ST. OLPHERTS. The father--one of those public park vermin, eh?
LUCAS. Dead years ago.
ST. OLPHERTS. I once heard her bellowing in a dirty little shed in St.
Luke"s. I told you?
LUCAS. Yes, you"ve told me.
ST. OLPHERTS. I sat there again, it seemed, this afternoon. The orator not quite so lean, perhaps--a little less witch-like; but--
LUCAS. She was actually in want of food in those days! Poor girl!
[Partly to himself.] I mean to remind myself of that constantly. Poor girl!
ST. OLPHERTS. Girl! Let me see--you"re considerably her junior?
LUCAS. No, no; a few months, perhaps.
ST. OLPHERTS. Oh, come!
LUCAS. Well, years--two or three.
ST. OLPHERTS. The voice remains rather raucous.
LUCAS. By G.o.d, the voice is sweet!
ST. OLPHERTS. Well--considering the wear and tear. Really, my dear fellow, I do believe this--I do believe that if you gowned her respectably--
LUCAS. [Impulsively.] Yes, yes, I say so. I tell her that.
ST. OLPHERTS. [With a smile.] Do you? That"s odd, now.
LUCAS. What a topic. Poor Agnes"s dress!
ST. OLPHERTS. Your taste used to be rather aesthetic. Even your own wife is one of the smartest women in London.
LUCAS. Ha, well I must contrive to smother these aesthetic tastes of mine.
ST. OLPHERTS. It"s a pity that other people will retain their sense of the incongruous.
LUCAS. [Snapping his fingers.] Other people!--
ST. OLPHERTS. The public.
LUCAS. The public?
ST. OLPHERTS. Come, you know well enough that unostentatious immodesty is no part of your partner"s programme. Of course, you will find yourself by-and-bye in a sort of perpetual parade with your crack-brained visionary--
LUCAS. You shall not speak of her so! You shall not.
ST. OLPHERTS. [Unconcernedly.] Each of you bearing a pole of the soiled banner of Free Union. Free Union for the People! Ho, my dear Lucas!
LUCAS. Good heavens, Duke, do you imagine, now that I am in sound health and mind again, that I don"t see the hideous absurdity of these views of hers?
ST. OLPHERTS. Then why the deuce don"t you listen a little more patiently to my views?
LUCAS. No, no. I tell you I intend to keep faith with her, as far as I am able. She"s so earnest, so pitiably earnest. If I broke faith with her entirely, it would be too d.a.m.nably cowardly.
ST. OLPHERTS. Cowardly!
LUCAS. [Pacing the room agitatedly.] Besides, we shall do well together, after all, I believe--she and I. In the end we shall make concessions to each other and settle down, somewhere abroad, peacefully.
ST. OLPHERTS. Ha! And they called you a Coming Man at one time, didn"t they?
LUCAS. Oh, I--I shall make as fine a career with my pen as that other career would have been. At any rate, I ask you to leave me to it all-- to leave me!
[FORTUNE enters. The shades of evening have now deepened; the glow of sunset comes into the room.]
FORTUNE. I beg your pardon, sir.
LUCAS. Well?
FORTUNE. It is pas" ze time for you to dress for dinner.
LUCAS. I"ll come. [FORTUNE goes out.]
ST. OLPHERTS. When do we next meet, dear fellow?
LUCAS. No, no--please not again.
[Nella enters, excitedly.]
NELLA [ Speaking over her shoulder.] Si, Signora; ecco il Signore.
(Yes, Signora; her is the Signor.) [To Cleeve.] Scusi, Signore. Quando la vendra come e cara--! (Pardon, Signor, when you see her you"ll see how sweet she looks--!) [Agnes"s voice is heard.]
AGNES. [Outside.] Am I keeping you waiting, Lucas?
[She enters, handsomely gowned, her throat and arms bare, the fashion of her hair roughly altered. She stops abruptly upon seeing ST.
OLPHERTS; a strange light comes into her eyes; her voice, manner, bearing, all express triumph. The two men stare at her blankly. She appears to be a beautiful woman.]
AGNES. [To Nella.] Un pet.i.t chale noir tricote--cher-chez-le. [Nella withdraws.] Ah, you"re not dressed, Lucas dear.
LUCAS. What--what time is it? [He goes towards the door, still staring at AGNES.]
ST. OLPHERTS. [Looking at her, and speaking in an altered tone.] I fear my gossiping has delayed him. You--you dine out?
AGNES. At the Grunwald. Why don"t you join us? [Turning to Lucas, lightly.] Persuade him, Lucas. [LUCAS pauses at the door.]
ST. OLPHERTS. Er--impossible. Some--friends of mine may arrive tonight. [Lucas goes out.] I am more than sorry.