 | Tricks Upon Travellers |  |
SCENE III.
An Apartment in Don Guzman's House.Enter Donna Laura and Donna Clara.
LAURA.
How kind you are to pity my distress!
389
How much my Carlos merits my affection,
You would not wonder at my loving him.
CLARA.
There's nothing wonderful, that a young heart
Like your's should yield itself to first impressions.
LAURA.
You've known then what it is to love?
CLARA.
I have:
And known what 'twas to meet an ill return.
Ah my young lady! love's a fearful thing!
LAURA.
Dear Nunez, how you frighten me—Sure love
Is not so dreadful as you represent him.
To me he seems all gentleness and pleasure;
So kind his aspect, so benign his look,
The heart that can resist his first approaches,
Must be a harder one than mine.
CLARA.
Oh Laura!
I thought so once,—but—we have said enough—
May your lov'd Carlos never give you cause
To change your sentiments!—
LAURA.
He never can.
390
You'd own he well deserv'd my constancy.
CLARA.
You are resolv'd then not to wed Ramirez?
LAURA.
Most positively. After all, you know,
My father can but scold and threaten me;
And though sometimes he's whimsical enough,
I know the way to manage him. Besides,
I'll lay my life upon it, this Ramirez
Is some ill-favour'd, awkward, proud hidalgo,
With store of gold, who lives in an old castle,
Moated all round, hung with torn tap'stry work'd
With scripture histories, and trimm'd with velvet
That once was crimson—faugh! I'm sick to think on't.
CLARA.
You give a good description of your lover,
But 'tis not a correct one. Don Ramirez
Is not what you describe him.
LAURA.
Have you seen him?—
CLARA.
Yes—I have seen him—
LAURA.
Have you?—Is he handsome?
391
He's so esteemed.
LAURA.
As handsome as Don Carlos?
CLARA.
Whether you'll think him so I cannot tell.
LAURA.
Is he genteel and noble in his manners?
Does he dress well?—For instance—like Don Carlos?
CLARA.
He's thought the most accomplish'd man in Spain.
LAURA.
Dear! I should like to see him. You have rais'd
My curiosity—
CLARA
(aside).
Ha!—Is it so?
I may have gone too far.— (To Laura)
Should you, my dear?
That's strange, when, as you just now said, Don Carlos
Engrosses your affection.
LAURA.
So he does;
And yet, if Don Ramirez be so handsome,
And so accomplish'd, where's the harm of wishing
Just to look at him?—
392
There's no harm, my dear,
But there may be some danger.
LAURA.
How?
CLARA.
I mean
In trusting to appearances. I've heard—
Can you keep secrets?
LAURA.
Oh yes! You may trust me.
What is't?—
CLARA.
My father's house is near Toledo:
We often went there, so we knew what pass'd.
Now it was known there was a certain lady,
By name Lucretia, daughter of a notary,
With whom this Don Ramirez was suspected—
LAURA.
How?
CLARA.
He was always going to and fro;
Though he was forced to be upon his guard,
For then my lord, his father, was alive.
At length, the old man died: when, all at once,
Out came the secret.
393
What was it, good Nunez?
CLARA.
Would you believe it? This Lucretia swore
That this same Don Ramirez had seduc'd her
Under a promise of espousing her.
The notary, poor man! call'd on Ramirez
To execute his promise, but in vain;
For, when he found the matter was grown serious,
He thought it prudent to decamp.
LAURA.
And what
Became of poor Lucretia?
CLARA.
There she stays,
Almost heart broken. Ere I came away,
'Twas rumour'd Don Ramirez was engag'd
To marrry a young lady here in Seville.
Her name I heard not; but I find 'tis you.
LAURA.
I marry him! You surely cannot think it—
A reprobate like him!—I'd sooner turn
A nun at once.—Do, Nunez, stand my friend—
I'm sure you're too good-natur'd to refuse me.
CLARA.
I know not what to say—I would do much
394
LAURA.
I knew you'd say so.—What! a man like that!
CLARA.
A libertine! One too betroth'd already!
'Tis wonderful he can have the assurance
To look you in the face.—But never mind—
Don't let him guess that you have learnt his secret,
But treat him, when he's introduc'd to you,
With due civility.—Come, cheer up, ma'am—
We'll prove a match for him, I warrant you.
[Exeunt.
| Tricks Upon Travellers | |