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know, that his fortune is by no means equal to mine, therefore

RIV. Sir Harry, let me afk you one queftion before you make your confequence.

SIR HAR. A thoufand if you please, Sir.

RIV. Why then, Sir, let me ask you, what you have ever observed in me or my conduct, that you defire me fo familiarly to break my word: I thought, Sir, you confidered me as a man of honour.

SIR. HAR.

nour.

And fo I do, Sir, a man of the niceft ho

RIV. And yet, Sir, you ask me to violate the fanctity of my word; and tell me directly, that it is my intereft to be a rafcal.

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SIR HAR. I really don't understand you, Colonel: I thought when I was talking to you, I was talking to a man who knew the world; and as you have not yet fignedRiv. Why, this is mending matters with a witnefs! And fo you think because I am not legally bound, I am under no neceffity of keeping my word! Sir Harry, laws were never made for men of honour; they want no bond but the rectitude of their own fentiments, and laws are of no ufe but to bind the villains of fociety.

SIR HAR. Well! but my dear Colonel, if you have no regard for me, fhew fome little regard for your daughter.

Riv. I fhew the greatest regard for my daughter, by. giving her to a man of honour and I must not be infulted with any farther repetition of your proposals.

SIR HAR. Infult you, Colonel! Is the offer of my alliance an infult? Is my readiness to make what fettlements you think proper

Riv. Sir Harry, I fhould confider the offer of a kingdom an infult, if it was to be purchased by the violation of my word: Befides, though my daughter fhall never go a beggar to the arms of her husband, I would rather see her happy than rich; and if fhe has enough to provide handfomely for a young family, and something to spare for the exigencies of a worthy friend, I fhall think her as affluent as if she was miftrefs of Mexico.

SIR HAR. Well, Colonel, I have done; but I believeRiv. Well, Sir Harry, and as our conference is done, we will, if you please, retire to the ladies: I fhall be always glad of your acquaintance, though I cannot receive you as a fon-in-law, for a union of interest I look upon as a union of dishonour, and confider a marriage for money, at best, but a legal prostitution.

СНАР:

FALSE DELICACY.

VI

SIR JOHN MELVIL AND STERLING.

STERL.

WHA

HAT are your commands with me, Sir
John?

SIR JOHN. After having carried the negociation between our families to fo great a length, after having affented fa readily to all your propofals, as well as received fo many inftances of your chearful compliance with the demands made on our part, I am extremely concerned, Mr. Sterling, to be the involuntary caufe of any uneafinefs.

STERL. Uneafinefs! what uneafinefs? Where bufinefs is tranfacted as it ought to be, and the parties understand one another, there can be no uneafinefs. You agree, on fuch and fuch conditions, to receive my daughter for a wife; on the fame conditions I agree to receive you as a fon-in-law; and

as

as to all the reft, it follows of course, you know, as regularly as the payment of a bill after acceptance.

SIR JOHN. Pardon me, Sir; more uneafiness has arifen than you are aware of. I am myself, at this inftant, in a ftate of inexpreffible embarrassment; Mifs Sterling, I know, is extremely difconcerted too; and unless you will oblige me with the affiftance of your friendship, I foresee the speedy progress of discontent and animofity through the whole family.

STERL. What the deuce is all this? I do not understand a fingle fyllable.

SIR JOHN. In one word then, it will be abfolutely impoffible for me to fulfil my engagements in regard to Mifs Sterling.

STERL. How, Sir John? Do you mean to put an affront upon my family? What! refuse to

SIR JOHN. Be affured, Sir, that I neither mean to affront, nor forfake your family. My only fear is, that you should defert me; for the whole happiness of my life depends on my being connected with your family by the nearest and tendereft ties in the world.

STERL. Why, did not you tell me, but a moment ago, it was abfolutely impoffible for you to marry my daughter? SIR JOHN. True: But you have another daughter, SirSTERL. Well?

SIR JOHN. Who has obtained the most abfolute dominion over my heart. I have already declared my paffion to her; nay, Mifs Sterling herself is alfo apprised of it, and if you will but give a fanction to my present addreffes, the uncommon merit of Miss Sterling will no doubt recommend her to a perfon of equal, if not fuperior rank to myself, and our families may ftill be allied by my union with Miss Fanny.

STERL.

STERL. Mighty fine, truly! Why, what the plague de you make of us, Sir John? Do you come to market for my daughters, like fervants at a ftatute-fair? Do you think that I will fuffer you, or any man in the world to come into my house, like the Grand Signior, and throw the handkerchief first to one, and then to t'other, just as he pleases ? Do you think I drive a kind of African flave-trade with them? and

SIR JOHN. A moment's patience, Sir! Nothing but the excess of my paffion for Mifs Fanny should have induced me to take any step that had the least appearance of disrespect to any part of your family; and even now I am defirous to atone for my tranfgreffion, by making the moft adequate compenfation that lies in my power.

STERL. Compensation! what compenfation can you posfibly make in such a cafe as this, Sir John.

SIR JOHN. Come, come Mr. Sterling; I know you to, be a man of fense, and a man of business, a man of the world. I will deal frankly with you; and you fhall fee that I do not defire a change of meafures for my own gratification, without endeavouring to make it advantageous to you.

STERL. What advantage can your inconftancy be to me, Sir John ?

SIR JOHN. I will tell you, Sir. You know that by the articles at present fubfifting between us, on the day of my marriage with Mifs Sterling, you agree to pay down the grofs fum of eighty thousand pounds.

STERL. Well!

SIR JOHN. Now if you will but confent to my waving that marriage

STERL. I agree to your waving that marriage? Impoffible, Sir John!

SIR JOHN. I hope not, Sir; as on my part, I will agree to wave my right to thirty thousand pounds of the fortune I was to receive with her.

STERL. Thirty thousand, do you say?

SIR JOHN. Yes, Sir; and accept of Mifs Fanny with fifty thousand, instead of fourfcore.

STERL. Fifty thousand

SIR JOHN. Inftead of fourfcore.

STERL. Why, why, there may be fomething in that. Let me fee; Fanny with fifty thousand inftead of Betfey with fourfcore. But how can this be, Sir John? For you know I am to pay this money into the hands of my Lord Ogleby;

who, I believe, betwixt you and me, Sir John, is not overftocked with ready money at prefent; and threescore thoufand of it, you know, is to go to pay off the prefent incumbrances on the eftate, Sir John.

SIR JOHN. That objection is eafily obviated. Ten of the twenty thousand, which would remain as a furplus of the fourscore, after paying off the mortgage, was intended by his Lordship for my use, that we might set off with some little eclat on our marriage; and the other ten for his own. Ten thousand pounds therefore I fhall be able to pay you immediately; and for the remaining twenty thousand you fhall have a mortgage on that part of the estate which is to be made over to me, with whatever fecurity you shall require for the regular payment of the intereft, till the principal is duly discharged.

STERL. Why to do you juftice, Sir John, there is fomething fair and open in your propofal; and fince I find you do not mean to put an affront upon the family.

SIR JOHN. Nothing was ever farther from my thoughts, Mr. Sterling. And after all, the whole affair is nothing extraordinary;

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