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SCENE I] THE OLD BACHELOR 53
Sharp. No, 'tis gone, 'tis lost,—ten thousand devils on that
chance which drew me hither! Ay, here, just here, this
spot to me is hell; nothing to he found hut the despair of
what I've lost. \Looking about as in search.
Sir Jo. Poor gentleman!—By the Lord Harry I'll stay no
longer, for I have found too—
Sharp. Ha! who's that has found? what have you found?
restore it quickly, or by—
Sir Jo. Not I. sir, not I. as I've a soul to be saved, I
have found nothing but what has been to my loss, as I
may say, and as you were saying, sir.
Sharp. O your servant, sir, you are safe then it seems;
'tis an ill wind that blows nobody good. Well, you may
rejoice over my ill fortune, since it paid the price of your
ransom.
Sir Jo. I rejoice! egad, not I, sir; I'm very smry for your
loss, with all my heart, blood and guts, sir; and if you did
but know me, you'd ne'er say I were so ill-natured.
Sharp. Know you! why, can you be so ungrateful to forget
me?
Sir Jo. \Aside.] D Lord, forget him!—\Aloud.] No, no,
sir, I don't forget you—because I never saw your face before,
egad;—ha! ha! ha!
Sharp. How! \Angrily.
Sir Jo. Stay, stay, sir, let me recollect—\Aside.] He's
a damned angry fellow—I believe I had better remember
him, till I can get out of his sight; but out o'sight, out
o'mind, egad.
Sharp. Methought the service I did you last night, sir,
in preserving you from those ruffians, might have taken
better root in your shallow memory.
Sir Jo. [Aside.] Gads-daggers-belts-blades and scabbards,
this is the very gentleman! How shall I make him a return
suitable to the greatness of his merit? I had a pretty thing
to that purpose, if he ha'n't frightened it out of my memory.
—\Aloud.] Hem, hem, sir, I most submissively implore
your pardon for my transgression of ingratitude and omission;
having my entire dependence sir, upon the superfluity
of your goodness, which, like an inundation, will, I hope,
totally immerge the recollection of mv error, and leave me
floating in your sight upon the full-blown bladders of repentance,
by the help of which I shall once more hope to
swim into your favour. [Bows.