JereNYC, thanks for your thoughtful response, as always. I certainly think the interpretation that Eliza hasn't had any lovers is a valid one. She does have a line somewhere to the effect that "I've always had men wanting me that way," but that's not the same as saying that she ever allowed them to have her :-)
So, when she says "I shouldn't mind a black eye -- I've had one before this," maybe she is referring only to having been beaten by her father, who himself refers to his having beaten Eliza when he comes to Higgins' home to try to get money out of him. (I've always cringed at these lines.) |
