While he was thus meditating on his weary travels, which had hitherto been so useless, Dromio (as he thought) returned.  Antipholis, wondering that he came back so soon, asked him where he had left the money.  Now it was not his own Dromio, but the twin-brother that lived with Antipholis of Ephesus, that he spoke to.  The two Dromios and the two Antipholises were still as much alike as AEgeon had said they were in their infancy; therefore no wonder Antipholis thought it was his own slave returned, and asked him why he came back so soon.  Dromio replied, “My mistress sent me to bid you come to dinner.  The capon burns, and the pig falls from the spit, and the meat will be all cold if you do not come home.”  “These jests are out of season,” said Antipholis:  “where did you leave the money?” Dromio still answering, that his mistress had sent him to fetch Antipholis to dinner:  “What mistress?” said Antipholis.  “Why, your worship’s wife, sir,” replied Dromio.  Antipholis having no wife, he was very angry with Dromio, and said, “Because I familiarly sometimes chat with you, you presume to jest with me in this free manner.  I am not in a sportive humour now:  where is the money? we being strangers here, how dare you trust so great a charge from your own custody?” Dromio hearing his master, as he thought him, talk of their being strangers, supposing Antipholis was jesting, replied merrily, “I pray you, sir, jest as you sit at dinner:  I had no charge but to fetch you home, to dine with my mistress and her sister.”  Now Antipholis lost all patience, and beat Dromio, who ran home, and told his mistress that his master had refused to come to dinner, and said that he had no wife.

Adriana, the wife of Antipholis of Ephesus, was very angry, when she heard that her husband said he had no wife; for she was of a jealous temper, and she said her husband meant that he loved another lady better than herself; and she began to fret, and say unkind words of jealousy and reproach of her husband; and her sister Luciana, who lived with her, tried in vain to persuade her out of her groundless suspicions.

Antipholis of Syracuse went to the inn, and found Dromio with the money in safety there, and seeing his own Dromio, he was going again to chide him for his free jests, when Adriana came up to him, and not doubting but it was her husband she saw, she began to reproach him for looking strange upon her (as well he might, never having seen this angry lady before); and then she told him how well he loved her before they were married, and that now he loved some other lady instead of her.  “How comes it now, my husband,” said she, “O how comes it that I have lost your love?” “Plead you to me, fair dame?” said the astonished Antipholis.  It was in vain he told her he was not her husband, and that he had been in Ephesus but two hours; she insisted on his going home with her, and Antipholis at last, being unable to get away, went with her to his brother’s house, and dined with Adriana and her sister, the one calling him husband and the other brother, he, all amazed, thinking he must have been married to her in his sleep, or that he was sleeping now.  And Dromio, who followed them, was no less surprised, for the cook-maid, who was his brother’s wife, also claimed him for her husband.