Ineednottellthee！Thouhastheard——
Mel。Theworst！
Ihave！
Damas。Becheer\'d;othersarefairassheis！
Mel。Others！Theworldiscrumbledatmyfeet！
Shewasmyworld;fill\'dupthewholeofbeing——
Smiledinthesunshine——walk\'dthegloriousearth——
Sateinmyheart——wasthesweetlifeoflife。
ThePastwashers;IdreamtnotofaFutureThatdidnotwearhershape！Mem\'ryandHopeAlikearegone。Paulineisfaithless！HenceforthTheuniversalspaceisdesolate！
Damas。Hopeyet。
Mel。Hope，yes！——onehopeisleftmestill——
Asoldier\'sgrave！Gloryhasdiedwithlove。
Ilookintomyheart，and，whereIsawPauline，seeDeath！
[Afterapause]。——ButamInotdeceived？
Iwentbutbytherumorofthetown;
Rumorisfalse，——Iwastoohasty！Damas，Whomhastthouseen？
Damas。Thyrivalandherfather。
Armthyselfforthetruth。——Heheedsnot。
Mel。She。
Willneverknowhowdeeplyshewasloved！
Thecharitablenight，thatwonttobringComfortto—day，inbrightandeloquentdreams，Ishenceforthleaguedwithmisery！Sleep，farewell，Orelsebecomeeternal！Oh，thewakingFromfalseoblivion，andtoseethesun，Andknowsheisanother\'s！
Damas。Beaman！
Mel。Iamaman！——itisthestingofwoeLikeminethattellsuswearemen！，Damas。ThefalseoneDidnotdeservethee。
Mel。Hush！——Nowordagainsther！
Whyshouldshekeep，throughyearsandsilentabsence，TheholytabletsofhervirginfaithTruetoatraitor\'sname！Oh，blamehernot;
ItwereasharpergrieftothinkherworthlessThantobewhatIam！To—day，——to—day！
They，said\"To—day！\"Thisday，sowildlywelcomed——
Thisclay，mysoulhadsingledoutoftimeAndmark\'dforbliss！Thisday！oh，couldIseeher，Seeheroncemoreunknown;buthearhervoice。
SothatoneechoofitsmusicmightMakeruinlessappallinginitssilence。
Damas。Easilydone！Comewithmetoherhouse;
Yourdress——yourcloak——moustache——thebronzedhuesOftimeandtoil——thenameyoubear——beliefInyourabsence，allwillwardawaysuspicion。
Keepintheshade。Ay，IwouldhaveyoucomeTheremaybehope？Paulineisyetsoyoung，TheymayhaveforcedhertothesesecondbridalsOutofmistakenlove。
Mel。No，bidmehopenot！
Bidmenothope！IcouldnotbearagainTofallfromsuchaheaven！Onegleamofsunshine，AndtheicebreaksandIamlost！Oh，Damas，There\'snosuchthingascourageinaman;
Theveriestslavethatevercrawl\'dfromdangerMightspurnmenow。WhenfirstIlosther，Damas，Iboreit，didInot？Istillhadhope，AndnowI——I——（Burstsintoanagonyofgrief。
Damas。What，comrade！allthewomenThateversmileddestructiononbraveheartsWerenotworthtearslikethese！
Mel。\'Tispast——forgetit。
Iamprepared;lifehasnofurtherills！
Thecloudhasbrokeninthatstormyrain，AndonthewasteIstand，alonewithHeaven。
Damas。Hisveryfaceischanged;abreakingheartDoesitsworksoon！——Come，Melnotte，rousethyself:
Oneeffortmore。Againthou\'ltseeher。
Mel。Seeher！
ThereisapassioninthatsimplesentenceThatshiversalltheprideandpowerofreasonIntoachaos！
Damas。Timewanes;come，ereyetItbetoolate。
Mel。Terriblewords——\"Toolate！\"Leadon。Onelastlookmore，andthen——
Damas。Forgether！
Mel。Forgether！yes——Fordeathremembersnot。[Exeunt。
SCENEII。
AroominthehouseofMONSIEURDESCHAPPELLES;PAULINEseatedingreatdejection。
Pauline。Itisso，then。ImustbefalsetoLove，Orsacrificeafather！Oh，myClaude，Mylover，andmyhusband！HaveIlivedTopraythatthoumayestfindsomefairerboonThanthedeepfaithofthisdevotedheart——
Nourish\'dtillnow——nowbroken？
EnterMONSIEURDESCHAPPELLES。
M。Deschap。Mydearchild，HowshallIthank——howblessthee？Thouhastsaved，Iwillnotsaymyfortune——IcouldbearReverse，andshrinknot——butthatprouderwealthWhichmerchantsvaluemost——myname，mycredit——
Thehard——wonhonorsofatoilsomelife:——
Thesethouhastsaved，mychild！
Pauline。Istherenohope？
Nohopebutthis？
M。Deschap。None。If，withoutthesumWhichBeauseantoffersforthyhand，thisdaySinkstothewest——to—morrowbringsourruin！
Andhundreds，mingledinthatruin，curseThebankruptmerchant！andtheinsolventherdWefeastedandmademerrycryinscorn，\"Howpridehasfallen！——Lo，thebankruptmerchant！\"
Mydaughter，thouhastsavedus！
Pauline。Andamlost！
M。Deschap。Come，letmehopethatBeauseant\'slove——
Pauline。Hislove！
Talknotoflove。Lovehasnothoughtofself！
Lovebuysnotwiththeruthlessusurer\'sgoldTheloathsomeprostitutionofahandWithoutaheart？LovesacrificesallthingsToblessthethingitloves！Heknowsnotlove。
Father，hisloveishate——hishoperevenge！
Mytears，myanguish，myremorseforfalsehood——
Thesearethejoysthathewringsfromourdespair！
M。Deschap。Ifthoudeem\'stthus，rejecthim！ShameandruinWerebetterthanthymisery;——thinknomoreon\'t。
Mysandiswellnighrun——whatbootsitwhenTheglassisbroken？We\'llannulthecontract:
Andifto—morrowintheprisoner\'scellTheseagedlimbsarelaid，whystill，mychild，I\'llthinkthouartspared;andwaittheLiberalHourThatlaysthebeggarbythesideofkings！
Pauline，No——no——forgiveme！You，myhonor\'dfather，——
You，whosoloved，socherish\'dme，whoselipsNeverknewoneharshword！I\'mnotungrateful;
Iambuthuman！——hush！Now，callthebridegroom——
YouseeIamprepared——notears——allcalm;
But，father，talknomoreofloveM。Deschap。Mychild，Tisbutonestruggle;heisyoung，rich，noble;
Thystatewillrankfirst\'midthedamesofLyons;
Andwhenthisheartcansheltertheenomore，Thyyouthwillnotbeguardianless。
Pauline。IhavesetMyfootupontheploughshare——IwillpassThefieryordeal。[Aside。]MercifulHeaven，supportme;
AndontheabsentwanderershedthelightOfhappierstars——lostevermoretome！
EnterMADAMEDESCHAPPELLES，BEAUSEANT，GLAVIS，andNotary。
Mme。Deschap。Why，Pauline，youarequiteindeshabille——
yououghttobemorealivetotheimportanceofthisjoyfuloccasion。
Wehadoncelookedhigher，itistrue;butyousee，afterall，MonsieurBeauseant\'sfatherwasaMarquis，andthat\'sagreatcomfort。
Pedigreeandjointure！——youhavethembothinMonsieurBeauseant。Ayoungladydecorouslybroughtupshouldonlyhavetwoconsiderationsinherchoiceofahusband;first，ishisbirthhonorable？secondly，willhisdeathbeadvantageous？Allothertriflingdetailsshouldbelefttoparentalanxiety。
Beau。[approachingandwavingasideMadame]。Ah，Pauline！letmehopethatyouarereconciledtoaneventwhichconferssuchraptureuponme。
Pauline。Iamreconciledtomydoom。
Beau。Doomisaharshword，sweetlady。
Pauline[aside。]Thismanmusthavesomemercy——hisheartcannotbemarble。[Aloud。]Oh，sir，bejust——begenerous！
Seizeanobletriumph——agreatrevenge！Savethefather，andsparethechild。
Beau。[aside。]joy——joyaliketomyhatredandmypassion！
ThehaughtyPaulineisatlastmysuppliant。[Aloud。]YouaskfrommewhatIhavenotthesublimevirtuetogrant——avirtuereservedonlyforthegardener\'sson！Icannotforegomyhopesinthemomentoftheirfulfilment！Iadheretothecontract——
yourfather\'sruinoryourhand。
Pauline。Thenallisover。Sir，Ihavedecided。
[Theclockstrikesone。
EnterDAMASandMELNOTTE。
Damas。Yourservant，cousinDeschappelles。LetmeintroduceColonelMorier。
Mme。Deschap。[curtsyingverylow]。What，thecelebratedhero？
Thisis，indeed，anhonor！[MELNOTTEbows，andremainsinthebackground。
Damas[toPauline]。Mylittlecousin，Icongratulateyou。What，nosmile——
noblush？YouaregoingtobedivorcedfrompoorMelnotte，andmarrythisrichgentleman。Yououghttobeexcessivelyhappy！
Pauline。Happy！
Damas。Why，howpaleyouare，child！——PoorPauline！Hist——confideinme！
Dotheyforceyoutothis？
Pauline。No！
Damas。Youactwithyourownfreeconsent？
Pauline。Myownconsent——yes。
Damas。Thenyouarethemost——Iwillnotsaywhatyouare。
Pauline。Youthinkillofme——beitso——yetifyouknewall——
Damas。Thereissomemystery——speakout，Pauline。
Pauline[suddenly]。Oh，perhapsyou。cansaveme！youareourrelation——
ourfriend。Myfatherisonthevergeofbankruptcy——thisdayherequiresalargesumtomeetdemandsthatcannotbedenied;
thatsumBeauseantwilladvance——thishandtheconditionofthebarter。
Savemeifyouhavethemeans——saveme！Youwillberepaidabove！
Damas。aside。Irecant——Womenarenotsobadafterall！
[Aloud。]Humph，child！Icannothelpyou——Iamtoopoor。
Pauline。ThelastplanktowhichIclungisshivered。
Damas。Hold——youseemyfriendMorier:Melnotteishismostintimatefriend——foughtinthesamefields——sleptinthesametent。
HaveyouanymessagetosendtoMelnotte？anywordtosoftenthisblow？
Pauline。HeknowsMelnotte——hewillseehim——hewillbeartohimmylastfarewell——[approachesMELNOTTE]Hehasasternair——
heturnsawayfromme——hedespisesme！——SironewordIbeseechyou。
Mel。Hervoiceagain！Howtheoldtimecomeso\'erme！
Damas[toMadame。]Don\'tinterruptthem。——HeisgoingtotellherwhatarascalyoungMelnotteis;heknowshimwell，Ipromiseyou。
Mme。Deschap。Soconsiderateinyou，cousinDamas！
[DAMASapproachesDESCHAPPELLES;conversesapartwithhintindumbshow——
DESCHAPPELLESshowshimapaper，whichheinspectsandtakes。
Pauline。ThricehaveIsoughttospeak;mycouragefailsme。——
Sir，isittruethatyouhaveknown——nay，areThefriendof——Melnotte。
Mel。Lady，yes！——
MyselfAndmiseryknowtheman！
Pauline。Andyouwillseehim，Andyouwillbeartohim——ay——wordforword，Allthatthisheart，whichbreaksinpartingfromhim，Wouldsend，erestillforever？
Mel。HehathtoldmeYouhavetherighttochoosefromouttheworldAworthierbridegroom;——heforgoesallclaim，Eventomurmurathisdoom。Speakon！
Pauline。Tellhim，foryearsInevernursedathoughtThatwasnothis;——thatonhiswanderingway，Dailyandnightly，pour\'damourner\'sprayers。
Tellhimev\'nnowthatIwouldrathershareHislowliestlot，——walkbyhisside，anoutcast——
Workforhim，begwithhim，——liveuponthelightOfonekindsmilefromhim，——thanwearthecrownTheBourbonlost！
Mel。[aside。]AmIalreadymad？
AnddoesdeliriumuttersuchsweetwordsIntoadreamer\'sear？[Aloud]。Youlovehimthus，Andyetdeserthim？
Pauline。Say，that，ifhiseye——
Couldreadthisheart，——itsstruggles，itstemptations，——
Hisloveitselfwouldpardonthatdesertion！
Lookonthatpooroldman，——heismyfather;
Hestandsuponthevergeofanabyss！——
Hecallshischildtosavehim！ShallIshrinkFromhimwhogavemebirth？——withholdmyhand，Andseeaparentperish？Tellhimthis，Andsay——thatweshallmeetagaininHeaven！
Mel。Lady——I——I——whatisthisriddle？——whatThenatureofthissacrifice？
Pauline[pointingtoDAMAS]。Go，askhim！
Beau。[fromthetable]。Thepapersareprepared——weonlyneedYourhandandseal。
Mel。Stay，lady——onewordmore。
Werebutyourdutywithyourfaithunited，Wouldyoustillsharethelow—bornpeasant\'slot？
Pauline。WouldI？Ah，betterdeathwithhimIloveThanallthepomp——whichisbutastheflowersThatcrownthevictim！——[Turningaway。]Iamready。
[MELNOTTErushestoDAMAS。
Damas。There——Thisistheschedule——thisthetotal。
Beau。[toDESCHAPPELLES，showingnotes]。TheseAreyourstheinstantshehassign\'d;youareStillthegreatHouseofLyons！
[TheNotaryisabouttohandthecontracttoPAULINE，whenMELNOTTE
seizesitandtearsit。
Beau。Areyoumad？
M。Deschap。How，Sir！Whatmeansthisinsult？
Mel。Peace，oldman！
Ihaveapriorclaim。BeforethefaceOfmanandHeavenIurgeit;IoutbidYonsordidhucksterforyourpricelessjewel。[Givingapocket—book。
Thereisthesumtwicetold！Blushnottotakeit:
There\'snotacointhatisnotboughtandhallow\'dInthecauseofnationswithasoldier\'sblood！
Beau。Tormentsanddeath！
Pauline。Thatvoice！Thouart——
Mel。Thyhusband！
[PAULINErushesintohisarms。
Lookup！Lookup，Pauline！——forIcanbearThineeyes！Thestainisblottedfrommyname。
Ihaveredeem\'dminehonor。IcancallOnFrancetosanctionthydivineforgiveness！
Oh，joy！——Oh，rapture！BythemidnightwatchfiresThushaveIseenthee！thusforetoldthishour！
And\'midsttheroarofbattle，thushaveheardThebeatingofthyheartagainstmyown！
Beau。Fool\'d，duped，andtriumph\'doverinthehourOfmineownvictory！Cursesonyeboth！
Maythornsbeplantedinthemarriage—bed！
Andlovegrowsour\'dandblacken\'dintohateSuchasthehatethatgnawsme！
Damas。CurseawayAndletmetellthee，Beauseant，awiseproverbTheArabshave，——\"Cursesarelikeyoungchickens，[Solemnly。]Andstillcomehometoroost！\"
Beau。TheirhappinessMaddensmysoul！Iampowerlessandrevengeless！[ToMADAME。
Iwishyoujoy！Ha！ha！thegardener\'sson！[Exit。
Damas[toGLAVIS]。Yourfriendintendstohanghimself！MethinksYououghttobehistravellingcompanion！
Gla。Sir，youareexceedinglyobliging！[Exit。
Pauline。OhMyfather，youaresaved，——andbymyhusband！
Ah，blessedhour！
Mel。Yetyouweepstill，Pauline。
Pauline。Butonthybreast！——thesetearsaresweetandholy！
M。Deschap。Youhavewonloveandhonornobly，sir！
Takeher;——behappyboth！
Mme。Deschap。I\'mallastonish\'d！
Who，then，isColonelMorier？
Damas。Youbeholdhim！
Mel。Moriernomoreafterthishappyday！
Iwouldnotbearagainmyfather\'snameTillIcoulddeemitspotless！Thehour\'scome！
Heavensmiledonconscience！AsthesoldierroseFromranktorank，howsacredwasthefameThatcancell\'dcrime，andraisedhimnearerthee！
Mme。Deschap。AColonelandahero！Well，that\'ssomething！
He\'swondrouslyimproved！Iwishyoujoy，sir！
Mel。Ah！thesamelovethattemptsusintosin，Ifitbetruelove，worksoutitsredemption;
AndhewhoseeksrepentanceforthePastShouldwootheAngelVirtueintheFuture。