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 state 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 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 impoffibly 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, nor forfake your family. you fhould defert me for the whole happiness of my life depends on my `being connected with yourfamily by the nearest and tenderest ties in the world. Sir, that I neither mean to affront it STERL. Why, did not you tell me, but a moment ago, was abfolutely impoffible for you to marry my daughter? SIR JOHN. True: But you have another daughter, SirSTERL. Well? over my SIR JOHN. Who has obtained the most abfolute dominion 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 still be allied by my union with Mifs Fanny. STERL. you STERL. Mighty fine, truly! Why, what the plague do make of us, Sir John? Do you come to market for my daughters, like servants at a statute-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, 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 excefs of my paffion for Miss 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 most adequate compensation that lies in my power. STERL. Compenfation! what compenfation can you poffibly make in fuch a cafe as this, Sir John? f SIR JOHN. Come, come, Mr. Sterling; I know you to be a man of sense, and a man of business, a man of the world. I will deal frankly with you; and you shall see 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 inconftancy 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 marraiage STERL. I agree to your waving that marriage? Impoffible, Sir John! 4. 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 thoufand, do you say? SIR JOHN. Yes, Sir; and accept of Mifs Fanny, with fifty thousand instead of fourscore. STERL. Fifty thousand SIR JOHN. Inftead of fourfcore. STERL. Why, why, there may be fomething in that. Let me fee; Fanny with fifty thousand in ftead 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 overfstocked with ready money at present; and threescore thou. fand of it, you know, is to go to pay off the present incumbrances on the estate, 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 ufe, that we might fet off with fome 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 thoufand you shall 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 i̟ duly discharged. STERL. Why to do you justice, Sir John, there is fome thing 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 ; L traordinary; fuch things happen every day; and as the world had only heard generally of a treaty between the families, when this marriage takes place, no body will be the wifer, if we have but difcretion enough to keep our own counsel. STERL. True, true; and fince you only transfer from one girl to the other, it is no more than transferring so much ftock, you know. SIR JOHN. The very thing. STERL. Odfo! I had quite forgot. We are reckoning without our hoft here. There is another difficultySIR JOHN. You alarm me. What can that be? STERL. I cannot ftir a ftep in this business without confulting my fifter Heidelberg. The family has very great expectations from her, and we must not give her any offence. SIR JOHN. But if you come into this measure, furely fhe will be fo kind as to confent STERL. I do not know that. Betfey is her darling, and I cannot tell how far she may resent any flight that seems to be offered to her favourite niece. However, I will do the beft I can for you. You fhall go and break the matter to her firft, and by the time that I may fuppofe that your rhetoric has prevailed on her to liften to reafon, I will step in to reinforce your arguments. SIR JOHN. I will fly to her immediately; you promife affiftance? me your STERL. I do. SIR JOHN. Ten thoufand thanks for it! and now fuccefs attend me ! STERL. Harkee, Sir John !-Not a word of the thirty thousand to my fifter, Sir John. SIR JOHN. Oh, I am dumb, I am dumb. Sir. STERL. You remember it is thirty thousand. SIR JOHN. To be fure I do. STERL. But, Sir John! one thing more. My Lord must know nothing of this ftroke of friendship between us. SIR JOHN. Not for the world. alone. Let me alone! let me STERL. And when every thing is agreed, we must give each other a bond to be held fast to the bargain. SIR JOHN. To be fure. A bond by all means! a bond, or whatever you please. STERL. I fhould have thought of more conditions, he is in a humour to give me every thing. Why, what mere children are your fellows of quality; that cry for a play-thing one minute, and throw it by the next! as changeable as the weather, and as uncertain as the ftocks. Special fellows to drive a bargain! and yet they are to take care of the interest of the nation truly! Here does this whirligig man of fashion offer to give up thirty thousand pounds in hard money, with as much indifference as if it was a China orange. By this mortgage, I fhall have a hold on his Terra Firma; and if he wants more money, as he certainly will, let him have chitdren by my daughter or no, I shall have his whole estate in Well; thus it is, that a net for the benefit of my family. the children of citizens who have acquired fortunes, prove perfons of fashion; and thus it is, that perfons of fashion, who have ruined their fortunes, reduce the next generation to cits. STOCK. R. Belcour, I am rejoiced to fee you; you Mare BEL |