_Doddles._ Silence! Attention! Rear rank, take close order. Stand off! Baggages, do you call smothering a man taking close order? Hear the rules! _Milliners._ Silence! the rules! _Doddles._ 'Rules for the better regulation of England's Burse. Whereas'---- _Betty._ Oh, skip that! _Doddles._ Skip it! _Betty._ Yes. I hate everything with a whereas. Come to the rules. _Doddles._ Well, the 'whereas' is long, and--the fortune of war--I've lost my voice. But it means that these new rules are not only for the morals of the Burse, but, above all, for the better transaction of business. _Betty._ Now for it! Attention, ladies, this is business. _Doddles_ (_reads_). 'Rule the first. Any milliner who shall deal in smuggled goods shall forfeit her stall for ever.' _Milliners._ Shame! Shame! _Betty._ Are the articles specified? No! Ladies, here's oppression of the fair sex: for mayn't the most innocent of us smuggle a little, and never know it? And then to forfeit, and for ever! _Doddles._ Not only eternally, but for ever. 'Rule second. No milliner shall talk'---- _Milliners._ Ha! ha! ha! _Doddles._ 'Or laugh'---- _Milliners._ Ha! ha! ha! _Doddles._ 'Talk or laugh, under pain of--of'---- _Betty._ Opening her mouth. _Doddles._ Silence! Talk or laugh, under--under--my breath!--'under'--somebody read it--somebody--(_Albina comes down the Burse._) _Betty._ Here comes our white friend, she'll read it. Here--(_giving Albina paper_)--read--read: they're new rules made to keep us in order. To put down smuggling and--ha! ha!--talking and laughing, and--ha! ha!--for all I know, all our other little privileges. Read, for Doddles, having lost his voice, they made him beadle. Here: read rule third, for the second's nonsense. _Albina_ (_reads_). 'Rule third. No milliner shall be allowed to whisper to her customers, or titter, or blush.' _Betty._ That's a hit at you, Sally Sly. _1st Milliner._ What do you mean, ma'am? I whisper--I titter--I blush! I scorn you, ma'am! _Doddles._ Silence! _Albina_ (_reads_). 'And whereas, divers sober people, purchasers of gloves, have complained of certain pinching of the fingers by certain persons, it is ordered that such unseemly practice be discontinued.' _Betty._ And very proper too. I don't sell gloves. _Albina._ 'Rule fourth. All strong waters, or other intoxicating cordials'---- _Betty._ Attention, ladies! This may be important. _Albina._ 'Are rigorously prohibited.' _Betty._ You see, Miss Bitters, I warned you what 'twould come to. _2nd Milliner._ I! I! I defy you, ma'am! What do you mean? _Betty._ My meaning's plain, ma'am: that everybody's to suffer for one person, ma'am. _2nd Milliner._ Do you insinuate? Mr Doddles, does she dare---- _Betty._ I insinuate nothing; but this I _will_ say: bottles are not so dear that people should use tea-cups.