preposterous fiction, or do you suppose the law will listen to it?

_Falk._ Ay, sir; the law _will_ listen to it, _shall_ listen to it. _I_,
sir, can prove the fact, beyond even the hesitation of incredulity!

_Lord A._ You!

_Falk._ I. You have seen me hitherto a poor man and oppressed me; you
see me now rich and powerful, and well prepared to punish your villany;
and thus, in every instance, may oppression recoil on the oppressor.

_Lord A._ Then I am indeed undone!

_O'Ded._ Shall I call the officers now, my lord? Mr. Austencourt, I
should say; I ask pardon for the blunder: and now, ladies and gentlemen,
be pleased to hear me speak. This extraordinary discovery is just
exactly what I _did not_ expect. It is true I had a bit of a discovery
of my own to make: for I find that the habits of my profession though
they haven't led me to commit acts of knavery, have too often induced me
to _wink_ at them. Therefore as his quandam lordship has now _certainly_
lost Miss Helen, I hope he'll have no objection to do justice in another
quarter. [_Exit._

_Sir R._ Oh, Charles! my much injured nephew! how shall I ever dare to
look upon you more?

_Charles._ Nay, nay, sir, I am too brimful of joy at my opening
prospects here (_taking Helen's hand_) to cherish any other feeling than
forgiveness and good humour. Here is my hand, sir, and with it I pledge
myself to oblivion of _all_ the past, except the acts of kindness I have
received from you.

_Sir W._ That's a noble generous young dog--My lady Worret, I wonder
whether he'll offer to marry Helen now?

_Lady W._ Of course, after what has passed, you'll think it decent to
refuse for a short time: but you are the best judge, sir Willoughby, and
your will shall in future be mine--

_Sir W._ Shall it--that's kind--then I _will_ refuse him to please you:
for when you're so reasonable, how can I do otherwise than oblige you.

_Lady W._ (_aside._) Leave me alone to manage him still.

_Enter_ O'Dedimus, _introducing_ Fanny.

_Lord A._ (_seeing Fanny._) Ah, traitor!

_O'Ded._ Traitor back again into your teeth, my master! and since you've
neither pity for the poor innocent, nor compassion for the little blunt
gentleman her father, 'tis time to spake out and to tell you that
instead of a sham priest and a sham license for your deceitful marriage
as you bid me, _I_ have sarved the cause of innocence and my own soul,
by procuring a _real_ priest and a _real_ license, and by