Wealthy countryman Mr. Hardcastle arranges for
his daughter Kate to meet Charles Marlow, the son
of a wealthy Londoner,hoping the pair will marry.
Unfortunately Marlow is nervous around upper-class
women, yet the complete opposite around lower-class
females. On his first acquaintance with Kate, the
latter realises she will have to pretend to be common,
or Marlow will not woo her. Thus Kate stoops to
conquer, by posing as a maid, hoping to put Marlow
at his ease so he falls for her. Marlow sets out for the
Hardcastle's manor with a friend, George Hastings,
an admirer of Miss Constance Neville, another
young lady who lives with the Hardcastles. During
the journey the two men become lost and stop at
an alehouse, The Three Pigeons, for directions.
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  Tony Lumpkin, Kate's half-brother and cousin to Constance, comes across the two strangers at the alehouse and, realising their identity, plays a practical joke by telling them that they are a long way from their destination and will have to stay overnight at an inn. The "inn" he directs them to is in fact the home of the Hardcastles. When they arrive, the Hardcastles, who have been expecting them, go out of their way to make them welcome. However, Marlow and Hastings, believing themselves in an inn, behave extremely disdainfully towards their hosts. Hardcastle bears their unwitting insults with forbearance, because of his friendship with the father.
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  Kate learns of her suitor's shyness from Constance and a servant tells her about Tony's trick. She decides to masquerade as a serving-maid (changing her accent and garb) in order to get to know him. Marlow falls in love with her and plans to elope with her but, because she appears of a lower class, acts in a somewhat bawdy manner around her. All misunderstandings are resolved by the end, thanks to an appearance by Sir Charles Marlow.
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  The main sub-plot is that of the secret romance between Constance and Hastings. Constance needs her jewels, an inheritance, that are guarded by Tony's mother, Mrs. Hardcastle; the latter wants Constance to marry her son to keep the jewels in the family. Tony despises the thought of marrying Constance—he prefers a barmaid at the alehouse—and so agrees to steal the jewels from his mother's safekeeping for Miss Neville, so she will then flee to France with Hastings.
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  The play concludes with Kate's plan succeeding, thus she and Marlow become engaged. Tony discovers he is of "age", despite his mother not telling him so, thus he receives the money he is entitled to. He refuses to marry Constance, who then is eligible to receive her jewels and to become engaged to Hastings, which she does.

Plot