《the hunchback》

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the hunchback- 第6部分


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Wal。  What; all gone!
Thy cousin living they reported dead!

Clif。  Title and land; sir; unto which add love!
All gone; save life and honour; which; ere I'll lose;
I'll let the other go。

Wal。  We're public here;
And may be interrupted。  Let us seek
Some spot of privacy。  Your letter; sir。

'Gives it back。'

Though fortune slights you; I'll not slight you; not
Your title or the lack of it I heed。
Whether upon the score of love or hate;
With you and you alone I settle; sir。
We've gone too far。  'Twere folly now to part
Without a reckoning。

Clif。  Just as you please。

Wal。  You've done
A noble lady wrong。

Clif。  That lady; sir;
Has done me wrong。

Wal。  Go to; thou art a boy
Fit to be trusted with a plaything; not
A woman's heart。  Thou knowest not what it is!
And that I'll prove to thee; soon as we find
Convenient place。  Come on; sir! you shall get
A lesson that shall serve you for the rest
Of your life。  I'll make you own her; sir; a piece
Of Nature's handiwork; as costly; free
From bias; flaw; and fair; as ever yet
Her cunning hand turned out。  Come on; sir! come!

'They go out。'



ACT III。



SCENE I。A Drawing…room。


'ENTER LORD TINSEL and the EARL OF ROCHDALE。'

Tin。  Refuse a lord!  A saucy lady this。
I scarce can credit it。

Roch。  She'll change her mind。
My agent; Master Walter; is her guardian。

Tin。  How can you keep that Hunchback in his office?
He mocks you。

Roch。  He is useful。  Never heed him。
My offer now do I present through him。
He has the title…deeds of my estates;
She'll listen to their wooing。  I must have her。
Not that I love her; but that all allow
She's fairest of the fair。

Tin。  Distinguished well!
'Twere most unseemly for a lord to love! …
Leave that to commoners!  'Tis vulgarshe's
Betrothed; you tell me; to Sir Thomas Clifford?

Roch。  Yes。

Tin。  That a commoner should thwart a lord!
Yet not a commoner。  A baronet
Is fish and flesh。  Nine parts plebeian; and
Patrician in the tenth。  Sir Thomas Clifford!
A man; they say; of brains!  I abhor brains
As I do tools:  they're things mechanical。
So far are we above our forefathers
They to their brains did owe their titles; as
Do lawyers; doctors。  We to nothing owe them;
Which makes us far the nobler。

Roch。  Is it so?

Tin。  Believe me。  You shall profit by my training;
You grow a lord apace。  I saw you meet
A bevy of your former friends; who fain
Had shaken hands with you。  You gave them fingers!
You're now another man。  Your house is changed …
Your table changedyour retinueyour horse …
Where once you rode a hack; you now back blood; …
Befits it; then; you also change your friends!

'Enter WILLIAMS。'

Will。  A gentleman would see your lordship。

Tin。  Sir!
What's that?

Will。  A gentleman would see his lordship。

Tin。  How know you; sir; his lordship is at home?
Is he at home because he goes not out?
He's not at home; though there you see him; sir;
Unless he certify that he's at home!
Bring up the name of the gentleman; and then
Your lord will know if he's at home or not。

'WILLIAMS goes out。'

Your man was porter to some merchant's door;
Who never taught him better breeding
Than to speak the vulgar truth!  Well; sir?

'WILLIAMS having re…entered。'

Will。  His name;
So please your lordship; Markham。

Tin。  Do you know
The thing?

Roch。  Right well!  I'faith a hearty fellow;
Son to a worthy tradesman; who would do
Great things with little means; so entered him
In the Temple。  A good fellow; on my life。
Nought smacking of his stock!

Tin。  You've said enough!
His lordship's not at home。

'WILLIAMS goes out。'

We do not go
By hearts; but orders!  Had he family …
Bloodthough it only were a drophis heart
Would pass for something; lacking such desert;
Were it ten times the heart it is; 'tis nought!

'Enter WILLIAMS。'

Will。  One Master Jones hath asked to see you lordship。

Tin。  And what was your reply to Master Jones?

Will。  I knew not if his lordship was at home。

Tin。  You'll do。  Who's Master Jones?

Roch。  A curate's son。

Tin。  A curate's!  Better be a yeoman's son!
Was it the rector's son; he might be known;
Because the rector is a rising man;
And may become a bishop。  He goes light;
The curate ever hath a loaded back!
He may be called the yeoman of the church;
That sweating does his work; and drudges on;
While lives the hopeful rector at his ease。
How made you his acquaintance; pray?

Roch。  We read
Latin and Greek together。

Tin。  Dropping them …
As; now that you're a lord; of course you've done …
Drop himYou'll say his lordship's not at home。

Will。  So please your lordship; I forgot to say;
One Richard Cricket likewise is below。

Tin。  Who?Richard Cricket!  You must see him; Rochdale!
A noble little fellow!  A great man; sir!
Not knowing whom; you would be nobody!
I won five thousand pounds by him!

Roch。  Who is he?
I never heard of him。

Tin。  What! never heard
Of Richard Cricket!never heard of him!
Why; he's the jockey of Newmarket; you
May win a cup by him; or else a sweepstakes。
I bade him call upon you。  You must see him。
His lordship is at home to Richard Cricket。

Roch。  Bid him wait in the ante…room。

'WILLIAMS goes out。'

Tin。  The ante…room!
The best room in your house!  You do not know
The use of Richard Cricket!  Show him; sir;
Into the drawing…room。  Your lordship needs
Must keep a racing stud; and you'll do well
To make a friend of Richard Cricket。  Well; sir:
What's that?

'Enter WILLIAMS。'

Will。  So please your lordship; a petition。

Tin。  Hadst not a service 'mongst the Hottentots
Ere thou camest hither; friend?  Present thy lord
With a petition!  At mechanics' doors;
At tradesmen's; shopkeepers'; and merchants' only;
Have such things leave to knock!  Make thy lord's gate
A wicket to a workhouse!  Let us see it …
Subscriptions to a book of poetry!
Cornelius Tense; M。A。
Which means he construes Greek and Latin; works
Problems in mathematics; can chop logic;
And is a conjurer in philosophy;
Both natural and moral。Pshaw! a man
Whom nobody; that is anybody; knows!
Who; think you; follows him?  Why; an M。D。;
An F。R。S。; an F。AS。; and then
A D。D。; Doctor of Divinity;
Ushering in an LL。D。; which means
Doctor of Lawstheir harmony; no doubt;
The difference of their trades!  There's nothing here
But languages; and sciences; and arts。
Not an iota of nobility!
We cannot give our names。  Take back the paper;
And tell the bearer there's no answer for him:…
That is the lordly way of saying 〃No。〃
But; talking of subscriptions; here is one
To which your lordship may affix your name。

Roch。  Pray; who's the object?

Tin。  A most worthy man!
A man of singular deserts; a man
In serving whom your lordship will serve me; …
Signor Cantata。

Roch。  He's a friend of yours?

Tin。  Oh; no; I know him not!  I've not that pleasure。
But Lady Dangle knows him; she's his friend;
He will oblige us with a set of concerts;
Six concerts to the set。The set; three guineas。
Your lordship will subscribe?

Roch。  Oh; by all means。

Tin。  How many sets of tickets?  Two at least。
You'll like to take a friend?  I'll set you down
Six guineas to Signor Cantata's concerts;
And now; my Lord; we'll to him; then we'll walk。

Roch。  Nay; I would wait the lady's answer。

Tin。  Wait! take an excursion to the country; let
Her answer wait for you!

Roch。  Indeed!

Tin。  Indeed!
Befits a lord nought like indifference。
Say an estate should fall to you; you'd take it
As it concerned more a stander by
Than you。  As you're a lord; be sure you ever
Of that make little other men make much of;
Nor do the thing they do; but the right contrary。
Where the distinction else 'twixt them and you?

'They go out。'


SCENE II。An Apartment in Master Heartwell's House。


'MASTER WALTER discovered looking through title…deeds and papers。'

Wal。  So falls out everything; as I would have it;
Exact in place and time。  This lord's advances
Receives she;as; I augur; in the spleen
Of wounded pride she will;my course is clear。
She comesall's wellthe tempest rages still。

'JULIA enters; and paces the room in a state of high excitement。'

Julia。  What have my eyes to do with water?  Fire
Becomes them better!

Wal。  True!

Julia。  Yet; must I weep
To be so monitored; and by a man!
A man that was my slave! whom I have seen
Kneel at my feet from morn till noon; content
With leave to only gaze upon my face;
And tell me what he read there;till the page
I knew by heart; I 'gan to doubt I knew;
Emblazoned by the comment of his tongue!
And he to lesson me!  Let him come here
On Monday week!  He ne'er leads me to church!
I would not profit by his rank; or wealth;
Though kings might call him cousin; for their sake!
I'll show him I have pride!

Wal。  You're very right!

Julia。  He would have had to…day our wedding…day!
I fixed a month from this。  He prayed and prayed;
I dropped a week。  He prayed and prayed the more!
I dropped a second one。  Still more he prayed!
And I took off another week;and now
I have his leave to wed; or not to wed!
He'll see that I have pride!

Wal。  And so he ought。

Julia。  O! for some way to bring him to my foot!
But he should lie there!  Why; 'twill go abroad
That he has cast me off。  That there should live
The man could say so!  Or that I should live
To be the leavings of a man!

Wal。  Thy case
I own a hard one!

Julia。  Hard?  'Twill drive me mad!
His wealth and title!  I refused a lord …
I did!that privily implored my hand;
And never cared to tell him on't!  So much
I hate him now; that lord should not in vain
Implore my hand again!

Wal。  You'd give it him?

Julia。  I would。

Wal。  You'd wed that lord?

Julia。  That lord I'd wed; …
Or any other lord;only to show him
That I could wed above him!

Wal。  Give me your hand
And word to that。

Julia。  There!  Take my hand and word!

Wal。  That lord hath offered you his hand again。

Julia。  He has?

Wal。  Your father knows it:  he approves of him。
There are the title…deeds of the estates;
Sent for my jealous scrutiny。  All sound; …
No flaw; or speck; that e'en the lynx…eyed law
Itself could find。  A lord of man
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