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

Riv. Sir Harry, let me afk you one question before you make your confequence.

SIR HAR. A thousand, if you please, Sir.

Riv. Why then, Sir, let me ask you, what you have ever obferved 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. And fo I do, Sir; a man of the niceft ho

nour.

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.

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 figned

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RIV. Why, this is mending matters with a witnefs? And 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 muft not be infulted with any farther repetition of your propofals.

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

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Riv. Sir Harry, I fhould confider the offer of a kingdom an infult, if it was to be purchased by the violation of word: Befides, though my daughter fhall never go a beggar to the arms of her husband, I would rather fee her happy than rich; and if fhe has enough to provide handfomely for a young family, and fomething to fpare for the exigences of a worthy friend, I fhall think her as affluent as if fhe 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 fonin-law; for a union of interefts I look upon as a union of dishonour, and confider a marriage for money, at best, but a legal proftitution.

CHAP. VI.

FALSE DELICACY.

SIR JOHN MELVIL AND STERLING.

STERL. WHAT 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 fo readily to all your proposals, as well as received fo may inftances of your cheerful 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 business 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 Jame conditions I agree to receive you as a fon-in-law; and

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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 uneafinefs has arifen than you are aware of. I am myself, at this inftant, in a ftate of inexpreffible embarraffment; Mifs Sterling, I know, is extremely difconcerted too; and unlefs you will oblige me with the affiftance of your friendship, I foresee the fpeedy progrefs of difcontent 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 Miss Sterling.

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

SIR JOHN. Be affured, Sir, that I neither mean to affront, nor forsake 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 also apprised of it; and if you will but give a fanction to my prefent addreffes, the uncommon merit of Mifs Sterling will no doubt recommend her to a perfon of equal, if not fuperior rank to myfelf, and our families may fill be allied by my union with Mifs Fanny. STERL.

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STERL. Mighty fine, truly! Why what the plague. do 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 houfe, like the Grand Seignior, and throw the handkerchief firft to one, and then to t'other, juft 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 disrefpect to any part of your family; and even now I am defirous to atone for my tranfgreffion, by making the most adequate compensation that lies in my power.

STERL. Compensation! what compensation can you posfibly make in fuch à cafe as this, Sir John?

SIR JOHN. Come, come, Mr. Sterling; I know you to be a man of fenfe, 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 measures for my own gratification, without endeavouring to make it advantageous to you.

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

SIR JOHN. I will tell you, Sir. You know that by the articles at prefent 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!

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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, inftead of fourfcore.

STERL. Fifty thousand

SIR JOHN. Inftead of fourscore.

STERL. Why, why, there may be fomething in that. Let me fee; Fanny with fifty thousand inftead of Betfey, with fourscore. 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 over-stocked with ready money at prefent; and threescore thousand of it, you know, is to go to pay off the prefent incumbrances on the eftate, Sir John.

SIR JOHN. That objection is easily 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 fet off with some little eclat on our marriage; and the other ten for his own. Ten thousand pounds therefore I shall be able to pay you immediately; and for the remaining twenty thousand you shall have a mortgage on that part of the estate which is to be made over to me, with whatever security you fhall 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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