Eugénie (play)

It was adapted in English by Elizabeth Griffith as The School for Rakes in 1769—a direct translation was difficult to make as Beaumarchais, despite setting the story in England, demonstrated a poor understanding of British culture and law.

Eugénie is even more concerned because she is already pregnant, and still hasn't told her father about her marriage, due to the insistence of Madame Murer and the Earl that it should be kept a secret.

The Earl complains that another of his servants, his Steward who had pretended to be the minister at his fraudulent wedding, is also feeling regrets and will probably attempt to write to Madame Murer with the truth.

Eugénie and Madame Murer are horrified at this news, and the flustered Earl quickly lies and assures everyone that the stories of him getting married are just a rumor that's going around.

Later, the Earl sneaks back into the house alone in order to talk with Drink: he instructs Drink to make sure that nobody comes to visit Eugénie or her family until after his wedding is concluded, and he specifically warns about the Baron's friend Captain Cowerly (the brother of Eugénie's fiancé Cowerly.)

The Baron is outraged by this news; just when he's beginning to calm down, Madame Murer enters and scolds him for his behavior and argues for the merits of the Earl.

When the Earl arrives at Madame Murer's request, he brings along a companion he had rescued from an attack in the street—this man, it turns out, is Eugénie's brother Sir Charles.

The final act occurs very early in the morning; the family has been up all night fretting over Eugénie's condition, and they even seem to fear that she may die from grief.

She is able to emerge from her room, in a weakened state, to try to convince Sir Charles not to fight the Earl—she insists that she'd rather be known as a "foresworn wretch" than to see the Earl harmed.

Later, to their surprise, the Earl forces his way into the house and throws himself at Eugénie's feet: he declares that he loves her and has done everything in his power to set things right, including admitting to his uncle all that he's done, and calling off the other wedding.

Initially Eugénie seems to be so near death that she hasn't even heard him, but at last she gathers "what bits of energy remain" to reply with a rejection of his offer for marriage: she has been too badly mistreated to ever forgive him.