Mrs. Love. Commands!

-I have no commands, sir.

Love. I have an appointment there at my banker's, -Sir Brilliant, you know old Discount?

Sir Bril. What, he that was in parliament ?

Love. The same.-Entire Butt, I think, was the name of the borough.-Ha! ha! ha!-Can I set you down any where, Sir Brilliant?

Sir Bril. Can you give me a cast in St. James's-street? Love. By all means- -Allons-Mrs. Lovemore, your most obedient, ma'am.-Who waits there?-Mrs. Lovemore, no ceremony-your servant. [Exit, singing.

Sir Bril. Ma'am, you see I don't carry Mr. Lovemore abroad now-I have the honour, ma'am, to take my leave-I shall have her, I see plainly ;-Sir Brilliant, mind your hits, and your business is done. [Aside.] Ma'am, your most obedient.

Enter MUSLIN, hastily.

Mus. Did you call, ma'am?

[Exit.

Mrs. Love. To be insulted thus by his loose confident carriage !

Mus. As I live and breathe, ma'am, if I was as you, I would not flutter myself about it.

Mrs. Love. About what?

Mus. La! what signifies mincing matters?—I over

heard it all.

Mrs. Love. You did!—did you?

Mus. Ma'am !

[Angrily.

is

Mrs. Love. It does not signify at present. Mus. No, ma'am, it does not signify, and revenge sweet, I think; and, by my troth! I don't see why you should stand on ceremony with a husband that stands upon none with you.

Mrs, Love. Again!-Pr'ythee, Mrs. Malapert, none of your advice. How dare you talk in this manner to me? Let me hear no more of this impertinent freedom.

[Walks about.

Mus. No, ma'am.-It's very well, ma'am.-I have done, ma'am.- [Disconcerted, and then she speaks aside.]-What the devil is here to do?-An unmannerly thing, to go for to huff me in this manner!

Mrs. Love. [Still walking about.] To make his character public, and render him the subject of every teatable throughout this town, would only serve to widen the breach, and, instead of his neglect, might call forth his anger, and settle at last into a fixed aversion.Lawyers, parting, and separate maintenance, would ensue.-No,—I must avoid that,-if possible, I will avoid that.-What must be done?

Mus. What can she be thinking of now?-The sulky thing, not to be more familiar with such a friend as I am!-What can she mean?Did you speak to me, ma'am?

Mrs. Love. Suppose I were to try that!-Muslin.
Mus. Ma'am !-Now for it-

Mrs. Love. You heard Sir Brilliant deny that Mr. Lovemore visits at this Widow Bellmour's.

Mus. Lard, ma'am, he is as full of fibs as a French milliner, he does visit there,-I know it all from Wilfiam,—I'll be hang'd in my own garters, if he does not. Mrs. Love. I know not what to do!-Heigho!-Let my chair be got ready instantly.

Mus. Your chair, ma'am !-Are you going out, ma'am?

Mrs. Love. Don't tease me with your talk, but do as I bid you, and bring my cloak down to the parlour immediately.-Heigho! [Exit. Mus. What is in the wind now!-An ill-natured puss, not to tell me what she is about.-It's no matter,she does not know what she is about.-Before I'd lead such a life as she does, I'd take a lover's leap into Rosamond's pond.-I love to see company, for my part, and not to be mop'd to death here with her humdrum ways-tease, tease, tease-" Heigho! Muslin, go to

William-where's his master?-when did he come home?-how long has he been up?-how does he do?" with the same thing over and over again, to the end of the chapter.-A fine life, indeed, for a person that has such fine spirits as I have by nature; it's enough to ruin my constitution. I love to see company, for my part.Bless me! I had like to have forgot, there's that Mrs. Marmalet comes to my rout to-night.—I had as lieve she had stay'd away-She's nothing but mere lumber— so formal-she won't play above shilling whist: who the devil does she think is to make a shilling party for her? No such thing to be done now-a-days—nobody plays shilling whist now, unless I was to send for the trades-people-but I sha'n't let myself down at that rate for Madam Marmalet, I promise you.

[Exit,

Sir Bash. Did not I hear a knock at the door?—Yes, yes, I did the coach is just driving away.-Ay, ay, I am right enough-Sideboard! Sideboard!-come hither, Sideboard!—I must know who it is. My wife keeps the best company in England-but I must be cautious-servants love to peep into the bottom of their master's secrets.

Enter SIDEBOARD.

Whose coach was that at the door just now?

Side. The Duchess of Hurricane's, please your ho

nour.

Sir Bash. The Duchess of Hurricane's!-a woman of great rank. The Duchess of Hurricane, Sideboard!

What did she want?

Side. I can't say, your honour

-She left this card.

Sir Bash. A card!-Let me see it.—

[Reads.

The Duchess of Hurricane's compliments to Lady Constant; she has left the rooks, and the country squires, and the crows, and the fox-hunters, and the hounds, to their own dear society for the rest of the winter; and lets her ladyship know, that she sees company, at Hurricane House, on Wednesdays, for the remainder of the season.

Make me thankful! Here's a card from a duchess! [Aside.] What have you in your hand?

Side. Cards that have been left here all this moruing, your honour.

Sir Bash. All the morning!-Why, I may as wellmay as well keep the Coach and Horses in Piccadilly— I won't bear this, Sideboard; I can't bear it-[Aside.] Ha ha ha!-Let me see,-let me see !

Side. There, your honour.

[Gives the cards. Sir Bash. What! all these this morning, Sideboard? Side. Yes, please your honour.

Sir Bash. This is too much, Sideboard-it is too much, indeed! Ha! ha! ha! [Aside.] I can't bear it, Sideboard!—No, no,-I cannot bear it.-Ha! ha! ha! [Aside.] Make me thankful! All people of tiptop condition to visit my wife. Ha! ha! ha!

Enter FURNISH.

What's the matter, Furnish?

Fur. Nothing, sir; nothing's the matter.

[Aside,

Sir Bash. What are you about? Where are you go. ing? What have you to do now?

Fur. To do, sir?-Only to tell the chairmen they must go out with the chair this evening, and Black

George with a flambeau before them, to pay some visits, that's all.

Sir Bash. What polite ways people of fashion have of being intimate with one another!-An empty chair to return visits for her!-I can't help laughing at it.— Ha ha ha!-I like to see her do like other people. [Aside.] But I shall be found out by my servantsI tell you, Sideboard, and I tell you too, Mrs. Impertinence, that my lady leads a life of folly, and noise, and hurry, and cards, and dice, and absurdity, and nonsense; and I won't bear it-I am resolv'd I will not.-I think I hear her coming! I do—I do.—I will not go on this way! and now, I'll tell her roundly a piece of my mind.

Enter LADY CONSTANT.

She looks charmingly to-day! [Aside.] So, my Lady Constant-I have had my house full of duns again to-day. Lady Con. Obliging creatures, to call so often!What did they want?

Sir Bash. What did they want!—They wanted their money.

Lady Con. Well, and you paid them—did not you? Sir Bash. I pay them!-'Sdeath, madam! what do you take me for?

Lady Con. I took you for a husband, but I find I was mistaken.

Sir Bash. Death and fire!-I see you're an ungrateful woman-I am sure, my Lady Constant, I have behav'd with great good-nature to you.-Did not I go into parliament, madam, to please you?-Did not I go and get drunk at a borough for a month together; ay, and mobbed at the George and Vulture, and pelted and horse-whipp'd the day before election, and all this, to please you?-Did not I stand up in the House to make a speech merely to gratify your pride?-And did not I expose myself there?-Did I know whether I