Your good opinion, my angel, is the pride and pleasure of my heart; and if the most respectful tenderness for you, and an utter indifference for all your sex besides, can make me worthy of your esteem, I shall richly merit it. CHARLOTTE All my sex besides, Mr. Dimple!--you forgot your tete-a-tete with Letitia. DIMPLE How can you, my lovely angel, cast a thought on that insipid, wry-mouthed, ugly creature! CHARLOTTE But her fortune may have charms? DIMPLE Not to a heart like mine. The man, who has been blessed with the good opinion of my Charlotte, must despise the allurements of fortune. CHARLOTTE I am satisfied. DIMPLE Let us think no more on the odious subject, but devote the present hour to happiness. CHARLOTTE Can I be happy when I see the man I prefer going to be married to another? DIMPLE Have I not already satisfied my charming angel, that I can never think of marrying the puling Maria? But, even if it were so, could that be any bar to our happiness? for, as the poet sings, "Love, free as air, at sight of human ties, Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies." Come, then, my charming angel! why delay our bliss? The present moment is ours; the next is in the hand of fate. [Kissing her.] CHARLOTTE Begone, Sir! By your delusions you had almost lulled my honour asleep. DIMPLE Let me lull the demon to sleep again with kisses. [He struggles with her; she screams.] Enter MANLY. MANLY Turn, villain! and defend yourself.--[Draws.] [VAN ROUGH enters and beats down their swords.] VAN ROUGH Is the devil in you? are you going to murder one another? [Holding Dimple.] DIMPLE Hold him, hold him,--I can command my passion. Enter JONATHAN. JONATHAN What the rattle ails you? Is the old one in you? Let the colonel alone, can't you? I feel chock-full of fight,--do you want to kill the colonel?-- MANLY Be still, Jonathan; the gentleman does not want to hurt me. JONATHAN Gor! I--I wish he did; I'd shew him Yankee boys play, pretty quick.--Don't you see you have frightened the young woman into the hystrikes? VAN ROUGH Pray, some of you explain this; what has been the occasion of all this racket? MANLY That gentleman can explain it to you; it will be a very diverting story for an intended father-in-law to hear. VAN ROUGH How was this matter, Mr. Van Dumpling? DIMPLE Sir,--upon my honour,--all I know is, that I was talking to this young lady, and this gentleman broke in on us in a very extraordinary manner. VAN ROUGH Why, all this is nothing to the purpose; can you explain it, Miss? [To Charlotte.] Enter LETITIA through the back scene. LETITIA