PERSONS OF THE DRAMA,

AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET.

ΜΕΝ.

LORD GLOSSMORE

SIR JOHN VESEY, BART., Knight of the Guelph,

MR. VINING.

MR. STRICKLAND.

MR. LACY.

MR. D. REES.

MR. WEBSTER.

MR. MACREADY.

MR WRENCH.

MR. WALDRON.

MR. OXBERRY.

MR. O. SMITH.

MR. HOWE.

MR. GOUGH.

MR. MATHEWS.

MR. SANTER.

MR. GALLOT.

CRIMSON, Portrait-painter

GRAB, Publisher

MR. CAULFIELD.

LADY FRANKLIN, half-sister to SIR JOHN VESEY. MRS. GLOVER.

GEORGINA, daughter to SIR JOHN

CLARA, companion to LADY FRANKLIN, cousin to

EVELYN

MONEY.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

A drawing-room in SIR JOHN VESEY'S house; folding-doors at the back, which open on another drawing-room. To the right, a table, with newspapers, books, &c.; to the left, a sofa writing-table.

SIR JOHN, GEORGINA.

SIR JOHN (reading a letter edged with black).

YES, he says at two precisely. "Dear Sir John, as since the death of my sainted Maria,"-Hum!-that's his wife; she made him a martyr, and now he makes her a saint!

GEORGINA.

Well, as since her death ?

SIR JOHN (reading).

"I have been living in chambers, where I cannot so well invite ladies, you will allow me to bring Mr. Sharp, the lawyer, to read the will of the late Mr. Mordaunt (to which I am appointed executor) at your house-your daughter being the nearest relation. I shall be with you at two precisely.--Henry Graves."

GEORGINA.

And you really feel sure that poor Mr. Mordaunt has

made me his heiress?

SIR JOHN.

Ay, the richest heiress in England. Can you doubt it? Are you not his nearest relation? Niece by your poor mother, his own sister. All the time he was making this enormous fortune in India did we ever miss sending him little reminiscences of our disinterested affection? When he was last in England, and you only so high, was not my house

B

his home? Didn't I get a surfeit out of complaisance to his execrable curries and pillaws? Didn't he smoke his hookah -nasty old-that is, poor dear man-in my best drawingroom? And didn't you make a point of calling him your "handsome uncle ?"-for the excellent creature was as vain as a peacock,

And so ugly!

GEORGINA.

SIR JOHN.

The dear deceased! Alas, he was, indeed ;-like a kangaroo in a jaundice! And if, after all these marks of attachment, you are not his heiress, why then the finest feelings of our nature—the ties of blood-the principles of justice—are implanted in us in vain.

GEORGINA.

Beautiful, sir. Was not that in your last speech at the Freemasons Tavern upon the great Chimney-sweep Question?

SIR JOHN.

Clever girl! what a memory she has! Sit down, Georgy. Upon this most happy-I mean melancholy— occasion, I feel that I may trust you with a secret. You see this fine house-our fine servants-our fine plateour fine dinners: every one thinks Sir John Vesey a rich

man.

GEORGINA.

And are you not, papa?

SIR JOHN.

Not a bit of it-all humbug, child-all humbug, upon my soul! As you hazard a minnow to hook in a trout, so one guinea thrown out with address is often the best bait for a hundred. There are two rules in life-FIRST, Men are valued not for what they are, but what they seem to be. SECONDLY, If you have no merit or money of your own, you must trade on the merits and money of other people. My father got the title by services in the army, and died penniless. On the strength of his services I got a pension of 400l. a-year; on the strength of 4007. a-year I took credit for 8007.; on the strength of 8007. a-year I married your mother with 10,000l.; on the strength of 10,0007. I took a credit for 40,000l., and paid Dicky Gossip three guineas a-week to go about everywhere calling me "Stingy Jack!"

GEORGINA.

Ha! ha! A disagreeable nickname.