._] Come? 'Course I come!
Keen to come see you. By Jove, you know, you look as pink and white as
a huntin' mornin'.

VIDA. [_Ready to make any man as happy as possible._] You'll smoke?

SIR WILFRID. Thanks! [_He watches her as she trims and arranges the
flowers._] Awfully long fingers you have! Wish I was a rose, or a
ring, or a pair of shears! I say, d'you ever notice what a devil of a
fellow I am for originality, what? [_Unlike_ JOHN, _is evidently
impressed by her._] You've got a delicate little den up here! Not so
much low livin' and high thinkin', as low lights and no thinkin' at
all, I hope--eh?

[_By this time_, VIDA _has filled a vase with roses and rises
to sweep by him and, if possible, make another charming
picture to his eyes._

VIDA. [_Gliding gracefully past him._] You don't mind my moving about?

SIR WILFRID. [_Impressed._] Not if you don't mind my watchin'.
[_Sitting down on the sofa._] And sayin' how wel you do it.

VIDA. It's most original of you to come here this morning. I don't
quite see why you did.

_She places the roses here and there, as if to see their
effect, and leaves them on a small table near the door
through which her visitors entered._

SIR WILFRID. Admiration.

VIDA. [_Sauntering slowly toward the mirror as she speaks._] Oh, I saw
that you admired her! And of course, she did say she was coming here
at eleven! But that was only bravado! She won't come, and besides,
I've given orders to admit no one!

SIR WILFRID. [_Attempting to dam the stream of her talk which flows
gently but steadily on._] May I ask you--

VIDA. And, indeed, if she came now, Mr. Karslake has gone, and her
sole object in coming was to make him uncomfortable. [_She moves
toward the table, stopping a half minute at the mirror to see that she
looks as she wishes to look._] Very dangerous symptom, too, that
passionate desire to make one's former husband unhappy! But, I can't
believe that your admiration for Cynthia Karslake is so warm that it
led you to pay me this visit a half hour too early in the hope of
seeing--

SIR WILFRID. [_Rising; most civil, but speaking his mind like a
Briton._] I say, would you mind stopping a moment! [_She smiles._] I'm
not an American, you know; I was brought up not to interrupt. But you
Americans, it's different with you! If somebody didn't interrupt you,
you'd go on forever.

VIDA. [_Passing him to tantalize._] My point is you come to see
Cynthia--