[_Exit_.

_Enter_ Renee de Rould.

_Renee_. Mr. Merital, may I speak to you a moment?

_Georges Alexandre Merital (with, characteristic suavity_). Certainly.

_Renee_, I love you. Will you marry me?

_Merital (surprised_). Well, really--this is--I--you--we--er, he,
she, they--Frankly, you embarrass me. (_Apologetically_) This is my
embarrassed face.

_Renee_. But I thought you loved me. Don't you?

_Merital_. No. That is to say, yes. Or rather--

_Renee (tearfully_). I w-wish you could make it plainer whether you
d-do love me and are pretending you don't, or you d-don't love me and
are pretending you do. It's v-very unsettling for a young girl not to
know.

_Sir GEORGES ALEXANDRE (surprised and a little hurt_). Can't you tell
from my face?

_Miss MARTHA HEDMAN_. This is my first appearance in England, Sir
GEORGES.

_Sir GEORGES_. True. I was forgetting. Well, when you have been with
us a little longer, you will know that this is my face when I adore
anyone very much, but, owing to an unfortunate episode in my past
life, am forced to hide my love.

_Renee (alarmed_). Your past _wife_ isn't alive somewhere?

_Merital_. Oh no, not that sort of thing at all. (_Embracing her
carefully_.) I will marry you, Renee, but run along now because my
friend Frepeau is coming, and he probably wants to talk business.
[_Exit_ Renee.

_Enter_ Frepeau.

_Frepeau (excitedly_). Merital, you are in danger. A scandalous libel
is being circulated about you.

_Merital (calmly_). Pooh! Faugh!

_Frepeau_. It is said that thirty years ago (Alexandre's _nose
twitches_), when you were in a solicitor's office (Alexandre's _jaw
drops_), you stole ninepence from the stamp drawer (Alexandre's
_eyeballs roll_). Of course it is a lie?

_Merital (with a great effort obtaining command of his features
again_). Of course.

CURTAIN.

ACT II.

_Daniel Merital_. Father's face has been very odd these last few
weeks. Sometimes I wonder whether he didn't steal the money after all.
But we shall know after the libel action this afternoon. It starts
at two. Oh, are you there, Father? I'm just going to see a man about
something. [_Exit.

Enter_ Frepeau.

_Merital_. Ah, Frepeau, the man I wanted to see. (_Plaintively_)
Frepeau, when you called on me in the First Act, don't you think you
might have g