HAR. That my lord shall not do, Charlotte. You have carried the jest
too far already. My lord shall preserve his dignity for his wife's sake.
My lord, you will not permit Lady G---- to leave us, however?
He took her hand, and pressed it with his lips: for God's sake, madam,
let us be happy: it is in your power to make us both so: it ever shall be
in your power. If I have been in fault, impute it to my love. I cannot
bear your contempt; and I never will deserve it.
LADY G. Why could not this have been said some hours ago?--Why,
slighting my early caution, would you expose yourself?
I took her aside. Be generous, Lady G----. Let not your husband be the
only person to whom you are not so.
LADY G. [Whispering.] Our quarrel has not run half its length. If we
make up here, we shall make up clumsily. One of the silliest things in
the world is, a quarrel that ends not, as a coachman after a journey
comes in, with a spirit. We shall certainly renew it.
HAR. Take the caution you gave to my lord: don't expose yourself. And
another; that you cannot more effectually do so, than by exposing your
husband. I am more than half-ashamed of you. You are not the Charlotte
I once thought you were. Let me see, if you have any regard to my good
opinion of you, that you can own an error with some grace.
LADY G. I am a meek, humble, docile creature. She turned to me, and
made me a rustic courtesy, her hands before her: I'll try for it: tell
me, if I am right. Then stepping towards my lord, who was with his back
to us looking out at the window--and he turning about to her bowing--My
lord, said she, Miss Byron has been telling me more than I knew before of
my duty. She proposes herself one day to make a won-der-ful obedient
wife. It would have been well for you, perhaps, had I had her example to
walk by. She seems to say, that, now I am married, I must be grave,
sage, and passive: that smiles will hardly become me: that I must be prim
and formal, and reverence my husband.--If you think this behaviour will
become a married woman, and expect it from me, pray, my lord, put me
right by your frowns, whenever I shall be wrong. For the future, if I
ever find myself disposed to be very light-hearted, I will ask your leave
before I give way to it. And now, what is next to be done? humorously
courtesying, her hands before her.
He clasped her in his arms: dear provoking creature! This, this is next
to be done--I ask you but to love me half as much as I love you, and I
shall be the happiest man on earth.
My lord, said I, you ruin all by this condescension on a speech and air
so ungracious. If this is all you get by it, never, never, my lord, fall
out again. O Charlotte! If you are not generous, you come off much,
much too easily.
Well now, my lord, said she, holding out her hand, as if threatening me,
let you and me, man and wife like, join against the interposer in our
quarrels.--Harriet, I will not forgive you, for this last part of your
lecture.
And thus was this idle quarrel made up. All that vexes me on the
occasion is, that it was not made up with dignity on my lord's part.
His honest heart so overflowed with joy at his lips, that the naughty
creature, by her arch leers, every now and then, shewed, that she was
sensible of her consequence to his happiness. But, Lucy, don't let her
sink too low in your esteem: she has many fine qualities.
They prevailed on me to stay supper. Emily rejoiced in the
reconciliation: her heart was, as I may say, visible in her joy. Can I
love her better than I do? If I could, she would, every time I see her,
give me reason for it.