VAL. Harkee; I have a secret to tell you: Endymion and the moon shall meet us upon Mount Latmos, and we’ll be married in the dead of night. But say not a word. Hymen shall put his torch into a dark lanthorn, that it may be secret; and Juno shall give her peacock poppy-water, that he may fold his ogling tail, and Argus’s hundred eyes be shut, ha! Nobody shall know but Jeremy. MRS. FRAIL. No, no, we’ll keep it secret, it shall be done presently. VAL. The sooner the better. Jeremy, come hither—closer—that none may overhear us. Jeremy, I can tell you news: Angelica is turned nun, and I am turning friar, and yet we’ll marry one another in spite of the pope. Get me a cowl and beads, that I may play my part,—for she’ll meet me two hours hence in black and white, and a long veil to cover the project, and we won’t see one another’s faces, till we have done something to be ashamed of; and then we’ll blush once for all. SCENE XVI. [_To them_] TATTLE _and_ ANGELICA. JERE. I’ll take care, and— VAL. Whisper. ANG. Nay, Mr. Tattle, if you make love to me, you spoil my design, for I intend to make you my confidant. TATT. But, madam, to throw away your person—such a person!—and such a fortune on a madman! ANG. I never loved him till he was mad; but don’t tell anybody so. SCAN. How’s this! Tattle making love to Angelica! TATT. Tell, madam? Alas, you don’t know me. I have much ado to tell your ladyship how long I have been in love with you—but encouraged by the impossibility of Valentine’s making any more addresses to you, I have ventured to declare the very inmost passion of my heart. O madam, look upon us both. There you see the ruins of a poor decayed creature—here, a complete and lively figure, with youth and health, and all his five senses in perfection, madam, and to all this, the most passionate lover— ANG. O fie, for shame, hold your tongue. A passionate lover, and five senses in perfection! When you are as mad as Valentine, I’ll believe you love me, and the maddest shall take me. VAL. It is enough. Ha! Who’s here? FRAIL. O Lord, her coming will spoil all. [_To_ JEREMY.] JERE. No, no, madam, he won’t know her; if he should, I can persuade him. VAL. Scandal, who are these? Foreigners? If they are, I’ll tell you what I think,—get away all the company but Angelica, that I may discover my design to her. [_Whisper_.] SCAN. I will—I have discovered something of Tattle that is of a piece with Mrs. Frail. He courts Angelica; if we could contrive to couple ’em together.—Hark’ee—[_Whisper_.] MRS. FORE. He won’t know you, cousin; he knows nobody. FORE. But he knows more than anybody. O niece, he knows things past and to come, and all the profound secrets of time. TATT. Look you, Mr. Foresight, it is not my way to make many words of matters, and so I shan’t say much,—but in short, d’ye see, I will hold you a hundred pounds now, that I know more secrets than he.