the acquaintance of the young sprig o' the nobility
who's been here this afternoon?

LILY.

Lord Farncombe? Bertie brought him and introduced him one day last
week.

JEYES.

Ha! _He's_ at your feet now.

LILY.

Phuh!

JEYES.

Oh, you may "phuh"! He's in front every blessed night. There he sits,
Row B., three stalls from the end, prompt side!

LILY.

There are a few good-looking girls at the Pandora besides your humble
servant.

JEYES.

Rubbish! His glass follows you all over the stage. I watched him
talking to you in this room----

LILY.

[_Raising herself._] Did you indeed!

JEYES.

[_Beating his clenched hands upon the arms of his chair._] God in
heaven! First it's one, then it's another, chasing you!

LILY.

[_Putting her feet to the ground._] Oh, you're maddening, Nicko! You
_are_; you're maddening. Last night it was Stewie Heneage you chose to
be jealous of, simply because you'd heard him sounding my praises at
Catani's! You almost broke the window of the car, you went on so!

JEYES.

I confess I object to Heneage, or any man, raving about you at the top
of his voice in a public place.

LILY.

Sakes alive, why _shouldn't_ Stewie rave about me in a public place,
if he feels like it! I belong to the public. He might rave about a
girl who's a jolly sight less deserving of being raved about, as a
girl _and_ an artist, than I am.

JEYES.

Well, we'll dismiss Heneage.

LILY.

Yes, exit Stewie and enter somebody else for you fuss and fume about.
This afternoon it's Lord Farncombe, and to-morrow it'll be a fresh
person altogether. One 'ud think, to hear you, that I don't know how
to take care of myself, and of any poor boy who loses his head over
me! [_Rising and walking away._] You're growing worse and worse with
your jealousy, Nicko. Stop it! I'm surprised at you, after all these
years! It's beginning to fret me, and that's bad for my spirits and
bad for me in business. [_At the tea-table, grabbing a piece of
bread-and-butter and biting at it._] And now you're making me spoil my
dinner-- [_relenting_] and that's not good for me either, you brute!

JEYES.

[_His hands hanging loosely between his knees, sighing heavily._] Oh,
Lily, Lily----!

LILY.

Yes, oh, Lily, Lily!

JEYES.

Why-- why don't you put me out of my misery?

LILY.

[_Munching._] Poison you?

JEYES.

Marry me.

LILY.

[_Behind his chair._] Marry you? [_Taking his handkerchief from his
breast-poc