Scene i Summary

Rowley and Sir Oliver attempt to explain their scheme to Sir Peter. Sir Oliver will pretend to be Mr. Stanley, a relation of Joseph's and Charles's mother. "Stanley" will say that he wrote to both young men in distress; Joseph promised no immediate help, but Charles has tried to raise money for this relative despite his own financial woes. While undercover as Stanley, Sir Oliver can decipher each young Surface's "dispositions."

They meet up with Moses, a usurer who has been "helpful" in Charles's pursuit of deeper debt. Moses tells Sir Oliver that Charles was ruined before Moses even tried to work with him. On this night, Moses was supposed to introduce another man, Mr. Premium, a former broker from London, to Charles in the hopes Premium would loan money to the younger Surface.

To better fit this plan, Sir Oliver will pose as Premium rather than Stanley and accompany Moses on his appointment to meet Charles. They work out the plan's details, such as what they will tell Charles, and try to help bring Sir Oliver up to speed on money-lending terminology and interest rates.

After Moses and Sir Oliver leave, Sir Peter speaks with Maria, asking why she is not with Joseph and encouraging her to spend more time with him. She admits she feels pity for Charles even though she has heard many negative reports about him. Not getting what he wants, Sir Peter throws a fit, imagining all of the circumstances of the world are bent against him to make him miserable.

Lady Teazle returns home and asks her husband for money. They begin to argue, and Lady Teazle says she wants Sir Peter to treat her like he did when he courted her. This devolves into a debate about which one of them starts their arguments. Her behavior, Sir Peter says, makes him believe the rumors about her and Charles.

Scene ii Summary

Moses and Sir Oliver arrive at Charles's house, which used to belong to his father. A servant named Trip eventually lets them in, and they learn that Charles has several servants waiting on him, which seems like an extravagance for someone in financial trouble.

Trip says that their meager wages are often late, and it seems he has had some previous business with Moses, as he proceeds to ask about a potential discount Moses may have gotten for him. When Moses says he can't help, Trip tries to deal with him before he leads them to see Charles.

Scene iii Summary

At a table in Charles's house, Charles sits with Carless, Sir Toby Bumper, and other gentlemen, drinking wine and admonishing those who claim to have "taste" but don't drink. When Charles brings up love and lovers, the others tease him about his feelings for Maria. Sir Toby raises a glass and sings a toast to all sorts of "lasses." Charles tells the others he has to temporarily put the party on hold to meet with Moses and Premium. The men walk in, and Charles orders Trip to serve them all glasses of wine.

Careless and the other gentlemen leave to play dice in another room, and the business meeting begins. When Moses tries to introduce Premium and assure Charles of his confidentiality and trustworthiness, Charles immediately comes out with the truth: "I am an extravagant young fellow who wants to borrow money." The lenders attempt to pitch a deal to Charles: Premium says he can probably get money from a friend to loan to Charles, but the friend is a terrible person. That friend will also have to...