SCENE.—TheLibrary.

scene.—thelibrary.

mr.selby.mrs.frampton.

selby

afortunateencounter,mistressframpton.

mypurposewas,ifyoucouldsparesomuch

fromyoursweetleisure,afewwordsinprivate.

mrs.frampton

whatmeanhisalter'dtones?theselookstome,

whoseglancesyethehasrepell'dwithcoolness?

isthewindchanged?i'llveeraboutwithit,

andmeethiminallfashions.[aside.]

allmyleisure,

feeblybestow'duponmykindfriendshere,

wouldnotexpressatitheoftheobligements

ieveryhourincur.

selby

nomoreofthat.—

iknownotwhy,mywifehathlostoflate

muchofhercheerfulspirits.

mrs.frampton

itwasmytopic

to-day;andeveryday,andalldaylong,

istillamchidingwithher."child,"isaid,

andsaiditprettyroundly—itmaybe

iwastooperemptory—weelderschool-fellows,

presumingontheadvantageofayear

ortwo,which,inthattendertime,seem'dmuch,

inafteryears,muchliketoeldersisters,

arepronetokeeptheauthoritativestyle,

whentimehasmadethedifferencemostridiculous—

selby

theobservation'sshrewd.

mrs.frampton

"child,"iwassaying,

"ifsomewiveshadobtainedalotlikeyours,"

andthenperhapsisigh'd,"theywouldnotsit

incornersmoping,liketosullenmoppets

thatwanttheirwill,butdrytheireyes,andlook

theircheerfulhusbandsintheface,"perhaps

isaid,theirselby's,"withproportion'dlooks

ofhonestjoy."

selby

youdosuspectnojealousy?

mrs.frampton

whatishisimport?wheretotendshisspeech?[aside.]

ofwhom,ofwhat,shouldshebejealous,sir?

selby

idonotknow,butwomenhavetheirfancies;

andunderneathacoldindifference,

orshowofsomedistaste,husbandshavemask'd