"Nestle more closely, dear one, to my heart! Thou 'rt cold! Thou 'rt freezing! But we will not part! Husband! I die! Father! Oh, God! protect my child!" It is not he! The clock strikes three. They're gone, they're gone! The glimmering spark hath fled! The wife and child are numbered with the dead. The gambler came at last; but all was o'er; Dread silence reigned around. The clock struck four. FROM COATES. XVI.-LOOK ALOFT. IN the tempest of life, when the wave and the gale Should they who are nearest and dearest thy heart; And O, when Death comes in terrors, to cast XVII. THE DUEL.-SCENE I. (Enter Sir Lucius O' Trigger and Acres.) Sir Lucius. Mr. Acres, I am delighted to see you. Sir L. Pray, my friend, what has brought you so suddenly to Bath? Acres. Faith, I have followed Cupid's jack-o'-lantern, and find myself in a quagmire at last! In short, I have been very ill-used, Sir Lucius. I do n't choose to mention names, but look on me as a very ill-used gentleman. Sir L. Pray, what is the cause? I ask no names. Acres. Mark me, Sir Lucius. I fall as deep as need be, in love with a young lady; her friends take my part; I follow her to Bath; send word of my arrival; and receive answer, that the lady is to be otherwise disposed of. This, Sir Lucius, I call being ill-used. Sir L. Very ill, upon my conscience! Pray, can you divine the cause of it? Acres. Why, there's the matter. She has another lover, one Beverley, who, I am told, is now in Bath. He must be at the bottom of it. Sir L. A rival in the case, is there? And you think he has supplanted you unfairly? Acres. Unfairly! To be sure he has. He never could have done it fairly. Sir L. Then sure you know what is to be done? Sir L. We wear no swords here, but you understand me? Ay, to be sure. What can I mean else? But he has given me no provocation. Sir L. Now, I think he has given you the greatest provocation in the world. Can a man commit a more heinous offense against another, than to fall in love with the same woman? Upon my word, it is the most unpardonable breach of friendship. Acres. Breach of friendship! Ay, ay. But I have no acquaintance with this man. I never saw him in all my life. Sir L. That's no argument at all; he has the less right, then, to take such a liberty. Acres. I fire apace. That's true. I grow full of anger, Sir Lucius! Hilts and blades! I find a man may have a deal of valor in him, and not know it! But, could n't I contrive to have a little right on my side? NEW EC. S.-6 Sir L. What signifies right, when your honor is concerned? Do you think Achilles, or my little Alexander the Great, ever inquired where the right lay? No, by my word, they drew their broadswords, and left the lazy sons. of peace to settle the justice of it. Acres. Your words are a grenadier's march to my heart! I believe courage must be catching! I certainly do feel a kind of valor arising, as it were; a kind of courage, as I may say. Flints, pans, and triggers! I'll challenge him directly. Sir L. Ah, my friend! if we had Blunderbuss Hall here, I could show you a range of ancestry, in the O’Trigger line, that would furnish the New Room. For, though the Mansion House and dirty acres have slipped through my fingers, I thank heaven, our honor and the family pictures are as fresh as ever. Acres. Oh, Sir Lucius, I have had ancestors, too! Every man of them colonel or captain in the militia! Balls and barrels ! say no more. I'm braced for it. The thunder of your words has soured the milk of human kindness in my breast! Zounds! as the man in the play says, "I could do such deeds" Sir L. the case. Come, come, there must be no passion at all in These things should always be done civilly. Acres. I must be in a passion, Sir Lucius. I must be in a rage. Dear Sir Lucius, let me be in a rage, if you love me. Come, here's pen and paper. (Sits.) I would the ink were red! Indite, I say, indite! How shall I begin? Odds bullets and blades! I'll write a good bold hand, however. Sir L. Pray, compose yourself. (Sits down.) Acres. Come, now, shall I begin with an oath? Do, Sir Lucius, let me begin with an oath! Sir L. Pho! pho! do the thing decently, and like a Christian. Begin now-"Sir," Acres. That's too civil, by half. Sir L. Acres. "To prevent the confusion that might arise "Well. Acres. Ay-" both addressing the same lady"—there's the reason" same lady." Well. Sir L. "I shall expect the honor of your company"Acres. Why, I'm not asking him to dinner! Sir L. Pray, be easy. Acres. Well, then, "honor of your company." company begin with a C or a K? Sir L. Acres. "To settle our pretensions Well. Does Sir L. Let me see―ay, King's Mead-fields will do "in King's Mead-fields." Acres. So, that's done. Well, I'll fold it up at once. My own crest, a hand and dagger, shall be the seal. Sir L. You see, now, this little explanation will put a stop, at once, to all confusion or misunderstanding that might arise between you. Acres. Ay, we fight to prevent any misunderstanding. Sir L. Now, I'll leave you to fix your own time. Take my advice, and you'll decide it this evening, if you can. Then, let the worst come of it, 't will be off your mind to morrow. Acres. Very true. Sir L. So I shall see nothing more of you, unless it be by letter, till the evening. I would do myself the honor to carry your message; but, to tell you a secret, I believe I shall have just such an other affair on my own hands. There is a gay captain here who put a jest on me lately at the expense of my country, and I only want to fall in with the gentleman, to call him out. Acres. By my valor, I should like to see you fight first! Odds life, I should like to see you kill him, if it was only to get a little lesson! Sir L. I shall be very proud of instructing you. Remember now, when you meet your antagonist, do every thing in a mild and agreeable manner. Let your courage be as keen, but at the same time as polished as your sword. (Exeunt.) FROM SHERIDAN. XVIII. THE DUEL.-SCENE II. (Enter Acres and his servant David.) David. Then, indeed, sir, I would do no such thing! ne'er a Sir Lucius O'Trigger in the kingdom should make me fight, when I was n't so minded. What will the old lady say, when she hears on 't? Acres. But my honor, David, my honor! I must be very careful of my honor. Dav. Ay, and I would be very careful of it, and I think in return, my honor could n't do less than to be very careful of me. Acres. David, no gentleman will ever risk the loss of his honor! Dav. I say, then, it would be but civil in honor never to risk the loss of a gentleman. Look ye, master, this honor seems to me to be a marvelous false friend; ay, truly, a very courtier-like servant. Put the case. I was a gentleman, (which, thank heaven, no one can say of me ;) well, my honor makes me quarrel with another gentleman of my acquaintance. So, we fight. (Pleasant enough that.) Boh! I kill him-(the more 's my luck.) Now, pray, who gets the profit of it? Why, my honor. But put the case, that he kills me! I go to the worms, and my honor whips over to my enemy. Acres. No, David, in that case, your honor follows you to the grave! Dav. Now, that's just the place where I could make a Ishift to do without it. Acres. David, you are a coward! It does n't become my valor to listen to you. What, shall I disgrace my ancestors? Think of that, David; think what it would be to disgrace my ancestors! Dav. Under favor, the surest way of not disgracing them, is to keep as long as you can out of their company. Look ye, now, master; to go to them in such haste, with an ounce of lead in your brains, I should think it might as well be let alone. Our ancestors are very good kind of |