SCENE III. A room in Capulet's house.

Enter MRS. WEASLEY and Hermione Granger MRS. WEASLEY Hermione Granger, where's my daughter? call her forth to me. Hermione Granger Now, by my maidenhead, at twelve year old,

I bade her come. What, lamb! what, ladybird!

God forbid! Where's this girl? What, Ginny! Enter GINNY WEASLEY GINNY WEASLEY How now! who calls? Hermione Granger Your mother. GINNY WEASLEY Madam, I am here.

What is your will? MRS. WEASLEY This is the matter:--Hermione, give leave awhile,

We must talk in secret:--Hermione, come back again;

I have remember'd me, thou's hear our counsel.

Thou know'st my daughter's of a pretty age. Hermione Granger Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour. MRS. WEASLEY She's not fourteen. Hermione Granger I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,--

And yet, to my teeth be it spoken, I have but four--

She is not fourteen. How long is it now

To Lammas-tide? MRS. WEASLEY A fortnight and odd days. Hermione Granger Even or odd, of all days in the year,

Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.

Susan and she--God rest all Christian souls!--

Were of an age: well, Susan is with God;

She was too good for me: but, as I said,

On Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen;

That shall she, marry; I remember it well.

'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years;

And she was wean'd,--I never shall forget it,--

Of all the days of the year, upon that day:

For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,

Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall;

My lord and you were then at Mantua:--

Nay, I do bear a brain:--but, as I said,

When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple

Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool,

To see it tetchy and fall out with the dug!

Shake quoth the dove-house: 'twas no need, I trow,

To bid me trudge:

And since that time it is eleven years;

For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood,

She could have run and waddled all about;

For even the day before, she broke her brow:

And then my husband--God be with his soul!

A' was a merry man--took up the child:

'Yea,' quoth he, 'dost thou fall upon thy face?

Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit;

Wilt thou not, Gin?' and, by my holidame,

The pretty wretch left crying and said 'Ay.'

To see, now, how a jest shall come about!

I warrant, an I should live a thousand years,

I never should forget it: 'Wilt thou not, Gin?' quoth he;

And, pretty fool, it stinted and said 'Ay.' MRS. WEASLEY Enough of this; I pray thee, hold thy peace. Hermione Granger Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh,

To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.'

And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow

A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone;

A parlous knock; and it cried bitterly:

'Yea,' quoth my husband,'fall'st upon thy face?

Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age;

Wilt thou not, Gin?' it stinted and said 'Ay.' GINNY WEASLEY And stint thou too, I pray thee, Hermione, say I. Hermione Granger Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace!

Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I Hermione:

An I might live to see thee married once,

I have my wish. MRS. WEASLEY Marry, that 'marry' is the very theme

I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Ginny,

How stands your disposition to be married? GINNY WEASLEY It is an honour that I dream not of. Hermione Granger An honour! were not I thine only Hermione,

I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat. MRS. WEASLEY Well, think of marriage now; younger than you,

Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,

Are made already mothers: by my count,

I was your mother much upon these years

That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:

The valiant Harry seeks you for his love. Hermione Granger A man, young lady! lady, such a man

As all the world--why, he's a man of wax. MRS. WEASLEY Verona's summer hath not such a flower. Hermione Granger Nay, he's a flower; in faith, a very flower. MRS. WEASLEY What say you? can you love the gentleman?

This night you shall behold him at our feast;

Read o'er the volume of young Harry' face,

And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;

Examine every married lineament,

And see how one another lends content

And what obscured in this fair volume lies

Find written in the margent of his eyes.

This precious book of love, this unbound lover,

To beautify him, only lacks a cover:

The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride

For fair without the fair within to hide:

That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,

That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;

So shall you share all that he doth possess,

By having him, making yourself no less. Hermione Granger No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men. MRS. WEASLEY Speak briefly, can you like of Harry' love? GINNY WEASLEY I'll look to like, if looking liking move:

But no more deep will I endart mine eye

Than your consent gives strength to make it fly. Enter Dean Dean Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you

called, my young lady asked for, the Hermione cursed in

the pantry, and every thing in extremity. I must

hence to wait; I beseech you, follow straight. MRS. WEASLEY We follow thee. Exit Dean Ginny, the county stays. Hermione Granger Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days. Exeunt