There's a pair of filver candlesticks, and there's a firescreen, and here's a pair of brazen nofed bellows, perhaps you may take a fancy to them. ?

Mar. Bring me your bill, fir, bring me your bill, and let's make no more words about it.

Hard. There are a fet of prints too. What think you of the rake's progrefs for your own apartment? Mar. Bring me your bill, I fay; and I'll leave you and your infernal houfe directly.

Hard. Then there's a 'mahogany table, that you may fee your own face in.

Mar. My bill, I say.

Hard. I had forgot the great chair, for your own particular flumbers, after a hearty meal.

Mar. Zounds! bring me my bill, I fay, and let's hear no more on't.

Hard. Young man, young man, from your father's letter to me, I was taught to expect a well-bred modeft man, as a visitor here, but now I find him no better than a coxcomb and a bully; but he will be down here prefently, and fhall hear more of it. [Exit.

'Mar. How's this! Sure I have not mistaken the houfe! Every thing looks like an inn. The fervants cry, coming. The attendance is aukward; the bar maid too to attend us. But fhe's here, and will further inform me. Whither fo faft, child? A word with you:

Enter Miss HARDCASTLE.

Mifs Hard. Let it be short then. I'm in a hurry.(Afide) I believe he begins to find out his mistake, but it's too foon quite to undeceive him.

Mar. Pray, child, anfwer me one queftion. What are you, and what may your business in this house be è Mifs Hard. A relation of the family, fir.

Mar. What, a poor relation?

Mifs Hard. Yes, fir. A poor relation appointed to keep the keys, and to fee that the guests wants nothing in my power to give them.

Mar. That is, you act as the bar-maid of this inn.

Mifs Hard. Inn. O law-What brought that in your head? One of the best families in the county keep an inn! Ha, ha, ha, old Mr. Hardcastle's houfe an inn !

Mar. Mr. Hardcastle's house! Is this. houfe Mr. Hardcastle's house, child?

Mifs Hard. Ay, fure. Whofe else should it be?

Mar. So then all's out, and I have been damnably impofed on. O, confound my ftupid head, I fhall be laugh'd at over the whole town. I fhall be ftuck up in caricatura in all the print-fhops. The Dulliffimo Maccaroni. To mistake this house of all others for an inn, and my father's old friend for an inn-keeper. What a fwaggering puppy muft he take me for. What a filly puppy do I find myfelf. There again, may I be hang'd my dear, but I mistook you for the bar-maid.

Mifs Hard, Dear me ! dear me! I'm fure there's no thing in my behaviour to put me upon a level with one of that ftamp.

Mar. Nothing, my dear, nothing. But I was in for lift of blunders, and could not help making you a fub fcriber. My ftupidity faw every thing the wrong way. I miftook your affiduity for affurance, and your funplicity

for allurement. But it's over-This houfe I no more fhew my face in.

Mifs Hard. I hope, fir, I have done nothing to dif oblige you. I'm fure I fhould be forry to affront any gentleman who has been fo polite, and faid fo many civil things to me. I'm fure I fhould be forry pretending to cry) if he left the family upon my account. I'm fure I should be forry, people faid any thing amifs, since I have no fortune but my character.

Mar. (Afide) By heaven! fhe weeps. This is the firft mark of tenderness I ever had from a modeft woman, and it touches me. (To ber) Excufe me, my lovely girl,. you are the only part of the family I leave with reluctance. But to be plain with you, the difference of our birth, fortune, and education, make an honourable connexion impoffible; and I can never harbour a thought of feducing fimplicity that trufted in my honour, of bringing ruin upon one, whofe only fault was being too lovely.

Mifs Hard. (Afide) Generous man ! I now begin to admire him. (To him) But I'm fure my family is as good as Mifs Hardcaftle's, and though I'm poor, that's no great misfortune to a contented mind, and, until this mo¬ ment, I never thought that it was bad to want fortune.

Mar. And why now, my pretty fimplicity?

Mifs Hard. Because it puts me at a diftance from one, that if I had a thousand pounds. I would give it all to. Mar. (Afide) This fimplicity bewitches me, fo that if Iftay I'm undone. I must make one bold effort, and leave her. (Tober) Your partiality in my favour, my dear, touches me most fenfibly, and were I to live for myself alone, I could easily fix my choice. But I owe too much

to the opinion of the world, too much to the authority of a father, fo.that-I can scarcely speak it-it affects Farewel.

me.

[Exit. Mifs Hard. I never knew half his merit till now. He fhall not go, if I have power or art to detain him. I'll ftill preserve the character in which I ftoop'd to conquer, but will undeceive my papa, who perhaps, may laugh him out of his refolution, [Exit.

Enter TONY, MISS NEVILLE.

Tony. Ay, you may steal for yourselves the next time. I have done my duty. She has got the jewels again, that's a fure thing; but she believes it was all a mistake of the fervants.

Mifs Nev. But, my dear coufin, fure you won't forfake us in this distress. If the in the least suspects that I am going off, I fhall certainly be locked up, or sent to my aunt Pedigree's, which is ten times worse.

Tony. To be fure, aunts of all kinds are damn'd bad things. But what can I do? I have got you a pair of horfes that will fly like whistlejacket, and I'm fure you can't fay but I have courted you nicely before her face. Here the comes, we muft court a bit of two mare, for fear the fhould fufpect us.

[They retire, and feem to fondle.

Enter MRS. HARDCASTLE.

Mrs. Hard, Well, I was greatly fluttered, to be fure. But my fon tells me it was all a mistake of the fervants. Ifhan't be eafy, however, till they are fairly married, and then let her keep her own fortune, But what do I

fee! fondling together, as I'm alive. I never faw Tony fo fprightly before. Ah! have I caught you, my pretty doves! What, billing, exchanging ttolen glances, and broken murmurs. Ah!

Tony. As for murmurs, mother, we grumble a little now and then, to be fure. But there's no love loft between us.

Mrs. Hard. A mere fprinkling, Tony, upon the flame only to make it burn brighter.

Mifs Nev. Coufin Tony promifes to give us more of his company at home. Indeed, he shan't leave us any more. It won't leave us coufin Tony, will it?

Tony. Oh! it's a pretty creature. No, I'd fooner leave my horse in a pound, than leave you when you smile upon one fo. Your laugh makes you fo becoming.

Mifs Nev. Agreeable coufin! Who can help admiring that natural humour, that pleasant broad, red, thoughtlefs, (patting his cheek) ah! it's a bold face.

Mrs. Hard. Pretty innocence.

Tony. I'm fure I always lov'd coufin Con's hazle eyes, and her pretty long fingers, that she twifts this way and that, over the haspicholl's, like a parcel of bobbins.

Mrs. Hard. Ah, he would charm the bird from the tree. I was never fo happy hefore. My boy takes after his father, poor Mr. Lumpkin, exactly. The jewels, my dear Con, shall be yours incontinently. You fhall have them. Isn't he a sweet boy, my dear? You fhall be married to-morrow, and we'll put off the rest of his education, like Dr. Diowfy's fermons, to a fitter opportunity,