months later.
SCENE II. The same, next morning at half-past ten.
SCENE III. The Sitting-room of the DANCYS' Flat, an hour later.

ACT I

SCENE I

The dressing-room of CHARLES WINSOR, owner of Meldon Court, near
Newmarket; about eleven-thirty at night. The room has pale grey
walls, unadorned; the curtains are drawn over a window Back Left
Centre. A bed lies along the wall, Left. An open door, Right Back,
leads into LADY ADELA's bedroom; a door, Right Forward, into a long
corridor, on to which abut rooms in a row, the whole length of the
house's left wing. WINSOR's dressing-table, with a light over it,
is Stage Right of the curtained window. Pyjamas are laid out on the
bed, which is turned back. Slippers are handy, and all the usual
gear of a well-appointed bed-dressing-room. CHARLES WINSOR, a tall,
fair, good-looking man about thirty-eight, is taking off a smoking
jacket.

WINSOR. Hallo! Adela!

V. OF LADY A. [From her bedroom] Hallo!

WINSOR. In bed?

V. OF LADY A. No.

She appears in the doorway in under-garment and a wrapper. She,
too, is fair, about thirty-five, rather delicious, and suggestive
of porcelain.

WINSOR. Win at Bridge?

LADY A. No fear.

WINSOR. Who did?

LADY A. Lord St Erth and Ferdy De Levis.

WINSOR. That young man has too much luck--the young bounder won two
races to-day; and he's as rich as Croesus.

LADY A. Oh! Charlie, he did look so exactly as if he'd sold me a carpet
when I was paying him.

WINSOR. [Changing into slippers] His father did sell carpets,
wholesale, in the City.

LADY A. Really? And you say I haven't intuition! [With a finger on her
lips] Morison's in there.

WINSOR. [Motioning towards the door, which she shuts] Ronny Dancy took
a tenner off him, anyway, before dinner.

LADY A. No! How?

WINSOR. Standing jump on to a bookcase four feet high. De Levis had to
pay up, and sneered at him for making money by parlour tricks. That
young Jew gets himself disliked.

LADY A. Aren't you rather prejudiced?

WINSOR. Not a bit. I like Jews. That's not against him--rather the
contrary these days. But he pushes himself. The General tells me he's
deathly keen to get into the Jockey Club. [Taking off his tie] It's
amusing to see him trying to get round old St Erth.

LADY A. If Lord St Erth and General Canynge backed him he