My boy.
ISIDORE.
[_Outside._] Gentlemen, come--come.
AGATHA POSKET.
[_To herself._] Miserable deceiver! This, then, is the club, and the wretched man conspires to drag my boy down to his own awful level.
What shall I do? I daren"t make myself known here. I know; I"ll hurry home, and if I reach there before aeneas, which I shall do, I"ll sit up for him.
_LUKYN returns._
AGATHA POSKET.
Is the cab at the door?
LUKYN.
It is.
AGATHA POSKET.
Charlotte! Charlotte!
[_Drawing her veil down._
CHARLOTTE.
I"m ready, dear. [_To VALE._] Married sisters are always a little thoughtless.
VALE.
[_Offering his arm._] Permit me.
LUKYN.
[_Offering his arm to AGATHA POSKET._] My dear madam.
_They are all four about to leave when BLOND enters hurriedly._
BLOND.
[_Holding up his hand for silence._] Hush! Hush!
LUKYN.
What"s the matter?
BLOND.
The police!
ALL.
[_In a whisper._] The police!
BLOND.
[_Quietly._] The police are downstairs at the door. I told you so.
CHARLOTTE.
[_Clinging to VALE._] Oh, dear! Oh, dear!
AGATHA POSKET.
Gracious powers!
BLOND.
Keep quiet, please. They may be satisfied with Madame Blond"s a.s.surances. I must put you in darkness; they can see the light here if they go round to the back.
[_Blows out candles, and turns down the other lights._
AGATHA POSKET AND CHARLOTTE.
Oh!
BLOND.
Keep quiet, please! My licence is once marked already. Colonel Lukyn, thank you for this.
[_He goes out._
AGATHA POSKET.
[_Whimpering._] Miserable men! What have you done? Are you criminals?
CHARLOTTE.
You haven"t deserted or anything on my account, have you, Horace?
LUKYN.
Hush! Don"t be alarmed. Our time has pa.s.sed so agreeably that we have overstepped the prescribed hour for closing the hotel. That"s all.
AGATHA POSKET.