ight 'ave ended different.

LILY.

[_Rising and walking away to the right._] Ah, no, mother----!

JIMMIE.

[_Rising and joining LILY._] Certainly they might.

MRS. UPJOHN.

[_Rising._] Any'ow I 'ope it'll be a lesson to Lal----

JIMMIE.

_Do_ you, Ma!

MRS. UPJOHN.

[_Moving over to the girls._] Not to put 'is fingers into other
people's pies.

JIMMIE.

[_To MRS. UPJOHN, with a withering glance at ROPER._] Oh, you _are_
sanguine!

ROPER.

[_Rising and straightening himself out._] Ma-- Mrs. Upjohn-- Lily----

JIMMIE.

[_Scornfully._] Hullo, hullo, hullo, hul-lo----!

ROPER.

[_To JIMMIE._] P'sh! [_Impressively._] Ma-- Lily-- for years-- longer
than it's agreeable to count-- I've been a patron of the drama--
particularly musical comedy, of which I've studied the development
with especial interest.

JIMMIE.

[_Resting her elbows upon the back of the settee._] Yes, you've
studied a lot of development, Lal, in your day.

ROPER.

[_Ignoring JIMMIE._] It's been a fad with me; I put it no higher than
that. [_Producing his gloves._] But I've devoted time to it----

JIMMIE.

Any amount.

ROPER.

[_Drawing a glove on._] Often to the neglect of my ventures in the
City. Here I am _now_, for instance.

JIMMIE.

That's obvious.

ROPER.

And-- I frankly admit it-- I've had more than one serious dispute with
_Mrs._ Roper on the subject. [_JIMMIE softly whistles a few bars of
"Rule, Britannia."_] Yesterday, by a coincidence-- [_feeling the
outside of his breast-pocket_] letter from the wife-- full o'
complaints-- haven't been to Bexhill, to her and the kids, for weeks.
And to do Ellen Roper justice, she's not the woman to grumble without
cause. [_Picking up his hat and cane which he has placed upon the
centre table._] Dash it all, home ties _are_ home ties! [_Polishing
his hat with his sleeve._] And, taking one consideration with
another-- and after this-- this occurrence-- it's my intention for the
future-- my firm intention----

LILY.

[_Running to ROPER and throwing her arms around his neck._] Oh, Uncle
Lal, not altogether! We're tired and cross this morning! Not
altogether!

MRS. UPJOHN.

[_Behind the centre table._] No, no, Uncle, you mustn't----!

LILY.

[_To ROPER._] Forgive us! [_Coaxingly._] Mother and Jimmie are
cats----!

MRS. UPJOHN AND JIMMIE.

Oh----!

[_The door on the left opens, and GLADYS enters with a card on a
salver._

GLADYS.

[_Advancing to LILY