'Now that she has gone, can we--have a talk?'
ALICE, looking down, 'Yes, Steve.'
AMY, gently, 'Mother, what was that you called him?'
ALICE. 'Dear Amy, I forgot. Yes, Mr. Rollo.'
STEVE. 'Then, Alice--'
AMY. 'This lady's name, if I am not greatly mistaken, is Mrs. Grey. Is it not so, mother?'
ALICE. 'Yes, Amy.'
STEVE. 'As you will; but it is most important that I say certain things to her at once.'
ALICE. 'Oh, Mr. Rollo. What do you think, dear?'
AMY, reflecting, 'If it be clearly understood that this is good-bye, I consent. Please be as brief as possible.'
Somehow they think that she is moving to the door, but she crosses only to the other side of the room and sits down with a book. One of them likes this very much.
STEVE, who is not the one, 'But I want to see her alone.'
AMY, the dearest of little gaolers, 'That, I am afraid, I cannot permit. It is not that I have not perfect confidence in you, mother, but you must see I am acting wisely.'
ALICE. 'Yes, Amy.'
STEVE, to his Alice, 'What has come over you? You don't seem to be the same woman.'
AMY. 'That is just it; she is not.'
ALICE. 'I see now only through Amy's eyes.'
AMY. 'They will not fail you, mother. Proceed, sir.'
Steve has to make the best of it.
STEVE. 'You told him, then, about your feelings for me?'
ALICE, studying the carpet, 'He knows now exactly what are my feelings for you.'
STEVE, huskily, 'How did he take it?'
ALICE. 'Need you ask?'
STEVE. 'Poor old boy. I suppose he wishes me to stay away from your house now.'
ALICE. 'Is it unreasonable?'
STEVE. 'No, of course not, but--'
ALICE. 'Will it be terribly hard to you, St--Mr. Rollo?'
STEVE. 'It isn't that. You see I'm fond of the Colonel, I really am, and it hurts me to think he thinks that I--It wasn't my fault, was it?'
AMY. 'Ungenerous.'
ALICE. 'He quite understands that it was I who lost my head.'
Steve is much moved by the generosity of this. He lowers his voice.
STEVE. 'Of course I blame myself now; but I assure you honestly I had no idea of it until to-night. I had thought you were only my friend. It dazed me; but as I ransacked my mind many little things came back to me. I remembered what I hadn't noticed at the time--'
AMY. 'Louder, please.'
STEVE. 'I remembered--'
AMY. 'Is this necessary?'
ALICE. 'Please, Amy, let me know what he remembered.'
STEVE. 'I remembered that your voice was softer to me than when you were addressing other men.'
ALICE. 'Let me look long at you, Mr. Rollo.' She looks long at him.
AMY. 'Mother, enough.'
ALICE. 'What more do you remember?'
STEVE. 'It is strange to me now that I didn't understand your true meaning to-day when you said I was the only man you couldn't flirt with; you meant that I aroused deeper feelings.'
ALICE. 'How you know me.'
AMY. 'Not the best of you, mother.'
ALICE. 'No, not the best, Amy.'
STEVE. 'I can say that I never thought of myself as possessing dangerous qualities. I thought I was utterly unattractive to women.'
ALICE. 'You must have known about your eyes.'
STEVE, eagerly, 'My eyes? On my soul I didn't.'
Amy wonders if this can be true. Alice rises. She feels that she cannot control herself much longer.
ALICE. 'Steve, if you don't go away at once I shall scream.'
STEVE, really unhappy, 'Is it as bad as that?'
AMY, rising, 'You heard what Mrs. Grey said. This is very painful to her. Will you please say good-bye.'
In the novel circumstances he does not quite know how this should be carried out.
ALICE, also shy, 'How shall we do it, Amy? On the brow?'
AMY. 'No, mother--with the hand.'
They do it with the hand, and it is thus that the Colonel finds them. He would be unable to keep his countenance were it not for a warning look from Alice. COLONEL, one of the men who have a genius for saying the right thing, 'Ha.'
STEVE. 'I am going, Colonel. I am very sorry that you----At the same time I wish you to understand that the fault is entirely mine.'
COLONEL, guardedly, 'Ha.'
AMY, putting an arm round her mother, who hugs it, 'Father, he came only to say goodbye.