Crime & punishment > Peveril of the peak, or, The days of Charles II

<0 PEVERIL OF THE PEAK. Act III.
Duke. Tell him to call some three hours hence.'
Damn his politic pate, that would make all men |
dance after his pipe;
Chris. (Entering the apartment as his Grace con-;
eludes.) I thank you for the compliment, my lord, j
It is precisely my present object to pipe to you, and :
you may dance to your own profit if you will.
Duke. You use but little ceremony, Master Chris-;
tian. At present, matters of importance—some love j
passages, Jerningham—
Chris. C Coolly seating himself.) I will wait your
Grace’s leisure.
Duke. Sir, as the evil must be endured, the sooner'
it concludes the better:—so proceed.
Chris. What I have to say must be between our- ;
selves.
Duke. Jemingham, retire. Look to those mat-;
ters that I spoke of. Also, my George, order my i
equipage.—(Jerningham exit.)—And now, Mas-
ter Christian, may I crave your pleasure ?
Chris. (Looking intentively upon the Duke.) ,
Your Grace can guess the purpose of my visit.
Duke. State it at once, and save my Grace the-
toil of guessing.
Chris. Our plot for the destruction of the woman!: f
of Derby has failed; and certain papers of your ;
lordship’s have, most untowardly, come into her p
possession.
Duke. What say you ? it cannot be!
Chris. Nay more: those papers are in London;
and, unless a swift preventive is devised, may meet .
the eyes of a fair French lady, whose influence with p
his Majesty is seldom favourable to your Grace’s ,
views.
Duke. The devil speed her, a mercenary jade! If
she gains possession of those letters, she shakes my ,
interest to the centre; and shall the crest of Buck-;