Ald. Lay him out-Zounds, I hope you didn't speak any thing ill of him.

Dic. Oh, no, master, we never do speak ill of those who are gone.

Ald. Gone!-Well, but he's come.

Dic. Come-what-ha' they brought his body here!
Ald. No, he brought his body here himself.

Dic. What!-in a hearse?

Ald. No, on a horse and you must go and wait on him.
Dic. What! sit up all night wi' him!

Ald. No, only till he's finished his supper.

Dic. His supper!

Ald. His supper-yes, blockhead-his supper; he's just sat down with my daughter.

Dic. Dang it, this be the first time I ever heard of dead men sitting down to supper wi' young ladies—he be quite mad -how his eyes do roll! surely

[Aside. Ald. Zounds, scoundrel, Dickory, what are you talking About! Though I did give you five shillings to drink, I didn't tell you to make a beast of yourself-he's quite drunk !—Go, rascal, and wait on Mr. Nicodemus, directly.

Dic. He be quite crack'd.

[Aside. Ald. Dreadfully drunk-will you do what I tell you, villain? Will you go in and see that Mr. Nicodemus wants for nothing? Take care that he has plenty of the turtle soup.

Dic. Turtle soup-what be the good of turtle soup when a man be dead? To think, now, that he should die just when he were going to be married!

Ald. Why, you sottish brazen rascal, you haven't the consummate impudence to pronounce an honest gentleman dead, who is at this moment eating and drinking, and making love to my daughter, in the very next room; but your own eyes shall convince you how richly you deserve a ducking;—you say you saw the gentleman ?

Dic. E'es, sure; I were wi' his poor body above an hour

and a half.

Ald. Then you'd know him again, if you see him?

Dic. Aye, out o' ten thousand.

Ald. Then, see him you shall, and that this very moment; the sight of him may bring you to your sober senses again. Please just to walk this way, sir,—that is, if you are able to walk.

Dic. He's as mad as a March hare;-but I mun humor

the old man, or he may do me a mischief. Poor fellow, how mad he be! [Aside.] I'm coming, sir.

[Exeunt Aldwinkle and Dickory.

SCENE III. Handsome Apartment in Aldwinkle Hall. NICODEMUS, GEORGIANA, and LAVINIA, discovered sitting at

supper.

Nic. [Aside.] Methinks that I cut but a very foolish figure here; I neither know what to do or to say; I believe my best refuge is in silence-Heigho! would I were at home, continuing my treatise on Vampires.

Lav. Your Papa does not seem to be coming, coz.; had we not better proceed to supper?

Geo. Any thing, to enliven us a little. We have been as dull and as silent, for the last half hour, as a Quaker's meeting. Will you allow me to assist you, sir?

Nic. [Solemnly] I thank you, but I have no appetite. Lav. You feed upon meditation, it should seem, sir? Nic. I must own, madam, I am partial to the grave. Geo. I hope it isn't love that disturbs the gentleman;shall I help you to some cold pudding, sir?

Nic. I never eat cold pudding;-[He starts from his seat.]-but my time is come: I have to set off at daybreak, and must retire at once-a solemn duty impels me to be absent. To-morrow night I shall return again:-present my regards to your worthy father; an important secret remains. to be revealed to him, in which you are all deeply interested. I am too wandering and disturbed for the task now-but tomorrow night! Heigho! life is very uncertain. Vale! Vale! [Exit Nicodemus.

Lav. Bless me! what an amazingly odd man! I should as soon think of linking myself to the parish pump as such a Don Saltero.

Geo. There is certainly something very mysterious in his manner. Vale! Vale! [Mocking him.

Lav. Hush! here's your father.

Enter ALDWINKLE, dragging in DICKORY.

Ald. Now, villain, Dickory,-look-convince yourself, that why, the gentleman's gone!

Dic. E'es, to be sure he be-didn't I tell you he were departed? but you wouldn't believe me;-his madness be going away he ha' got a losing interval.

[Aside.

Geo. Is it Mr. Nicodemus you want, Pa? He has retired to his apartment, and

Ald. Eh? gone to bed, has he? and without his supper! how is he to find out the room? Run, Dickory, and light him -take him my night-cap and slippers-make haste, rogue.

Geo. Aye, do, Dickory, or the poor gentleman may break his neck over the banisters.

Dic. They all humor him, I see; well, I mustn't be particular, I'll go, sir-[Takes a candle from the table]-but if Mr. Nicodemus be there, dang me if I don't first eat him, and then gi' you leave to eat me afterwards. [Exit Dickory.

Ald. I am sorry Dickory's drunken folly, in persisting that Mr. Nicodemus was dead, prevented my paying my respects to him before he retired. Poor fellow, I forgot how far he had travelled to day!

Enter DICKORY, hastily, with a candle.

Dic. [Trembling violently.] Oh Lord! oh Lord! oh Lord!

Ald. Eh! why, Dickory! Zounds, blockhead, what's the matter with you! you look as sacred as if you had seen a ghost?

Dic. That be it; you've hit it, 'squire by Jove.-It be he! I'll swear to un-I knows un by the turn o' his nose. Oh dear! oh dear! that ever I should ha' lived to see a ghost!

Ald. See a ghost, dolt !-he's at it again-he's breaking out in fresh places-have you seen Mr. Nicodemus, sirrah?

Dic. Na, but I ha' seen his apparition. It be quite indecent and unnatural in un not to rest quiet, now he's dead, like a proper Christian gentleman.

Ald. Can the fellow really be serious? I am confounded. Geo. A ghost! is the gentleman a ghost? Oh dear, I'm sure I can never bring myself to marry a ghost, Pa.

Lav I may profit by this. [Aside.] Well, I declare I thought he was something he should'nt be, by his mysterious ways; didn't you remark, coz., that, all the time he sat with us, he never opened his mouth till we forced him to it?

Dic. Na, ghosts never do speak but when they be forced to speak.

Lav. And then, didn't you remark, Georgy, dear, that he would neither eat nor drink?

Ald. Ghosts never do I don't know what to think. Stop, Dickory, what's that on the side of the candle?

Dic. Why, a large lump of tallow, to be sure; what should it be? [He knocks a piece off the candle. Ald. A lump of tallow, dog?—it's a winding-sheet! I never saw a more perfect one in my life. We'll not go to bed to-night.

Lav. But what we have already told you is not all, sir; he openly confessed he was addicted to the grave.

Ald. Addicted to the grave! my back fairly opens and shuts.

Dic. Depend upon it, he has summat on his mind. I shouldn't wonder if he hadn't been privately murdered by somebody, and he come here to get him hung.

Geo. Something on his mind! Talking of that, just before he vanished up stairs, he groaned out, he had a dreadful secret to disclose to you!

Ald. To me! Mercy on me, you put me all in a cold shiver, girl.

Geo. And don't you remember, Lavinia, he said he was obliged to disappear at day-break?

Dic. Disappear at day-break! I warrant him. The moment the cock crows, he mun go bang through the key-hole. Lav. But he left his compliments, and said, he should be sure to come again to-morrow night.

Ald. Hang him! I'll have him laid in the Red Sea-I'll stop up all the key-holes-I'll exorcise him. Oh, that I did but understand Latin!

Dic. It would be o' no use, 'squire; he'd come down the chimney, dressed all in white." Ah! I knew it warn't for nothing I see'd those three ravens sitting cawing by the hedge-side to-day-caw! caw! caw! Besides that, this very morning, just as I stepped into the cellar, to get a cup of your honor's own particular October

Ald. Ah, when I was looking all over the house after you, and wanted you so

Dic. Yeas, sir-I heard a loud voice cry, Dickory Dickory-Dick-three times.

Ald. Bless us, and save us! It wasn't my voice, was it, Dickory ?

Dic. Na, squire, it were likerer to a trumpet; and just about the time the poor gentleman left off living, our great kitchen jack stopped.

Ald. It's past all doubt. Mrs. Veal's ghost itself wasn't more sure. What o'clock was it when Mr. Nic—that is, when

the ghoarrived?

-Lord bless me! that is, when IT, you know who,

Lav. Exactly twelve; midnight, sir.

Geo. Just twelve !

Ald. The very hour; they mustn't come out before twelve.
Geo. Oh, dear Papa, I never can stay alone after this.

If

Mr. Nicodemus comes haunting us at nights, in this manner, I really must marry the captain, if it's only to take care of me; so you'd better let me have him at once, Pa.

Ald. Eh, what noise is that?-Mercy on me, I hope it isn't

Dic. He be coming-He be coming, squire.
Ald. Who, Dickory ?

Dic. The ghost, sir.

Ald. Let me get out of the way. What's to be done? Dic. Get behind this screen, and I'll hide under the table. Oh gemini! here he be[Peeps under the table.]

Ald. Oh dear! oh dear! make haste! make haste! I tremble at every joint.

[Aldwinkle, Georgiana and Lavinia hide behind the screen-Aldwinkle peeps over the top, Georgiana and Lavinia at each side-Dickory peeps under the table-cloth.]

Nic. I cannot rest.

Enter NICODEMUS.

Ald. [Looking over the screen, aside.] No, I'll be bound you can't.

Dic. Poor soul!

[Aside. Nic. It must be near daybreak, I smell the morning air quite fresh-hark! there's a cock crowing. 'Tis time for me to depart.

Ald. [Aside.] Mark that.-Poor devil!

Nic. I shall not be at peace till the burial's over, and I have revealed this important secret to the family. Hark! the cock crows again. Paul will be waiting for me. Heigho! [Exit Nicodemus.

[They all creep out, watching him off with fear and

[wonder.

END OF ACT I.