ant to know them.

JESSAMY. Come, come, my dear friend, I see that I must assume the honour
of being the director of your amusements. Nature has given us passions,
and youth and opportunity stimu late to gratify them. It is no shame,
my dear Blueskin, for a man to amuse himself with a little gallantry.

JONATHAN. Girl huntry! I don't altogether understand. I never played at
that game. I know how to play hunt the squirrel, but I can't play
anything with the girls; I am as good as married.

JESSAMY. Vulgar, horrid brute! Married, and above a hundred miles from
his wife, and think that an objection to his making love to every woman
he meets! He never can have read, no, he never can have been in a room
with a volume of the divine Chesterfield.--So you are married?

JONATHAN. No, I don't say so; I said I was as good as married, a kind of
promise.

JESSAMY. As good as married!--

JONATHAN. Why, yes; there's Tabitha Wymen, the deacon's daughter, at
home; she and I have been courting a great while, and folks say as how
we are to be married; and so I broke a piece of money with her when we
parted, and she promised not to spark it with Solomon Dyer while I am
gone. You wou'dn't have me false to my true-love, would you?

JESSAMY. Maybe you have another reason for constancy; possibly the young
lady has a fortune? Ha! Mr. Jonathan, the solid charms: the chains of
love are never so binding as when the links are made of gold.

JONATHAN. Why, as to fortune, I must needs say her father is pretty dumb
rich; he went representative for our town last year. He will give
her--let me see--four times seven is--seven times four--nought and carry
one,--he will give her twenty acres of land--somewhat rocky though--a
Bible, and a cow.

JESSAMY. Twenty acres of rock, a Bible, and a cow! Why, my dear Mr.
Jonathan, we have servant-maids, or, as you would more elegantly express
it, waitresses, in this city, who collect more in one year from their
mistresses' cast clothes.

JONATHAN. You don't say so!--

JESSAMY. Yes, and I'll introduce you to one of them. There is a little
lump of flesh and delicacy that lives at next door, waitress to Miss
Maria; we often see her on the stoop.

JONATHAN. But are you sure she would be courted by me?

JESSAMY. Never doubt it; remember a faint heart never--blisters on my
tongue--I was going to be guilty of a vile proverb; flat against the
authority of Chesterfield. I say there can be no doubt that the
bri