VAL. It is enough. Ha! Who’s here?
FRAIL. O Lord, her coming will spoil all. [To Jeremy.]
JERE. No, no, madam, he won’t know her; if he should, I can persuade him.
VAL. Scandal, who are these? Foreigners? If they are, I’ll tell you what I think,—get away all the company but Angelica, that I may discover my design to her. [Whisper.]
SCAN. I will—I have discovered something of Tattle that is of a piece with Mrs. Frail. He courts Angelica; if we could contrive to couple ’em together.—Hark’ee—[Whisper.]
MRS. FORE. He won’t know you, cousin; he knows nobody.
FORE. But he knows more than anybody. O niece, he knows things past and to come, and all the profound secrets of time.
TATT. Look you, Mr. Foresight, it is not my way to make many words of matters, and so I shan’t say much,—but in short, d’ye see, I will hold you a hundred pounds now, that I know more secrets than he.
FORE. How! I cannot read that knowledge in your face, Mr. Tattle. Pray, what do you know?
TATT. Why, d’ye think I’ll tell you, sir? Read it in my face? No, sir, ’tis written in my heart; and safer there, sir, than letters writ in juice of lemon, for no fire can fetch it out. I am no blab, sir.