sfather,Mr。Oakly,thenurseryman,wasapttotakeoffenceattrifles。andwhenhethoughtthatanyofhisneighboursdisobligedhim,hewastooproudtoaskthemtoexplaintheirconduct。thereforehewasoftenmistakeninhisjudgmentofthem。HethoughtthatitshowedSPIRIT,torememberandtoresentaninjury。and,therefore,thoughhewasnotanill-naturedman,hewassometimesled,bythismistakenideaofSPIRIT,todoill-naturedthings:Awarmfriendandabitterenemy,
wasoneofhismaxims,andhehadmanymoreenemiesthanfriends。Hewasnotveryrich,buthewasproud。andhisfavouriteproverbwas,Betterliveinspitethaninpity。
WhenfirsthesettlednearMr。Grant,thegardener,hefeltinclinedtodislikehim,becausehewastoldthatMr。GrantwasaScotchman,andhehadaprejudiceagainstScotchmen。allofwhomhebelievedtobecunningandavaricious,becausehehadoncebeenover-reachedbyaScotchpeddler。Grant’sfriendlymannersinsomedegreeconqueredthisprepossessionbutstillhesecretlysuspectedthatTHISCIVILITY,ashesaid,wasallshow,andthathewasnot,norcouldnot,beingaScotchman,besuchaheartyfriendasatrue-bornEnglishman。
Granthadsomeremarkablyfineraspberries。Thefruitwassolarge,astobequiteacuriosity。Whenitwasinseason,manystrangerscamefromtheneighbouringtown,whichwasasea-bathingplace,tolookattheseraspberries,whichobtainedthenameofBrobdingnagraspberries。
Howcameyou,pray,neighbourGrant,ifamanmayask,bythesewonderfulfineraspberries?saidMr。Oakly,oneevening,tothegardener。
That’sasecret,repliedGrant,withanarchsmile。
Oh,incaseit’sasecret,I’venomoretosay。forInevermeddlewithanyman’ssecretsthathedoesnotchoosetotrustmewith。ButIwish,neighbourGrant,youwouldputdownthatbook。Youarealwaysporingoversomebookoranotherwhenamancomestoseeyou,whichisnot,accordingtomynotionsbeingaplain,UNLARNEDEnglishmanbredandborn,socivilandneighbourlyasmightbe。
Mr。Granthastilyshuthisbook,butremarked,withashrewdglanceathisson,thatitwasinthatbookhefoundhisBrobdingnagraspberries。
Youarepleasedtobepleasantuponthemthathavenotthelucktobeasbook-LARNEDasyourself,Mr。Grant。butItakeit,beingonlyaplainspokenEnglishman,asIobservedafore,thatoneistothefullasliketofindaraspberryinone’sgardenasinone’sbook,Mr。Grant。
Grant,observingthathisneighbourspokeratherinasurlytone,didnotcontradicthim。beingwellversedintheBible,heknewthatAsoftwordturnethawaywrath,andheanswered,inagoodhumouredvoice,Ihear,neighbourOakly,youarelikelytomakeagreatdealofmoneyofyournurserythisyear。Here’stothehealthofyouandyours,notforgettingtheseedlinglarches,whichIseearecomingonfinely。