Roger. And wouldst thou if thou couldst?
Hester. Aye, if I could; but yet these broken lives,
Cracked by my fall, no putty will make whole.
Roger. Yet canst thou veil my ruin, and o'er me hang
The drapery of silence. Dost consent?
Hester. Aye, but how?
Roger. But swear to me thou wilt conceal my name,
Nor ever claim relationship with me,
Until I bid thee.
Hester. Wherefore the vow?
Roger. Because I wish it;
Perhaps, because I would not bear the scorn,
The petty taunts, the contumelious looks,
That ever greet the cuckold husband.
Hester. Then will I take the oath.
Roger. Swear by the book, and also by the babe,
Never to breathe my rightful name;
Never to claim me as thy husband;
Never to leave this place.
Hester. Wherefore not leave the place?