Mrs. Somers: "For shame!"
Campbell: "You began it."
Mrs. Somers, to Mrs. Curwen; who approaches her sofa: "You are kindness itself, Mrs. Curwen, to come on such a day." The ladies press each other"s hands.
IV
_MRS. CURWEN and the OTHERS_
Mrs. Curwen: "You are goodness in person, Mrs. Somers, to say so."
Campbell: "And I am magnanimity embodied. Let me introduce myself, Mrs.
Curwen!" He bows, and Mrs. Curwen deeply courtesies.
Mrs. Curwen: "I should never have known you."
Campbell, melodramatically, to Mrs. Somers: "Tea, ho! for Mrs.
Curwen--impenetrably disguised as kindness."
Mrs. Curwen: "What shall I say to him?"
Mrs. Somers, pouring the tea: "Anything you like, Mrs. Curwen. Aren"t we to see Mr. Curwen to-day?"
Mrs. Curwen, taking her tea: "No, I"m his insufficient apology. He"s detained at his office--business."
Campbell: "Then you see they don"t _all_ come, Mrs. Somers."
Mrs. Curwen: "All what?"
Campbell: "Oh, all the--heroes."
Mrs. Curwen: "Is that what he was going to say, Mrs. Somers?"
Mrs. Somers: "You never can tell what he"s going to say."
Mrs. Curwen: "I should think you would be afraid of him."
Mrs. Somers, with a little shrug: "Oh no; he"s quite harmless. It"s just a little way he has." To Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Bemis, and Dr. Lawton, who all appear together: "Ah, how do you do? So glad to see you! So very kind of you! I didn"t suppose _you_ would venture out.
And you too, Doctor?" She begins to pour out tea for them, one after another, with great zeal.
V
_DR. LAWTON, MR. and MRS. MILLER, YOUNG MR. and MRS. BEMIS, and the OTHERS_
Dr. Lawton: "Yes, I too. It sounded very much as if I were Brutus also."
He stirs his tea and stares round at the company. "It seems to me that I have met these conspirators before. That"s what makes Boston insupportable. You"re always meeting the same people!"
Campbell: "We all feel it as keenly as you do, Doctor."
Lawton, looking sharply at him: "Oh! _you_ here? I might have expected it. Where is your aunt?"
VI
_MRS. CRASHAW and the OTHERS_
Mrs. Crashaw, appearing: "If you mean me, Dr. Lawton--"
Lawton: "I do, my dear friend. What company is complete without you?"
Mrs. Somers, reaching forward to take her hand, while with her disengaged hand she begins to pour her a cup of tea: "None in _my_ house."
Mrs. Crashaw: "Very pretty." Taking her tea. "I hope it isn"t complete, either, without the English painter you promised us."
Mrs. Somers: "No, indeed! And a great many other people besides. But haven"t you met him yet? I supposed Mrs. Roberts--"
Mrs. Crashaw: "Oh, I don"t go to _all_ of Agnes"s fandangoes. I was to have seen him at Mrs. Wheeler"s--he is being asked everywhere, of course--but he didn"t come. He sent his father and mother instead. They were very nice old people, but they hadn"t painted his pictures."
Lawton: "They might say his pictures would never have been painted without them."
Bemis: "It was like Heine"s going to visit Rachel by appointment. She wasn"t in, but her father and mother were; and when he met her afterwards he told her that he had just come from a show where he had seen a curious monster advertised for exhibition--the offspring of a hare and a salmon. The monster was not to be seen at the moment, but the showman said here was monsieur the hare and madame the salmon."
Mrs. Roberts: "What in the world did Rachel say?"
Lawton: "Ah, that"s what these brilliant anecdotes never tell. And I think it would be very interesting to know what the victim of a witticism has to say."
Mrs. Curwen: "I should think you would know very often, Doctor."
Lawton: "Ah, now I should like to know what the victim of a compliment says!"
Mrs. Curwen: "He bows his thanks." Dr. Lawton makes a profound obeisance, to which Mrs. Curwen responds in burlesque.
Miller: "We all envy you, Doctor."
Mrs. Miller: "Oh yes. Mrs. Curwen never makes a compliment without meaning it."
Mrs. Curwen: "I can"t say that quite, my dear. I should be very sorry to mean all the civil things I say. But I never flatter gentlemen of a certain age."