Seboil for Rakes. ton may stay in the houfe, and take care that all letters are first brought to him; Frampton remarks, that it is an irksome and hateful undertaking, but having promised, he seems willing to give all poffible affiftance towards preventing a discovery; Lord Euftace expreffes a defire of seeing Harriet,but Frampton, for prudential reasons, diffuades him, and the first act concludes here with fome juft remarks on the effential, preparatory grounds of amendment in tainted minds; indeed, this entire fcene may be called a good, agreeable leffon of moral and focial inftruction. Lord Euftace begins the second act, ruminating on his own disagreeable fituation, and the pride of family, which reduces him to fuch a dilemma; Robert, ás meffenger, acquaints him that the ladies are approaching; after a few lines Harriet appears, and with a very natural eagerness of mind, approaches to embrace the man the confiders as her husband; but from a fudden check of delicacy ftops fhort, and discovers marks of confufion for having appeared fo forward: Lord Euftace questions the cause of her timidity, and upon Mrs. Winifred's entrance immediately after, apologizes for his abfence at the time of their arrival in town; the old lady grants her excufe with great readiness; Harriet, however, cannot shake off her concern entirely, which occafions her aunt to make fome tart obfervations on fuch unbecoming behaviour. A propofal is made to Lord Euftace, of opening the marriage affair to Sir William, and Mrs. Winifred's kind interpofition is folicited, but having promised his lordship to maintain fecrecy, fhe goes off, determined to fulfil the treaty, as the phrafes it, and School for Rakes. leaves the young couple to a tete-a-tete, wherein Harriet continues to urge unfolding the matter to her father; this encreases his lordship's embarrafment much, from which he at length makes a temporary escape, by fuggefting a defign of going into the country, on pretence of joining his regiment, and promifing that he will there comply with her request. On being queftioned why in his letters to Harriet he has never ftiled her wife, the danger of discovery by his father, Lord Delville, is urged as a reason, and thus the tender, believing, deceived lady, is quieted for the present. Mrs. Winifred re-enters haftily, and announces the approach of her brother Sir William, who fpeaks at his entrance fome rough but fenfible truths against the prevalence of luxury; after making fome juft remarks on the general relaxation of military duty, and the partial indulgence that is fhewn to officers of quality in particular, the baronet comments upon his daughter's evident alteration, and unufual depreffion of fpirits; being interrupted upon that point by Mrs. Winifred, he paffes on to the report of Lord Euftace's approaching marriage, as fet forth in one of the public papers. At this unexpected piece of intelligence, Harriet very naturally takes an alarm, while Mrs. Winifred treats the matter with contempt; Lord Euftace puts a good face on the affair, laughs at news-paper information, and obferves, that it is one confequence of the liberty of the prefs, for paragraph-writers to marry couples who have fcarce feen each other; however, he admits fome grounds for the report relative to himself, as Lord Delville had expreffed great liking to Lady Ann Mountfort's large School for Rakes. large fortune. Sir William, in his rough stile, com ments upon the unneceffary pains of explanation Lord Eustace has taken, as not thinking the matter of any concern to him or his family. An engagement of business calling the young lord away, he goes off, foliciting leave to vifit the ladies, which is granted. We think the request a little odd, and imagine the author forgot that the Evans's were lodged in his lordship's house. Mrs. Winifred, after chiding her neice for encouraging groundless apprehenfions, dips into her favourite theme politics, and by difplaying grofs. abfurdity, ftands before us a fevere fatire upon those who busy themselves with concerns out of their sphere, and quite beyond their conception. Sir William re-entering with Robert, questions him first about my lord's valet, who is faid to be a very useful creature in his way; and next concerning Frampton, of whom Robert can fay no more than he believes him honeft, because Willis does not like him. Towards the end of this converfation, with his trufty domeftic, the baronet declares he will leave town in a few days, and that his only remaining care is the marriage of his daughter Har riet with Colonel Lloyd, which he determines fhall foon take place. Frampton and Willis next claim our attention, the latter giving an arch account to the former of the precautionary orders left by Lord Euftace, to watch close and exclude all Sir William's friends. In the course of this interview, Willis gives his tongue feveral pert liberties refpecting Harriet, which occafions Frampton to check him with be coming fpirit; an account of Captain Lloyd's con VOL. II, E nection School for Rakes. nection with Lord Euftace, and the foundation of it occurs, when a knocking at the door calls off Willis; Frampton is left to meditate alone; what he utters is to the purpose, and has force, but we could wish this gentleman had not been loaded with fuch a number of foliloquies; however, his views being worthy a man of honour, every good, tender mind must sympathize with and applaud him. We are now introduced to Sir William and Harriet, he appears to be engaging his daughter's approbation of Colonel Lloyd as a husband; Robert mentions the approach of Captain Lloyd, and the blunt tar enters clofe at his heels; after a fhort compliment, he complains of fome difficulty he had in getting to his friends, and in the fea phrase fays, he was near tacking about, had not Robert, by clearing the deck of my lord's impertinent valet, got convenient entrance. Upon pointing out the ladies as his fifter and daughter, Lloyd ludicrously replies to Sir William, that they are much altered fince laft he faw them, one being grown a young, and the other an old woman; the latter part of this obfervation affecting Mrs. Winifred, fhe retorts upon the captain rather churlishly, by remarking, that he is not grown a brute, for he has always been one; this feems the prelude to an altercation of fome bitternefs, but the captain gives it a turn, by asking for Sir William's fon, the young colonel, who, by his account, has made a flip to London from his quarters in Ireland, and therefore, to screen the affair, has changed his name to Wefton; this intelligence, with the additional hint that fome female has occafioned his journey, ruffles Sir William. A fresh School for Rakes. A fresh point of debate arifing between the captain and Mrs. Winifred, Lord Euftace is mentioned, with whom they both claim a particular intimacy; his lordship's approaching marriage being again fpoken of, Harriet feels a fresh alarm, which her aunt endeavours to fupprefs; but Captain Lloyd's declaration that he has feen the equipage, jewels, liveries, &c. preparatory to the wedding, the young lady's fears appear confirmed, and her confufion proportionably rifes, till at last mention being made of fome eafy, country girl, who has been made a fool of by Lord Euftace, fhe lofes every trace of refolution, and faints; this puts her father into a flurry of spirits, she is conducted off by Mrs. Winifred, Captain Lloyd goes in fearch of the colonel; and Sir William, in a foliloquy, which concludes the second act, endeavours to account for this fudden and extraordinary emotion; however, he shoots wide of the real mark, and might as well have faid nothing, but for the following remark, which is very pregnant with truth and good sense. "The foibles of youth fhould rather be counteracted than opposed, left in endeavouring to weed them out, we may destroy a kindred virtue." Frampton begins the third act with a few uneffential lines before Willis comes on with fome letters he has intercepted; the voluble valet paints his own political dexterity in pleafant, fpirited terms, and feems to urge a claim of reward for his affiduity very home to Frampton, who confidering him as a kind of villainous, though neceffary utenfil, difmiffes him the room in pretty rough terms, after fecuring the letters, which latter circumstance Willis feems to regret, and goes off grumbling deeply. Frampton E 2 |