Mr. H.  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 anything, call me Love, Love! ay 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.

1st Waiter.  Sir Harbottle Hammond, you may depend upon it.

2d Waiter.  Sir Harry Hardcastle, I tell you.

1st Waiter.  The Hammonds of Huntingdonshire.

2d Waiter.  The Hardcastles of Hertfordshire.

1st Waiter.  The Hammonds.

2d Waiter.  Don’t tell me:  does not Hardcastle begin, with an H?

1st Waiter.  So does Hammond for that matter.

2d 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.

1st Waiter.  Here comes Susan Chambermaid:  maybe she can tell.

Enter SUSAN.

Both.  Well, Susan, have you heard anything 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 a cummitty about it.

Both.  What?  What?

Susan.  There can’t be a doubt of it, she says, what from his figger 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 Hessey-Cassel in disguise.

Both.  Very likely, very likely.

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

1st Waiter.  Now if we could be sure that the Prince of Hessy what-do-you-call-him was in England on his travels.

2d Waiter.  Get a newspaper.  Look in the newspapers.