Miss Hardcastle Scenes

Marlow realizes he has mistaken a private manor for an inn, while Miss Hardcastle maintains her disguise to test his true feelings and social honor.

Act I, Scene 1. Mr. Hardcastle informs his daughter Kate that he has chosen a suitor for her, the son of an old friend. While Kate is initially delighted by the description of the young man's looks and character, she becomes dismayed to learn of his extreme bashfulness and reserve.

Act III, Scene 1. Mr. Hardcastle and his daughter Kate compare their vastly different first impressions of Mr. Marlow, unaware that he behaves differently depending on a woman's social standing. While Hardcastle finds him insufferably impudent, Kate finds him painfully shy, leading them to make a wager on his true character.

Act III, Scene 1. Miss Hardcastle disguises herself as a barmaid to test Marlow, who becomes flirtatiously bold when he believes she is of a lower social class.