OUR places were in the front row of a side-box. Sir Clement Willoughby,
who knew our intention, was at the door of the theatre, and handed
us from the carriage.
We had not been seated five minutes before Lord Orville, whom we saw in
the stage-box, came to us; and he honoured us with his company all the
evening; Miss Mirvan and I both rejoiced that Madam Duval was absent,
as we hoped for the enjoyment of some conversation, uninterrupted
by her quarrels with the Captain: but I soon found that her presence
would have made very little alteration; for as far was I from daring
to speak, that I knew not where even to look.
The play was Love for Love; and though it is fraught with wit and
entertainment I hope I shall never see it represented again; for it
is so extremely indelicate-to use the softest word I can-that Miss
Mirvan and I were perpetually out of countenance, and could neither
make any observations ourselves, nor venture to listen to those of
others. This was the most provoking, as Lord Orville was in excellent
spirits, and exceedingly entertaining.
When the play was over, I flattered myself I should be able to look
about me with less restraint, as we intended to stay the farce; but
the curtain had hardly dropped, when the box-door opened, and in came
Mr. Lovel, the man by whose foppery and impertinence I was so much
teased at the ball where I first saw Lord Orville.
I turned away my head, and began talking to Miss Mirvan; for I was
desirous to avoid speaking to him-but in vain; for, as soon as he had
made his compliments to Lord Orville and Sir Clement Willoughby, who
returned them very coldly, he bent his head forward and said to me,
"I hope, Ma'am, you have enjoyed your health since I had the honour-I
beg ten thousand pardons, but, I protest I was going to say the honour
of dancing with you-however, I mean the honour of seeing you dance?"
He spoke with a self-complacency that convinced me that he had studied
this address, by way of making reprisals for my conduct at the ball;
I therefore bowed slightly, but made no answer.
After a short silence he again called my attention, by saying, in an
easy, negligent way, "I think, Ma'am, you was never in town before?"
"No, Sir."
"So I did presume. Doubtless, Ma'am, every thing must be infinitely
novel to you. Our customs, our manners, and les etiquettes de nous
autres, can have little very resemblance to those you have been used
to. I imagine, Ma'am, your retirement is at no very small distance
from the capital?"
I was so much disconcerted at this sneering speech, that I said not
a word; though I have since thought my vexation both stimulated and
delighted him.
"The air we breathe here, however, Ma'am," continued he, very
conceitedly, "though foreign to that you have been accustomed to,
has not I hope been at variance with your health?"
"Mr. Lovel," said Lord Orville, "could not your eye have spared
that question?"
"O, my Lord," answered he, "if health were the only cause of a lady's
bloom, my eye, I grant, had been infallible from the first glance;
but-"
"Come, come," cried Mrs. Mirvan, "I must beg no insinuations of that
sort: Miss Anville's colour, as you have successfully tried, may,
you see, be heightened; but, I assure you, it would be past your
skill to lessen it."
"'Pon honour, Madam," returned he, "you wrong me; I presumed not to
infer that rouge was the only succedaneum for health; but, really,
I have known so many different causes for a lady's colour, such as
flushing-anger-mauvaise honte-and so forth, that I never dare decide
to which it may be owing."
"As to such causes as them there," cried the Captain, "they must
belong to those that they keep company with."
"Very true, Captain," said Sir Clement; "the natural complexion has
nothing to do with the occasional sallies of the passions, or any
accidental causes."
"No, truly," returned the Captain: "for now here's me, why I look like
any other man; just now; and yet, if you were to put me in a passion,
'fore George, you'd soon see me have as fine a high colour as any
painted Jezebel in all this place, be she never so bedaubed."
"But," said Lord Orville, "the difference of natural and of artificial
colour seems to me very easily discerned; that of nature is mottled
and varying; that of art set, and too smooth; it wants that animation,
that glow, that indescribable something, which, even now that I see
it, wholly surpasses all my powers of expression."
"Your Lordship," said Sir Clement, "is universally acknowledged to
be a connoisseur in beauty."
"And you, Sir Clement," returned he, "an enthusiast."
"I am proud to own it," cried Sir Clement; "in such a cause, and before
such objects, enthusiasm is simply the consequence of not being blind."
"Pr'ythee, a truce with all this palavering," cried the Captain:
"the women are vain enough already; no need for to puff 'em up more."
"We must all submit to the commanding officer," said Sir Clement:
"therefore, let us call another subject. Pray, ladies, how have you
been entertained with the play?"
"Want of entertainment," said Mrs. Mirvan, "is its least fault; but I
own there are objections to it, which I should be glad to see removed."
"I could have ventured to answer for the ladies," said Lord Orville,
"since I am sure this is not a play that can be honoured with their
approbation."
"What, I suppose it is not sentimental enough!" cried the Captain,
"or else it is too good for them; for I'll maintain it's one of the
best comedies in our language, and has more wit in one scene than
there is in all the new plays put together."
"For my part," said Mr. Lovel, "I confess I seldom listen to the
players: one has so much to do, in looking about and finding out one's
acquaintance, that, really, one has no time to mind the stage. Pray,"
most affectedly fixing his eyes upon a diamond ring on his little
finger, "pray-what was the play to-night?"
"Why, what the D-l," cried the Captain, "do you come to the play
without knowing what it is?"
"O yes, Sir, yes, very frequently: I have no time to read play-bills;
one merely comes to meet one's friends, and shew that one's alive."
"Ha, ha, ha!-and so," cried the Captain, "it costs you five shillings
a-night just to shew you're alive! Well, faith, my friends should
all think me dead and underground before I'd be at that expense for
'em. Howsomever-this here you may take from me-they'll find you out
fast enough if you have anything to give 'em.-And so you've been here
all this time, and don't know what the play was?"
"Why, really Sir, a play requires so much attention,-it is scarce
possible to keep awake if one listens;-for, indeed, by the time it
is evening, one has been so fatigued with dining,-or wine,-or the
house,-or studying,-that it is-it is perfectly an impossibility. But,
now I think of it, I believe I have a bill in my pocket; O, ay,
here it is-Love for Love, ay,-true, ha, ha!-how could I be so stupid!"
"O, easily enough, as to that, I warrant you," said the Captain;
"but, by my soul, this is one of the best jokes I ever heard!-Come
to a play, and not know what it is!-Why, I suppose you wouldn't have
found it out, if they had fob'd you off with a scraping of fiddlers,
or an opera?-Ha, ha, ha!-Why, now, I should have thought you might
have taken some notice of one Mr. Tattle, that is in this play!"
This sarcasm, which caused a general smile, made him colour: but,
turning to the Captain with a look of conceit, which implied that he
had a retort ready, he said, "Pray, Sir, give me leave to ask-What
do you think of one Mr. Ben, who is also in this play?"
The Captain, regarding him with the utmost contempt, answered in a loud
voice, "Think of him!-why, I think he is a man!" And then, staring
full in his face, he struck his cane on the ground with a violence
that made him start. He did not however, choose to take any notice
of this: but, having bit his nails some time in manifest confusion,
he turned very quick to me, and in a sneering tone of voice, said,
"For my part, I was most struck with the country young lady, Miss Prue;
pray what do you think of her, Ma'am?"
"Indeed, Sir," cried I, very much provoked, "I think-that is, I do
not think any thing about her."
"Well, really, Ma'am, you prodigiously surprise me!-mais, apparemment
ce n'est qu'une facon de parler? -though I should beg your pardon,
for probably you do not understand French?"
I made no answer, for I thought his rudeness intolerable; but Sir
Clement, with great warmth, said, "I am surprised that you can suppose
such an object as Miss Prue would engage the attention of Miss Anville
even for a moment."
"O, Sir," returned this fop, "'tis the first character in the piece!-so
well drawn!-so much the thing!-such true country breeding-such rural
ignorance! ha, ha, ha!-'tis most admirably hit off, 'pon honour!"
I could almost have cried, that such impertinence should be leveled
at me; and yet, chagrined as I was, I could never behold Lord Orville
and this man at the same time, and feel any regret for the cause I
had given of displeasure.
"The only female in the play," said Lord Orville, "worthy of being
mentioned to these ladies is Angelica."
"Angelica," cried Sir Clement, "is a noble girl; she tries her lover
severely, but she rewards him generously."
"Yet, in a trial so long," said Mrs. Mirvan, "there seems rather too
much consciousness of her power."
"Since my opinion has the sanction of Mrs. Mirvan," added Lord
Orville, "I will venture to say, that Angelica bestows her hand
rather with the air of a benefactress, than with the tenderness of
a mistress. Generosity without delicacy, like wit without judgment,
generally gives as much pain as pleasure. The uncertainty in which
she keeps Valentine, and her manner of trifling with his temper,
give no very favourable idea of her own."
"Well, my Lord," said Mr. Lovel, "it must, however, be owned, that
uncertainty is not the ton among our ladies at present; nay, indeed,
I think they say,-though faith," taking a pinch of snuff, "I hope it
is not true-but they say, that we now are most shy and backward."
The curtain then drew up, and our conversation ceased. Mr. Lovel,
finding we chose to attend to the players, left the box. How strange
it is, Sir, that this man, not contented with the large share of
foppery and nonsense which he has from nature, should think proper
to affect yet more! for what he said of Tattle and of Miss Prue,
convinced me that he really had listened to the play, though he was
so ridiculous and foolish as to pretend ignorance.
But how malicious and impertinent is this creature to talk to me in
such a manner! I am sure I hope I shall never see him again. I should
have despised him heartily as a fop, had he never spoken to me at
all; but now, that he thinks proper to resent his supposed ill-usage,
I am really quite afraid of him.
The entertainment was, The Duece is in Him; which Lord Orville observed
to be the most finished and elegant petit piece that was ever written
in English.
In our way home, Mrs. Mirvan put me into some consternation by saying,
it was evident, from the resentment which this Mr. Lovel harbours
of my conduct, that he would think it a provocation sufficiently
important for a duel, if his courage equaled his wrath.
I am terrified at the very idea. Good Heaven! that a man so weak
and frivolous should be so revengeful! However, if bravery would
have excited him to affront Lord Orville, how much reason have I to
rejoice that cowardice makes him contended with venting his spleen
upon me! But we shall leave town soon, and, I hope, see him no more.
It was some consolation to me to hear from Miss Mirvan, that, while
he was speaking to me so cavalierly, Lord Orville regarded him with
great indignation.
But, really, I think there ought to be a book of the laws and
customs -e;-la-mode, presented to all young people upon their first
introduction into public company.
To-night we go to the opera, where I expect very great pleasure. We
shall have the same party as at the play, for Lord Orville said he
should be there, and would look for us.