Ungenerous Melesinda! I implore you to give me this one proof of your
confidence. The holy vow once past, your H. shall not have a secret to
withhold.

MELESINDA
My H. has overcome: his Melesinda shall pine away and die, before she
dare express a saucy inclination; but what shall I call you till we are
married?

MR. H.
Call me? call me any thing, call me Love, Love! aye, Love, Love will do
very well.

MELESINDA
How many syllables is it, Love?

MR. H.
How many? ud, that is coming to the question with a vengeance. One, two,
three, four,--what does it signify how many syllables?

MELESINDA
How many syllables, Love?

MR. H.

My Melesinda's mind, I had hoped, was superior to this childish
curiosity.

MELESINDA
How many letters are there in it?

[_Exit_ MR. H. _followed by_ MELESINDA _repeating the question_.]

SCENE.--_A Room in the Inn. (Two Waiters disputing._)

FIRST WAITER
Sir Harbottle Hammond, you may depend upon it.

SECOND WAITER
Sir Hardy Hardcastle, I tell you.

FIRST WAITER
The Hammonds of Huntingdonshire.

SECOND WAITER
The Hardcastles of Hertfordshire.

FIRST WAITER
The Hammonds.

SECOND WAITER
Don't tell me: does not Hardcastle begin with an H?

FIRST WAITER
So does Hammond for that matter.

SECOND WAITER
Faith, so it does if you go to spell it. I did not think of that. I
begin to be of your opinion; he is certainly a Hammond.

FIRST WAITER
Here comes Susan Chambermaid, may be she can tell.

_Enter Susan_.

BOTH
Well, Susan, have you heard any thing who the strange gentleman is?

SUSAN
Haven't you heard? it's all come out; Mrs. Guesswell, the parson's
widow, has been here about it. I overheard her talking in confidence to
Mrs. Setter and Mrs. Pointer, and she says, they were holding a sort of
_cummitty_ about it.

BOTH
What? What?

SUSAN
There can't be a doubt of it, she says, what from hisfigger and the
appearance he cuts, and his _sumpshous_ way of living, and above all
from the remarkable circumstance that his surname should begin with an
H., that he must be--

BOTH
Well, well--

SUSAN
Neither more nor less than the Prince.

BOTH
Prince!

SUSAN
The Prince of Hessy-Cassel in disguise.

BOTH
Very likely, very likely.

SUSAN
Oh, there can't be a doubt on it. Mrs. Guesswell says she knows it.

FIRST WAITER
Now if we could be sure that the Prince of Hessy what-do-you-call-him
was in England on his travels.

SECOND WAITER
Get a newspaper