HUMPHRY. To be sure, my head _is_ a little soft.
LOVEYET. You must let him take it to number two hundred and twenty-one, Broadway;--will you remember the direction?
HUMPHRY. Yes, number two hundred and twenty-one, Broadway.
LOVEYET. Right;--and enquire for Mr. Frankton, and tell him who it is from.
HUMPHRY. Aye, aye, let me alone for that.
[_Exit, with NEGRO._
LOVEYET [_manet_].
I think I am even with the old gentleman now;--but I lament the necessity of this conduct; and, if a man could eat and digest matrimony, without a little matter of money, I would forgive my unreasonable father, with all my heart; and he might eat his gold himself; though, by the bye, this sum of money, in equity and good conscience, is mine.--Now he wants to cross my inclination, by making me the rival of my friend;--what a strange whim! But if I don"t trick him out of his project and his money too, it shall not be my fault.
[_Exit._
SCENE II. _MR. FRIENDLY"S House._
HARRIET [_solus_].
Notwithstanding the arrival of Charles, and the happy result of the interview with my father, my mind is not at ease;--these strange rumours must have some foundation;--one says he is married to Maria; another says, he is discovered to be illegitimate; a third reports, he was found in company with a woman of ill fame; and to conclude the catalogue of evil tidings, a fourth says, that old Mr. Loveyet is going to disinherit him, in consequence of his having made him a grandfather, since his arrival.--But here he comes.
_Enter YOUNG LOVEYET._
LOVEYET. She seems very thoughtful;--perhaps, she too has been unfortunate in her suit to her father;--or, what is far worse, perhaps,--but I will not cherish such gloomy apprehensions.--Your servant, madam.
HARRIET. Good day, Mr. Loveyet.--"Your servant, madam!"--What a stoical salutation! I fear there is too much truth in what I have heard.
[_Aside._
LOVEYET. You seem unusually serious, Miss Harriet: I hope Mr. Trueman has not proved relentless as you expected.
HARRIET. No sir; it gives me pleasure to acquaint you, my father was all kindness and forgiveness.
LOVEYET. I wish I could say so of mine;--he indeed was kind and forgiving too at first; but no sooner had I begun to antic.i.p.ate approaching happiness, than one luckless circ.u.mstance deprived me of all that love and hope had inspired.
HARRIET. An unlucky circ.u.mstance, indeed; but would the disappointment really be so great, if you were obliged to give up the thought of an alliance with me?
LOVEYET. How, Miss Harriet! Give up the thought of having you!--By heaven, it must be so!--Yes, the beau would never have presumed to say so much if it were not so;--and Frankton"s ambiguous account of them both, confirms the suspicion;--and then the extravagant encomiums he bestowed on her yesterday.--Confusion! my fears were just, though he ridicul"d me for exposing them.--But she must not see my anxiety.
[_Aside._
HARRIET. If my doubts are well founded, he must be an adept in the art of dissimulation. I will try him a little farther.--[_Aside._] What think you, Mr. Loveyet, of our New-York beauties? Have not the superior charms of so many fine women, been able to overcome such old-fashioned notions as constancy and priority of affection?
LOVEYET. I have beheld their beauty with equal pleasure and astonishment; and the understanding, the affability, and vivacity, by which strangers, with so much propriety, characterize my fair countrywomen, give them a pre-eminence over the ladies of most other countries, that is highly gratifying to a mind already so much attached to its native city, by the most endearing of all human ties;--they are all that the warmest, the most luxuriant fancy can wish; beautiful--almost beyond the possibility of an increase of charms; and--I had almost said, they furnish room for love and warm conceptions, "even to madness!"
HARRIET. I am in doubt no longer;--such pa.s.sionate expressions must have Love for their prompter. [_Aside._
LOVEYET. My friend Frankton extolled them highly; but his description derogates from their desert;--you, too, he praised;--I listened to him--with unspeakable delight, and believed him with all the ardour of faith and expectation; for I could readily believe that, which I had so often, so sweetly experienced;--but when you last blest my eyes with that enchanting form, how was the idea exceeded by the reality!--To do justice to _such_ perfection, the praises I this minute bestowed on the ladies I have seen, would be spiritless and insufficient!--To charms like Miss Harriet"s, what hermit could remain insensible!--_I_ was not insensible;--the tender pa.s.sion, I began so early to entertain; a pa.s.sion, which length of absence, and a succession of objects and events, had rendered too dormant, was then excited to sensations the most exquisitely sensible;--was then taught to glow with a flame, too fervent to be now suppressed!
HARRIET. Were I but sure of his sincerity! [_Aside._
LOVEYET. With what indifference she hears me!--If she is so insensible to the genuine effusions of a heart like mine, I am lost indeed! But I will try a little deception to discover the truth. [_Aside._]--What a lovely picture Mr. Frankton drew of Miss Airy! But it was not too highly finished; for a thousand Loves and Graces have conspired, to make her the most accomplished of her s.e.x.
HARRIET. My pride shall not let him triumph over my chagrin. [_Aside._]--I know Miss Airy to be as accomplished as you represent her, sir: and Mr.
Frankton gave such a lovely description of her, you say;--I dare say he did;--oh,--yes--yes [_Appears disconcerted, by striving to hide her concern._]--he loves her to distraction;--Mr. Frankton has doubtless made a wise choice.
LOVEYET. By all that"s false, she is concerned at Frankton"s having praised his mistress! She absolutely loves him! [_Aside._
HARRIET. And you have seen the amiable Miss Airy, sir.
LOVEYET. Forgive me, honour and veracity. [_Aside._]--Yes, Miss Trueman; and not without a deep sense of her uncommon worth and beauty.
HARRIET. I admire your discernment, sir;--Mr. Frankton, too, is a very nice judge of female merit; and he cannot evince his judgment better, than by praising my friend Maria.
LOVEYET. Pardon me, madam: with submission to your friend"s merit, I think his panegyric would better apply to you.
HARRIET. That compliment is too great, to be meant, I fancy.
LOVEYET. I rather think, you value the author of it so little, that you would as soon he should withhold it, madam.
HARRIET. Certainly, sir, when I have reason to think there is another who has a better right to it, and for whom it is secretly intended.
LOVEYET. You wrong me much, madam:--some tattling gossip or designing knave, has whispered some falsehood to my prejudice;--probably my _rival_,--Mr. Worthnought.
HARRIET. If you have come here with a design to use me ill, sir, I beg you will tell me so, and then I shall act accordingly.
LOVEYET. Your actions accord very illy with your _professions_, I think, madam.
HARRIET. _Your_ duplicity, sir, both in word and action, justifies my retorting that ungenerous accusation.
LOVEYET. I entreat you to believe me, Miss Harriet, when I say, I am unconscious of having done anything I ought to be ashamed of, since my arrival: I am so confident of this, that the circulation of a malicious rumour, however dishonourable to me, would give me little disquiet, did I not reflect, that it is the object of Harriet"s credulity;--a reflection, that is the source of real unhappiness to me:--be kind then, Harriet, and tell me wherein I am guilty;--obscurity in a matter so interesting, gives more torture to the mind, than the most unwelcome truth.
HARRIET. He must be sincere. [_Aside._]--Your request shall be comply"d with, sir.--The princ.i.p.al offence you are charged with, is your having been smitten by the lady, on whom you have bestowed such liberal commendation;--be that as it may, I heard Mr. Loveyet talk of such a match:--I believe it will require a more able advocate than yourself, to defend _this_ cause.
LOVEYET. Suppose I a.s.sure you, on the sacred honour of a gentleman, that what you have heard is false;--suppose I add the more important sanction of an oath, to seal the truth.
HARRIET. I will save you that trouble:--you have an advocate _here_, which has already gained your cause.
LOVEYET. Oh, Harriet, you are too good!--Conscious as I am of the rect.i.tude of my conduct, as it respects my Harriet;--sure as I am of not deserving your displeasure, I still feel myself unworthy of such matchless goodness.
HARRIET. You say too much; and compel me to tell you that you merit my highest esteem.
LOVEYET. Esteem! What a cold epithet!--And am not I ent.i.tled to something more than _esteem_?
HARRIET. Excuse the poverty of the expression; and be a.s.sured, my heart dictated a more exalted word;--let this confession atone for the fault.
LOVEYET. And yet I would fain attract your esteem too; for, I have heard connoisseurs in the science of Love say, it is possible to _love_ an object, and that to distraction, without having a particle of _esteem_ for it.