, but to your
nephew--your youngest nephew.

DANIEL. Oh, I see.

MRS. CROMBIE. He has been making love to her. This afternoon he proposed
to her....

DANIEL. Did he, by Jove!

MRS. CROMBIE. He also spoke about a large sum of money that you intended
to leave him--I'm sure you will understand my position--I naturally
want my daughter to marry well--and----

DANIEL. And you mean to make quite sure of the money beforehand. I see.

MRS. CROMBIE. You put it rather crudely.

DANIEL. I think matters of this kind are better discussed crudely. One
thing I will promise you, Mrs. Crombie. You shall know full particulars
of my finances and everything else by the end of the day. Until then I
fear that you must continue to regard me as a fraud.

MRS. CROMBIE. I hope you are not offended at my inquisitiveness, but I
really----

DANIEL. My dear Mrs. Crombie, when you have knocked about the world as
much as I have--one learns never to be either surprised or shocked.

MRS. CROMBIE. It is very, very hard for mothers, nowadays.

DANIEL. Yes, isn't it?

MRS. CROMBIE. The children are all so modern they become quite
ungovernable....

DANIEL (_coming forward slightly_). I can only say then that my nephews
and nieces are exceptions to the rule.

MRS. CROMBIE. I am so glad you are so satisfied with them.

DANIEL. I am! I never realised until to-day how absolutely splendid it
was to be an uncle. How wonderfully proud I should be of the fact that
they are related to me. I came home eighteen months ago expecting to
find a family of irritating self-centred young people idling about--true
they were idling, but I liked them in spite of it--I have returned this
time to find them not only hard-workers, but successful hard-workers.
There is not one of them who hasn't achieved something--even Joyce, the
flapper, has set to and made good at school. I tell you I'm proud of
them, so proud that I could shout it from the house tops, and may I say
this, Mrs. Crombie, that if your daughter has succeeded in making Bobbie
fall in love with her, she is a very fortunate young woman.

(MRS. CROMBIE _shows boredom during speech._)

MRS. CROMBIE. Oh, is she?

DANIEL. Because he is a fine boy, so is Oliver, so are they all
splendid--and she should be proud to know them.

MRS. CROMBIE. It really is very lucky that you are so contented with
your lot. Personally, I'm not so ecstatic. Admitting for a moment that
your nephew has such a marvellous