wns again, and resumes his song. Pickering returns, with the
contents of the letter-box in his hand.

PICKERING. Only circulars, and this coroneted billet-doux for you. [He
throws the circulars into the fender, and posts himself on the
hearthrug, with his back to the grate].

HIGGINS [glancing at the billet-doux] Money-lender. [He throws the
letter after the circulars].

Eliza returns with a pair of large down-at-heel slippers. She places
them on the carpet before Higgins, and sits as before without a word.

HIGGINS [yawning again] Oh Lord! What an evening! What a crew! What a
silly tomfoollery! [He raises his shoe to unlace it, and catches sight
of the slippers. He stops unlacing and looks at them as if they had
appeared there of their own accord]. Oh! they're there, are they?

PICKERING [stretching himself] Well, I feel a bit tired. It's been a
long day. The garden party, a dinner party, and the opera! Rather too
much of a good thing. But you've won your bet, Higgins. Eliza did the
trick, and something to spare, eh?

HIGGINS [fervently] Thank God it's over!

Eliza flinches violently; but they take no notice of her; and she
recovers herself and sits stonily as before.

PICKERING. Were you nervous at the garden party? I was. Eliza didn't
seem a bit nervous.

HIGGINS. Oh, she wasn't nervous. I knew she'd be all right. No, it's
the strain of putting the job through all these months that has told on
me. It was interesting enough at first, while we were at the phonetics;
but after that I got deadly sick of it. If I hadn't backed myself to do
it I should have chucked the whole thing up two months ago. It was a
silly notion: the whole thing has been a bore.

PICKERING. Oh come! the garden party was frightfully exciting. My heart
began beating like anything.

HIGGINS. Yes, for the first three minutes. But when I saw we were going
to win hands down, I felt like a bear in a cage, hanging about doing
nothing. The dinner was worse: sitting gorging there for over an hour,
with nobody but a damned fool of a fashionable woman to talk to! I tell
you, Pickering, never again for me. No more artificial duchesses. The
whole thing has been simple purgatory.

PICKERING. You've never been broken in properly to the social routine.
[Strolling over to the piano] I rather enjoy dipping into it
occasionally myself: it makes me feel young again. Anyhow, it was a
great success: an immense success. I was quite frightened once or twice