[_Looking at LILY._] Lil.
LILY.
Yes, mother?
MRS. UPJOHN.
"Ave another cup o" tea, won"t you?
LILY.
No.
MRS. UPJOHN.
"Nother bit o" toast, then?
LILY.
No.
MRS. UPJOHN.
Smoke a cigarette.
LILY.
No.
MRS. UPJOHN.
You always _do_ "ave a w"iff after your breakfast. Come!
LILY.
No.
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Rising and walking away._] Oh, dear; oh, dear! Deuce take Carlton Smythe an" "is supper party-- those are _my_ sentiments; _an"_ Lal Roper, busybody that "e is! Things were goin" on with us as smooth an"
peaceful as could be, before this upset.
LILY.
[_Raising herself, angrily._] _You_ were in it, mother; you"re as much to blame as anybody.
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Halting._] "Ow _in_ it?
LILY.
In Uncle Lal"s artful plan to prevent Nicko from being invited. You"ve confessed you were.
MRS. UPJOHN.
Lal twisted me round "is little finger. I was clay in the porter"s "and, as your dad was fond of sayin".
LILY.
[_Changing her position._] If only Nicko had been there, I shouldn"t have given young Farncombe all those dances, nor wandered about with him in the intervals, nor allowed him to see me home. It all simply wouldn"t, _couldn"t_ have happened. [_Hitting a cushion._] Oh!
[_Sitting up and embracing her knees._] Mother----!
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Behind the settee._] Wot?
LILY.
[_Knitting her brows._] I-- I"m so surprised at myself.
MRS. UPJOHN.
Surprised?
LILY.
So-- so disappointed with myself.
MRS. UPJOHN.
Why, you "aven"t done anything that-- that"s not quite respectable, Lil. On the cont"ry----
LILY.
No, I haven"t done anything that"s actually not nice, but-- fancy!----
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Close to LILY._] Fancy----?
LILY.
[_Opening her eyes widely._] Fancy my letting myself go with young Farncombe as I did! _He-- he"d_ been admiring me from a distance for weeks and weeks, but I"d scarcely noticed him till last night!
[_Leaning her head against MRS. UPJOHN, softly._] I-- I always thought I was such a cold girl, mother, in-- in that way.
MRS. UPJOHN.