第1章

INTRODUCTORYNOTE ROBERTBROWNINGstands，inrespecttohisoriginandhiscareer，inmarkedcontrasttothetwoaristocraticpoetsbesidewhosedramashis\"Blotinthe’Scutcheon\"ishereprinted。HisfatherwasabankclerkandadissenteratatimewhendissentmeantexclusionfromSociety；thepoetwentneithertooneofthegreatpublicschoolsnortoOxfordorCambridge；andnobreathofscandaltouchedhisname。 BorninLondonin1812，hewaseducatedlargelybyprivatetutors，andspenttwoyearsatLondonUniversity，buttheinfluenceofhisfather，amanofwidereadingandcultivatedtastes，wasprobablythemostimportantelementinhisearlytraining。Hedrewwell，wassomethingofamusician，andwroteversesfromanearlyage，thoughitwastheaccidentalreadingofavolumeofShelleywhichfirstkindledhisrealinspiration。Thisindebtednessisbeautifullyacknowledgedinhisfirstpublishedpoem，\"Pauline\" （1833）。 ApartfromfrequentvisitstoItaly，thereislittleofincidenttochronicleinBrowning’slife，withtheonegreatexceptionofhismorethanfortunatemarriagein1846toElizabethBarrett，thegreatestofEnglishpoetesses。 Browning’sdramaticperiodextendedfrom1835tothetimeofhismarriage，andproducedsomenineplays，notallofwhich，however，wereintendedforthestage。\"Paracelsus，\"thefirstoftheseries，hasbeenfairlydescribedasa\"conversationaldrama，\"and\"PippaPasses，\"thoughithasbeenstaged，isessentiallyapoemtoread。Thehistoricaltragedyof\"Strafford\"hasbeenimpressivelyperformed，but\"KingVictorandKingCharles，\"\"TheReturnoftheDruses，\"\"Colombe’sBirthday，\"\"ASoul’sTragedy，\"and\"Luria，\" whileinterestinginmanyways，canhardlyberegardedassuccessfulstage—plays。\"ABlotinthe’Scutcheon\"wasperformedatDruryLane，butitschancesofasuccessfulrunwerespoiledbythejealousyofMacready，themanager。 ThemaincauseofBrowning’sweaknessasaplaywrightlayinthefactthathewassomuchmoreinterestedinpsychologythaninaction。 Butinthepresenttragedythisdefectislessprominentthanusual，andinspiteofflawsinconstruction，itreachesahighpitchofemotionalintensity，thecharactersaredrawnwithvividness，andthelinesarerichinpoetry。 ABLOTINTHE’SCUTCHEON ATRAGEDY （1843） DRAMATISPERSONAE MILDREDTRESHAM。 GUENDOLENTRESHAM。 THOROLD，EarlTresham。 AUSTINTRESHAM。 HENRY，EarlMertoun。 GERARD，andotherretainersofLordTresham。 Time，17—— ACTI SCENEI。——TheInteriorofaLodgeinLordTresham’sPark。 ManyRetainerscrowdedatthewindow，supposedtocommandaviewoftheentrancetohisMansion。 GERARD，theWarrener，hisbacktoatableonwhichareflagons，etc。 FIRSTRETAINER。Ay，do！push，friends，andthenyou’llpushdownme！ ——Whatfor？Doesanyheararunner’sfootOrasteed’strampleoracoach—wheel’scry？ IstheEarlcomeorhisleastpoursuivant？ Butthere’snobreedinginamanofyouSaveGerardyonder:here’sahalf—placeyet，OldGerard！ GERARD。Saveyourcourtesies，myfriend。Hereismyplace。 SECONDRETAINER。Now，Gerard，outwithit！ Whatmakesyousullen，thisofallthedaysI’theyear？To—daythatyoungrichbountifulHandsomeEarlMertoun，whomalonetheymatchWithourLordTreshamthroughthecountry—side，IscominghereinutmostbraveryToaskourmaster’ssister’shand？ GERARD。Whatthen？ SECONDRETAINER。Whatthen？Why，you，shespeaksto，ifshemeetsYourworship，smilesonasyouholdapartTheboughstoletherthroughherforestwalks，You，alwaysfavouriteforyourno—deserts，You’veheard，thesethreedays，howEarlMertounsuesTolayhisheartandhouseandbroadlandstooAtLadyMildred’sfeet:andwhilewesqueezeOurselvesintoamouseholelestwemissOnecongeeoftheleastpageinhistrain，Yousito’oneside——\"there’stheEarl，\"sayI—— \"Whatthen？\"sayyou！ THIRDRETAINER。I’llwagerhehasletBothswanshetamedforLadyMildredswimOverthefallsandgaintheriver！ GERARD。Ralph，Isnotto—morrowmyinspecting—dayForyouandforyourhawks？ FOURTHRETAINER。LetGerardbe！ He’scoarse—grained，likehiscarvedblackcross—bowstock。 Ha，looknow，whilewesquabblewithhim，look！ Welldone，now——isnotthisbeginning，now，Topurpose？ FIRSTRETAINER。Ourretainerslookasfine—— That’scomfort。Lord，howRichardholdshimselfWithhiswhitestaff！WillnotaknavebehindPrickhimupright？ FOURTHRETAINER。He’sonlybowing，fool！ TheEarl’smanbentuslowerbythismuch。 FIRSTRETAINER。That’scomfort。Here’saverycavalcade！ THIRDRETAINER。Idon’tseewhereforeRichard，andhistroopOfsilkandsilvervarletsthere，shouldfindTheirperfumedselvessoindispensableOnhighdays，holidays！WoulditsodisgraceOurfamily，ifI，forinstance，stood—— InmyrighthandacastofSwedishhawks，Aleashofgreyhoundsinmyleft？—— GERARD。——WithHughThelogmanforsupporter，inhisrightThebill—hook，inhisleftthebrushwood—shears！ THIRDRETAINER。Outonyou，crab！Whatnext，whatnext？TheEarl！ FIRSTRETAINER。OhWalter，groom，ourhorses，dotheymatchTheEarl’s？Alas，thatfirstpairofthesix—— Theypawtheground——AhWalter！andthatbruteJustonhishaunchesbythewheel！ SIXTHRETAINER。Ay——ay！ You，Philip，areaspecialhand，Ihear，Atsoupsandsauces:what’sahorsetoyou？ D’yemarkthatbeastthey’veslidintothemidstSocunningly？——then，Philip，markthisfurther； Noleghashetostandon！ FIRSTRETAINER。No？that’scomfort。 SECONDRETAINER。Peace，Cook！TheEarldescends。Well，Gerard，seeTheEarlatleast！Come，there’saproperman，Ihope！Why，Ralph，nofalcon，PoleorSwede，Hasgotastarriereye。 THIRDRETAINER。Hiseyesareblue: Butleavemyhawksalone！ FOURTHRETAINER。Soyoung，andyetSotallandshapely！ FIFTHRETAINER。Here’sLordTresham’sself！ Therenow——there’swhatanoblemanshouldbe！ He’solder，graver，loftier，he’smorelikeAHouse’shead。 SECONDRETAINER。Butyou’dnothaveaboy——Andwhat’stheEarlbeside？——possesstoosoonThatstateliness？ FIRSTRETAINER。Ourmastertakeshishand—— Richardandhiswhitestaffareonthemove—— Backfallourpeople——（tsh！——there’sTimothySuretogettangledinhisribbon—ties，AndPeter’scursedrosette’sa—comingoff！） ——AtlastIseeourlord’sbackandhisfriend’s； AndthewholebeautifulbrightcompanyCloseroundthem——intheygo！ [Jumpingdownfromthewindow—bench，andmakingforthetableanditsjugs。] Goodhealth，longlife，GreatjoytoourLordTreshamandhisHouse！ SIXTHRETAINER。Myfatherdrovehisfatherfirsttocourt，Afterhismarriage—day——ay，didhe！ SECONDRETAINER。GodblessLordTresham，LadyMildred，andtheEarl！ Here，Gerard，reachyourbeaker！ GERARD。Drink，myboys！ Don’tmindme——all’snotrightaboutme——drink！ SECONDRETAINER[aside]。 He’svexed，now，thathelettheshowescape！ [ToGERARD。] RememberthattheEarlreturnsthisway。 GERARD。Thatway？ SECONDRETAINER。Justso。 GERARD。Thenmyway’shere。 [Goes。] SECONDRETAINER。OldGerardWilldiesoon——mind，Isaidit！HewasusedTocareaboutthepitifullestthingThattouchedtheHouse’shonour，notaneyeButhiscouldseewherein:andonacauseOfscarceaquarterthisimportance，GerardFairlyhadfrettedfleshandboneawayIncaresthatthiswasright，northatwaswrong，Suchpointdecorous，andsuchsquarebyrule—— Heknewsuchniceties，noheraldmore: Andnow——youseehishumour:diehewill！ SECONDRETAINER。Godhelphim！Who’sforthegreatservants’hallTohearwhat’sgoingoninside！They’dfollowLordTreshamintothesaloon。 THIRDRETAINER。I！—— FOURTHRETAINER。I！—— LeaveFrankaloneforcatching，atthedoor，Somehintofhowtheparleygoesinside！ ProsperitytothegreatHouseoncemore！ Here’sthelastdrop！ FIRSTRETAINER。Haveatyou！Boys，hurrah！ SCENEII。——ASaloonintheMansionEnterLORDTRESHAM，LORDMERTOUN，AUSTIN，andGUENDOLEN TRESHAM。Iwelcomeyou，LordMertoun，yetoncemore，Tothisancestralroofofmine。Yourname——Nobleamongthenoblestinitself，Yettakinginyourperson，fameavers，Newpriceandlustre，——（asthatgemyouwear，Transmittedfromahundredknightlybreasts，Freshchasedandsetandfixedbyitslastlord，Seemstore—kindleatthecore）——yournameWouldwinyouwelcome！—— MERTOUN。Thanks！ TRESHAM。——Butaddtothat，TheworthinessandgraceanddignityOfyourproposalforunitingbothOurHousesevencloserthanrespectUnitesthemnow——addthese，andyoumustgrantOnefavourmore，northattheleast，——tothinkThewelcomeIshouldgive；——’tisgiven！Mylord，Myonlybrother，Austin:he’stheking’s。 Ourcousin，LadyGuendolen——betrothedToAustin:allareyours。 MERTOUN。Ithankyou——lessFortheexpressedcommendingswhichyourseal，Andonlythat，authenticates——forbidsMyputtingfromme……tomyheartItakeYourpraise……butpraiselessclaimsmygratitude，ThantheindulgentinsightitimpliesOfwhatmustneedsbeuppermostwithoneWhocomes，likeme，withthebareleavetoask，Inweighedandmeasuredunimpassionedwords，Agift，which，ifascalmly’tisdenied，Hemustwithdraw，contentuponhischeek，Despairwithinhissoul。ThatIdareaskFirmly，nearboldly，nearwithconfidenceThatgift，Ihavetothankyou。Yes，LordTresham，Iloveyoursister——asyou’dhaveoneloveThatlady……ohmore，moreIloveher！Wealth，Rank，alltheworldthinksme，they’reyours，youknow，Toholdorpartwith，atyourchoice——butgrantMytrueself，mewithoutaroodofland，Apieceofgold，anameofyesterday，Grantmethatlady，andyou……Deathorlife？ GUENDOLEN。[aparttoAUSTIN]。Why，thisisloving，Austin！ AUSTIN。He’ssoyoung！ GUENDOLEN。Young？Oldenough，Ithink，tohalfsurmiseHeneverhadobtainedanentrancehere，Wereallthisfearandtremblingneeded。 AUSTIN。Hush！ Hereddens。 GUENDOLEN。Markhim，Austin；that’struelove！ Oursmustbeginagain。 TRESHAM。We’llsit，mylord。 Everwithbestdesertgoesdiffidence。 ImayspeakplainlynorbemisconceivedThatIamwhollysatisfiedwithyouOnthisoccasion，whenafalcon’seyeWeredullcomparedwithminetosearchoutfaults，Issomewhat。Mildred’shandisherstogiveOrtorefuse。 MERTOUN。Butyou，yougrantmysuit？ Ihaveyourwordifhers？ TRESHAM。MybestofwordsIfhersencourageyou。Itrustitwill。 HaveyouseenLadyMildred，bytheway？ MERTOUN。I……I……ourtwodemesnes，remember，touch，IhavebeerusedtowandercarelesslyAftermystrickengame:theheronrousedDeepinmywoods，hastraileditsbrokenwingThro’thicksandgladesamileinyours，——orelseSomeeyassill—reclaimedhastakenflightAndluredmeafterherfromtreetotree，Imarkednotwhither。IhavecomeuponThelady’swondrousbeautyunaware，And——andthen……Ihaveseenher。 GUENDOLEN[asidetoAUSTIN]。NotethatmodeOffalteringoutthat，whenaladypassed，He，havingeyes，didseeher！Youhadsaid—— \"OnsuchadayIscannedher，headtofoot； Observedared，whereredshouldnothavebeen，Outsideherelbow；butwaspleasedenoughUponthewhole。\"LetsuchirreverenttalkBelessonedforthefuture！ TRESHAM。What’stosayMaybesaidbriefly。ShehasneverknownAmother’scare；Istandforfathertoo。 Herbeautyisnotstrangetoyou，itseems—— Youcannotknowthegoodandtenderheart，Itsgirl’strustanditswoman’sconstancy，Howpureyetpassionate，howcalmyetkind，Howgraveyetjoyous，howreservedyetfreeAslightwherefriendsare——howimbuedwithloreTheworldmostprizes，yetthesimplest，yetThe……onemightknowItalkedofMildred——thusWebrotherstalk！ MERTOUN。Ithankyou。 TRESHAM。Inaword，Control’snotforthislady；butherwishTopleasemeoutstripsinitssubtletyMypowerofbeingpleased:herselfcreatesThewantshemeanstosatisfy。MyheartPrefersyoursuittoheras’twereitsown。 CanIsaymore？ MERTOUN。Nomore——thanks，thanks——nomore！ TRESHAM。Thismatterthendiscussed…… MERTOUN。——We’llwastenobreathOnaughtlessprecious。I’mbeneaththeroofWhichholdsher:whileIthoughtofthat，myspeechToyouwouldwander——asitmustnotdo，SinceasyoufavourmeIstandorfall。 IprayyousufferthatItakemyleave！ TRESHAM。Withlessregret’tissuffered，thatagainWemeet，Ihope，soshortly。 MERTOUN。We？again？—— Ahyes，forgiveme——whenshall……youwillcrownYourgoodnessbyforthwithapprisingmeWhen……if……theladywillappointadayFormetowaitonyou——andher。 TRESHAM。SosoonAsIammadeacquaintedwithherthoughtsOnyourproposal——howsoe’ertheylean—— Amessengershallbringyoutheresult。 MERTOUN。Youcannotbindmemoretoyou，mylord。 Farewelltillwerenew……Itrust，renewAconversene’ertodisuniteagain。 TRESHAM。Somayitprove！ MERTOUN。You，lady，you，sir，takeMyhumblesalutation！ GUENDOLENandAUSTIN。Thanks！ TRESHAM。Withinthere！ [Servantsenter。TRESHAMconductsMERTOUNtothedoor。 MeantimeAUSTINremarks，] Well，HereIhaveanadvantageoftheEarl，Confessnow！I’dnotthinkthatallwassafeBecausemylady’sbrotherstoodmyfriend！ Why，hemakessureofher——\"doyousayyes—— She’llnotsay，no，\"——whatcomesittobeside？ Ishouldhaveprayedthebrother，\"speakthisspeech，ForHeaven’ssakeurgethisonher——putinthis—— Forgetnot，asyou’dsaveme，t’otherthing，—— Thensetdownwhatshesays，andhowshelooks，Andifshesmiles，and\"（inanunderbreath） \"Onlyletheracceptme，anddoyouAndalltheworldrefuseme，ifyoudare！\" GUENDOLEN。Thatwayyou’dtake，friendAustin？WhatashameIwasyourcousin，tamelyfromthefirstYourbride，andallthisfervour’sruntowaste！ Doyouknowyouspeaksensiblyto—day？ TheEarl’safool。 AUSTIN。Here’sThorold。Tellhimso！ TRESHAM[returning]。Now，voices，voices！’St！thelady’sfirst！ Howseemshe？——seemshenot……come，faithgivefraudThemercy—strokewhenevertheyengage！ Downwithfraud，upwithfaith！HowseemstheEarl？ Aname！ablazon！ifyouknewtheirworth，Asyouwillnever！come——theEarl？ GUENDOLEN。He’syoung。 TRESHAM。What’sshe？aninfantsaveinheartandbrain。 Young！Mildredisfourteen，remark！Andyou…… Austin，howoldisshe？ GUENDOLEN。There’stactforyou！ ImeantthatbeingyoungwasgoodexcuseIfoneshouldtaxhim…… TRESHAM。Well？ GUENDOLEN。——Withlackingwit。 TRESHAM。Helackedwit？Wheremighthelackwit，sopleaseyou？ GUENDOLEN。Instandingstraighterthanthesteward’srodAndmakingyouthetiresomestharangue，InsteadofslippingovertomysideAndsoftlywhisperinginmyear，\"Sweetlady，YourcousintherewilldomedetrimentHelittledreamsof:he’sabsorbed，Isee，Inmyoldnameandfame——besurehe’llleaveMyMildred，whenhisbestaccountofmeIsended，infullconfidenceIwearMygrandsire’speriwigdowneithercheek。 I’mlostunlessyourgentlenessvouchsafes\"…… TRESHAM……\"Togiveabestofbestaccounts，yourself，Ofmeandmydemerits。\"Youareright！ HeshouldhavesaidwhatnowIsayforhim。 Yongoldencreature，willyouhelpusall？ Here’sAustinmeanstovouchformuch，butyou——Youare……whatAustinonlyknows！Comeup，Allthreeofus:she’sinthelibraryNodoubt，fortheday’swearingfast。Precede！ GUENDOLEN。Austin，howwemust——！ TRESHAM。Mustwhat？Mustspeaktruth，Malignanttongue！Detectonefaultinhim！ Ichallengeyou！ GUENDOLEN。Witchcraft’safaultinhim，Foryou’rebewitched。 TRESHAM。What’surgentweobtainIs，thatshesoonreceivehim——say，to—morrow——，Nextdayatfurthest。 GUENDOLEN。Ne’erinstructme！ TRESHAM。Come！ ——He’soutofyourgoodgraces，sinceforsooth，Hestoodnotashe’dcarryusbystormWithhisperfections！You’reforthecomposedManlyassuredbecomingconfidence！ ——Gethertosay，\"to—morrow，\"andI’llgiveyou…… I’llgiveyoublackUrganda，tobespoiledWithpettingandsnail—paces。Willyou？Come！ SCENEIII。 ——MILDRED’SChamber。APaintedWindowoverlookstheParkMILDREDandGUENDOLEN GUENDOLEN。Now，Mildred，sparethosepains。IhavenotleftOurtalkersinthelibrary，andclimbedThewearisomeascenttothisyourbowerIncompanywithyou，——Ihavenotdared…… Nay，workedsuchprodigiesassparingyouLordMertoun’spedigreebeforetheflood，WhichThoroldseemedinveryacttotell——OrbringingAustintopluckupthatmostFirm—rootedheresy——yoursuitor’seyes，Hewouldmaintain，weregreyinsteadofblue—— IthinkIbroughthimtocontrition！——Well，Ihavenotdonesuchthings，（alltodeserveAminute’squietcousin’stalkwithyou，） Tobedismissedsocoolly。 MILDRED。Guendolen！ WhathaveIdone？whatcouldsuggest…… GUENDOLEN。There，there！ DoInotcomprehendyou’dbealoneTothrowthosetestimoniesinaheap，Thorold’senlargings，Austin’sbrevities，WiththatpoorsillyheartlessGuendolen’sIll—timemisplacedattemptedsmartnesses—— Andsifttheirsenseout？now，IcometospareyouNearlyawholenight’slabour。Askandhave！ Demand，beanswered！LackIearsandeyes？ AmIperplexedwhichsideoftherock—tableTheConquerordinedonwhenhelandedfirst，LordMertoun’sancestorwasbiddentake—— Thebow—handorthearrow—hand’sgreatmeed？ Mildred，theEarlhassoftblueeyes！ MILDRED。Mybrother—— Didhe……yousaidthathereceivedhimwell？ GUENDOLEN。IfIsaidonly\"well\"Isaidnotmuch。 Oh，stay——whichbrother？ MILDRED。Thorold！who——Whoelse？ GUENDOLEN。Thorold（asecret）istooproudbyhalf，—— Nay，hearmeout——withushe’sevengentlerThanwearewithourbirds。OfthisgreatHouseTheleastretainerthate’ercaughthisglanceWoulddieforhim，realdying——nomeretalk: Andintheworld，thecourt，ifmenwouldciteTheperfectspiritofhonour，Thorold’snameRisesofitsclearnaturetotheirlips。 Butheshouldtakemen’shomage，trustinit，Andcarenomoreaboutwhatdrewitdown。 Hehasdesert，andthat，acknowledgment； Ishecontent？ MILDRED。Youwronghim，Guendolen。 GUENDOLEN。He’sproud，confess；soproudwithbroodingo’erThelightofhisinterminableline，Anancestrywithmenallpaladins，Andwomenall…… MILDRED。DearGuendolen，’tislate！ WhenyonderpurplepanetheclimbingmoonPierces，Iknow’tismidnight。 GUENDOLEN。Well，thatThoroldShouldriseupfromsuchmusings，andreceiveOnecomeaudaciouslytografthimselfIntothispeerlessstock，yetfindnoflaw，Noslightestspotinsuchanone…… MILDRED。WhofindsAspotinMertoun？ GUENDOLEN。Notyourbrother；therefore，Notthewholeworld。 MILDRED。Iamweary，Guendolen。 Bearwithme！ GUENDOLEN。Iamfoolish。 MILDRED。Ohno，kind！ ButIwouldrest。 GUENDOLEN。Goodnightandresttoyou！ IsaidhowgracefullyhismantlelayBeneaththeringsofhislighthair？ MILDRED。Brownhair。 GUENDOLEN。Brown？why，itISbrown:howcouldyouknowthat？ MILDRED。How？didnotyou——Oh，Austin’twas，declaredHishairwaslight，notbrown——myhead！——andlook，Themoon—beampurplingthedarkchamber！Sweet，Goodnight！ GUENDOLEN。Forgiveme——sleepthesoundlierforme！ [Going，sheturnssuddenly。] Mildred！ Perdition！all’sdiscovered！Thoroldfinds——ThattheEarl’sgreatestofallgrandmothersWasgranderdaughterstill——tothatfairdameWhosegarterslippeddownatthefamousdance！ [Goes。] MILDRED。Isshe——canshebereallygoneatlast？ Myheart！Ishallnotreachthewindow。NeedsMustIhavesinnedmuch，sotosuffer。 [SheliftsthesmalllampwhichissuspendedbeforetheVirgin’simageinthewindow，andplacesitbythepurplepane。] There！ [Shereturnstotheseatinfront。] MildredandMertoun！Mildred，withconsentOfalltheworldandThorold，Mertoun’sbride！ Toolate！’Tissweettothinkof，sweeterstillTohopefor，thatthisblessedendsoothesupThecurseofthebeginning；butIknowItcomestoolate:’twillsweetestbeofallTodreammysoulawayanddieupon。 [Anoisewithout。] Thevoice！Ohwhy，whyglidedsinthesnakeIntotheparadiseHeavenmeantusboth？ [Thewindowopenssoftly。Alowvoicesings。] There’sawomanlikeadew—drop，she’ssopurerthanthepurest； Andhernobleheart’sthenoblest，yes，andhersurefaith’sthesurest: Andhereyesaredarkandhumid，likethedepthondepthoflustreHidi’theharebell，whilehertresses，sunnierthanthewild—grapecluster，Gushingoldentintedplentydownherneck’srose—mistedmarble: Thenhervoice’smusic……callitthewell’sbubbling，thebird’swarble！ [Afigurewrappedinamantleappearsatthewindow。] Andthiswomansays，\"Mydaysweresunlessandmynightsweremoonless，ParchedthepleasantAprilherbage，andthelark’sheart’soutbreaktuneless，Ifyoulovedmenot！\"AndIwho——（ah，forwordsofflame！）adoreher，Whoammadtolaymyspiritprostratepalpablybeforeher—— [Heenters，approachesherseat，andbendsoverher。] Imayenteratherportalsoon，asnowherlatticetakesme，Andbynoontideasbymidnightmakehermine，ashersshemakesme！ [TheEARLthrowsoffhisslouchedhatandlongcloak。] Myveryheartsings，soIsing，Beloved！ MILDRED。Sit，Henry——donottakemyhand！ MERTOUN。’Tismine。 ThemeetingthatappalledusbothsomuchIsended。 MILDRED。Whatbeginsnow？ MERTOUN。HappinessSuchastheworldcontainsnot。 MILDRED。Thatisit。 Ourhappinesswould，asyousay，exceedThewholeworld’sbestofblisses:we——doweDeservethat？Uttertoyoursoul，whatmineLongsince，Beloved，hasgrownusedtohear，Likeadeath—knell，somuchregardedonce，Andsofamiliarnow；thiswillnotbe！ MERTOUN。Oh，Mildred，haveImetyourbrother’sface？ Compelledmyself——ifnottospeakuntruth，Yettodisguise，toshun，toputasideThetruth，as——whathade’erprevailedonmeSaveyoutoventure？HaveIgainedatlastYourbrother，theonescarerofyourdreams，Andwakingthoughts’soleapprehensiontoo？ Doesanewlife，likeayoungsunrise，breakOnthestrangeunrestofournight，confusedWithrainandstormyflaw——andwillyouseeNodrippingblossoms，nofire—tinteddropsOneachlivespray，novapoursteamingup，AndnoexpresslessgloryintheEast？ WhenIambyyou，tobeeverbyyou，WhenIhavewonyouandmayworshipyou，Oh，Mildred，canyousay\"thiswillnotbe\"？ MILDRED。Sinhassurprisedus，sowillpunishment。 MERTOUN。No——mealone，whosinnedalone！ MILDRED。ThenightYoulikenedourpastlifeto——wasitstormThroughouttoyouthen，Henry？ MERTOUN。OfyourlifeIspoke——whatamI，whatmylife，towasteAthoughtaboutwhenyouarebyme？——youItwas，IsaidmyfollycalledthestormAndpulledthenightupon。’Twasdaywithme—— Perpetualdawnwithme。 MILDRED。Comewhat，comewill，Youhavebeenhappy:takemyhand！ MERTOUN[afterapause]。HowgoodYourbrotheris！Ifiguredhimacold—— ShallIsay，haughtyman？ MILDRED。Theytoldmeall。 Iknowall。 MERTOUN。Itwillsoonbeover。 MILDRED。Over？ Oh，whatisover？whatmustIlivethroughAndsay，\"’tisover\"？Isourmeetingover？ HaveIreceivedinpresenceofthemallThepartnerofmyguiltylove——withbrowTryingtoseemamaiden’sbrow——withlipsWhichmakebelievethatwhentheystrivetoformRepliestoyouandtrembleastheystrive，ItisthenearestevertheyapproachedAstranger’s……Henry，yoursthatstranger’s……lip—— Withcheekthatlooksavirgin’s，andthatis…… AhGod，someprodigyofthinewillstopThisplannedpieceofdeliberatewickednessInitsbirtheven！somefierceleprousspotWillmarthebrow’sdissimulating！I Shallmurmurnosmoothspeechesgotbyheart，But，frenzied，pourforthallourwoefulstory，Thelove，theshame，andthedespair——withthemRoundmeaghastasroundsomecursedfountThatshouldspirtwater，andspoutsblood。I’llnot……Henry，youdonotwishthatIshoulddrawThisvengeancedown？I’llnotaffectagraceThat’sgonefromme——goneonce，andgoneforever！ MERTOUN。Mildred，myhonourisyourown。I’llshareDisgraceIcannotsufferbymyself。 AwordinformsyourbrotherIretractThismorning’soffer；timewillyetbringforthSomebetterwayofsavingbothofus。 MILDRED。I’llmeettheirfaces，Henry！ MERTOUN。When？to—morrow！ Getdonewithit！ MILDRED。Oh，Henry，notto—morrow！ Nextday！InevershallpreparemywordsAndlooksandgesturessooner。——HowyoumustDespiseme！ MERTOUN。Mildred，breakitifyouchoose，Ahearttheloveofyouuplifted——stillUplifts，thro’thisprotractedagony，Toheaven！butMildred，answerme，——firstpaceThechamberwithme——onceagain——now，sayCalmlythepart，the……whatitisofmeYouseecontempt（foryoudidsaycontempt） ——Contemptforyouin！IwouldpluckitoffAndcastitfromme！——butno——no，you’llnotRepeatthat？——willyou，Mildred，repeatthat？ MILDRED。DearHenry！ MERTOUN。Iwasscarceaboy——e’ennowWhatamImore？AndyouwereinfantineWhenfirstImetyou；why，yourhairfelllooseOneitherside！Myfool’s—cheekreddensnowOnlyintherecallinghowitburnedThatmorntoseetheshapeofmanyadream——YouknowweboysareprodigalofcharmsToherwedreamof——Ihadheardofone，Haddreamedofher，andIwasclosetoher，Mightspeaktoher，mightliveanddieherown，Whoknew？Ispoke。Oh，Mildred，feelyounotThatnow，whileIremembereveryglanceOfyours，eachwordofyours，withpowertotestAndweightheminthediamondscalesofpride，ResolvedthetreasureofafirstandlastHeart’sloveshallhavebeenbarteredatitsworth，——ThatnowIthinkuponyourpurityAndutterignoranceofguilt——yourownOrother’sguilt——thegirlishundisguisedDelightatastrangenovelprize——（ItalkAsillylanguage，butinterpret，you！） IfI，withfancyatitsfull，andreasonScarceinitsgerm，enjoinedyousecrecy，Ifyouhadpityonmypassion，pityOnmyprotestedsicknessofthesoulTositbesideyou，hearyoubreathe，andwatchYoureyelidsandtheeyesbeneath——ifyouAccordedgiftsandknewnottheyweregifts—— IfIgrewmadatlastwithenterpriseAndmustbeholdmybeautyinherbowerOrperish——（IwasignorantofevenMyowndesires——whatthenwereyou？）ifsorrow—— Sin——iftheendcame——mustInowrenounceMyreason，blindmyselftolight，saytruthIsfalseandlietoGodandmyownsoul？ Contemptwereallofthis！ MILDRED。Doyoubelieve…… Or，Henry，I’llnotwrongyou——youbelieveThatIwasignorant。Iscarcegrieveo’erThepast。We’llloveon；youwilllovemestill。 MERTOUN。Oh，tolovelesswhatonehasinjured！Dove，WhosepinionIhaverashlyhurt，mybreast—— Shallmyheart’swarmthnotnursetheeintostrength？ FlowerIhavecrushed，shallInotcareforthee？ Bloomo’ermycrest，myfight—markanddevice！ Mildred，Iloveyouandyouloveme。 MILDRED。Go！ Bethatyourlastword。Ishallsleepto—night。 MERTOUN。Thisisnotourlastmeeting？ MILDRED。Onenightmore。 MERTOUN。Andthen——think，then！ MILDRED。Then，nosweetcourtship—days，Nodawningconsciousnessofloveforus，Nostrangeandpalpitatingbirthsofsense>Fromwordsandlooks，noinnocentfearsandhopes，Reservesandconfidences:morning’sover！ MERTOUN。Howelseshouldlove’sperfectednoontidefollow？ Allthedawnpromisedshallthedayperform。 MILDRED。Somayitbe！but—— Youarecautious，Love？ Aresurethatunobservedyouscaledthewalls？ MERTOUN。Oh，trustme！Thenourfinalmeeting’sfixedTo—morrownight？ MILDRED。Farewell！stay，Henry……wherefore？ Hisfootisontheyew—treebough；theturfReceiveshim:nowthemoonlightasherunsEmbraceshim——buthemustgo——isgone。 Ah，onceagainheturns——thanks，thanks，myLove！ He’sgone。Oh，I’llbelievehimeveryword！ Iwassoyoung，Ilovedhimso，IhadNomother，Godforgotme，andIfell。 Theremaybepardonyet:all’sdoubtbeyond！ Surelythebitternessofdeathispast。 ACTII SCENE。——TheLibraryEnterLORDTRESHAM，hastilyTRESHAM。Thisway！In，Gerard，quick！ [AsGERARDenters，TRESHAMsecuresthedoor。] Nowspeak！or，wait—— I’llbidyouspeakdirectly。 [Seatshimself。] NowrepeatFirmlyandcircumstantiallythetaleYoujustnowtoldme；iteludesme；eitherIdidnotlisten，orthehalfisgoneAwayfromme。Howlonghaveyoulivedhere？ Hereinmyhouse，yourfatherkeptourwoodsBeforeyou？ GERARD。——Ashisfatherdid，mylord。 Ihavebeeneating，sixtyyearsalmost，Yourbread。 TRESHAM。Yes，yes。YoueverwereofallTheservantsinmyfather’shouse，Iknow，Thetrustedone。You’llspeakthetruth。 GERARD。I’llspeakGod’struth。Nightafternight…… TRESHAM。Sincewhen？ GERARD。AtleastAmonth——eachmidnighthassomemanaccessToLadyMildred’schamber。 TRESHAM。Tush，\"access\"—— Nowidewordslike\"access\"tome！ GERARD。HerunsAlongthewoodside，crossestotheSouth，Takesthelefttreethatendstheavenue…… TRESHAM。Thelastgreatyew—tree？ GERARD。YoumightstanduponThemainboughslikeaplatform。Thenhe…… TRESHAM。Quick！ GERARD。Climbsup，and，wheretheylessenatthetop，——Icannotseedistinctly，buthethrows，Ithink——forthisIdonotvouch——alineThatreachestothelady’scasement—— TRESHAM。——WhichHeentersnot！Gerard，somewretchedfoolDarespryintomysister’sprivacy！ Whensuchareyoung，itseemsapreciousthingTohaveapproached，——tomerelyhaveapproached，GotsightoftheabodeofhertheysetTheirfranticthoughtsupon。Hadoesnotenter？ Gerard？ GERARD。Thereisalampthat’sfulli’themidst。 UnderaredsquareinthepaintedglassOfLadyMildred’s…… TRESHAM。Leavethatnameout！Well？ Thatlamp？ GERARD。IsmovedatmidnighthigherupToonepane——asmalldark—bluepane；hewaitsForthatamongtheboughs:atsightofthat，Iseehim，plainasIseeyou，mylord，Openthelady’scasement，enterthere…… TRESHAM。——Andstay？ GERARD。Anhour，twohours。 TRESHAM。AndthisyousawOnce？——twice？——quick！ GERARD。Twentytimes。 TRESHAM。AndwhatbringsyouUndertheyew—trees？ GERARD。ThefirstnightIleftMyrangesofar，totrackthestrangerstagThatbrokethepale，Isawtheman。 TRESHAM。YetsentNocross—bowshaftthroughthemarauder？ GERARD。ButHecame，mylord，thefirsttimehewasseen，Inagreatmoonlight，lightasanyday，FROMLadyMildred’schamber。 TRESHAM[afterapause]。Youhavenocause——Whocouldhavecausetodomysisterwrong？ GERARD。Oh，mylord，onlyonce——letmethisonceSpeakwhatisonmymind！SincefirstInotedAllthis，I’vegroanedasifafierynetPluckedmethiswayandthat——fireifIturnedToher，fireifIturnedtoyou，andfireIfdownIflungmyselfandstrovetodie。 TheladycouldnothavebeensevenyearsoldWhenIwastrustedtoconducthersafeThroughthedeer—herdtostrokethesnow—whitefawnIbroughttoeatbreadfromhertinyhandWithinamonth。SheeverhadasmileTogreetmewith——she……ifitcouldundoWhat’sdone，tolopeachlimbfromoffthistrunk…… Allthatisfoolishtalk，notfitforyou—— Imean，IcouldnotspeakandbringherhurtForHeaven’scompelling。ButwhenIwasfixedToholdmypeace，eachmorselofyourfoodEatenbeneathyourroof，mybirth—placetoo，Chokedme。IwishIhadgrownmadindoubtsWhatitbehovedmedo。ThismornitseemedEitherImustconfesstoyouordie: Nowitisdone，IseemthevilestwormThatcrawls，tohavebetrayedmylady。 TRESHAM。No—— No，Gerard！ GERARD。Letmego！ TRESHAM。Aman，yousay: Whatman？Young？Notavulgarhind？Whatdress？ GERARD。AslouchedhatandalargedarkforeigncloakWrapshiswholeform；evenhisfaceishid； ButIshouldjudgehimyoung:nohind，besure！ TRESHAM。Why？ GERARD。Heiseverarmed:hisswordprojectsBeneaththecloak。 TRESHAM。Gerard，——IwillnotsayNoword，nobreathofthis！ GERARD。Thank，thanks，mylord！ [Goes。] TRESHAM[pacestheroom。Afterapause]。 Oh，thoughtsabsurd！——aswithsomemonstrousfactWhich，whenillthoughtsbesetus，seemstogiveMercifulGodthatmadethesunandstars，Thewatersandthegreendelightsofearth，Thelie！Iapprehendthemonstrousfact—— Yetknowthemakerofallworldsisgood，Andyieldmyreasonup，inadequateToreconcilewhatyetIdobehold—— Blastingmysense！There’scheerfuldayoutside: Thisismylibrary，andthisthechairMyfatherusedtositincarelesslyAfterhissoldier—fashion，whileIstoodBetweenhiskneestoquestionhim:andhereGerardourgreyretainer，——ashesays，Fedwithourfood，fromsiretoson，anage，—— Hastoldastory——Iamtobelieve！ ThatMildred……oh，no，no！bothtalesaretrue，Herpurecheek’sstoryandtheforester’s！ Wouldshe，orcouldshe，err——muchless，confoundAllguiltsoftreachery，ofcraft，of……HeavenKeepmewithinitshand！——IwillsithereUntilthoughtsettleandIseemycourse。 Avert，ohGod，onlythiswoefromme！ [Ashesinkshisheadbetweenhisarmsonthetable，GUENDOLEN’Svoiceisheardatthedoor。] LordTresham！ [Sheknocks。] IsLordTreshamthere？ [TRESHAM，hastilyturning，pullsdownthefirstbookabovehimandopensit。] TRESHAM。Comein！ [Sheenters。] Ha，Guendolen！——goodmorning。 GUENDOLEN。Nothingmore？ TRESHAM。WhatshouldIsaymore？ GUENDOLEN。Pleasantquestion！more？ Thismore。DidIbesiegepoorMildred’sbrainLastnighttillcloseonmorningwith\"theEarl，\" \"TheEarl\"——whoseworthdidIasseverateTillIamveryfaintohopethat……Thorold，Whatisallthis？Youarenotwell！ TRESHAM。Who，I？ Youlaughatme。 GUENDOLEN。HaswhatI’mfaintohope，Arrivedthen？DoesthathugetomeshowsomeblotIntheEarl’s’scutcheoncomenolongerbackThanArthur’stime？ TRESHAM。WhenleftyouMildred’schamber？ GUENDOLEN。Oh，lateenough，Itoldyou！ThemainthingToaskis，howIleftherchamber，——sure，Contentyourself，she’llgrantthisparagonOfEarlsnosuchungracious…… TRESHAM。Sendherhere！ GUENDOLEN。Thorold？ TRESHAM。Imean——acquainther，Guendolen，——Butmildly！ GUENDOLEN。Mildly？ TRESHAM。Ah，youguessedaright！ Iamnotwell:thereisnohidingit。 ButtellherIwouldseeheratherleisure—— Thatis，atonce！hereinthelibrary！