MRS TARLETON. _[to Percival]_ Are you going to marry Patsy?
PERCIVAL _[diplomatically]_ Patsy is going to marry me, with your
permission.
MRS TARLETON. Oh, she has my permission: she ought to have been
married long ago.
HYPATIA. Mother!
TARLETON. Miss Lina here, though she has been so short a time with
us, has inspired a good deal of attachment in--I may say in almost all
of us. Therefore I hope she'll stay to dinner, and not insist on
flying away in that aeroplane.
PERCIVAL. You must stay, Miss Szczepanowska. I cant go up again this
evening.
LINA. Ive seen you work it. Do you think I require any help? And
Bentley shall come with me as a passenger.
BENTLEY. _[terrified]_ Go up in an aeroplane! I darent.
LINA. You must learn to dare.
BENTLEY. _[pale but heroic]_ All right. I'll come.
LORD SUMMERHAYS| No, no, Bentley, impossible. I
| shall not allow it.
|
MRS TARLETON. | Do you want to kill the child? He shant go.
BENTLEY. I will. I'll lie down and yell until you let me go. I'm
not a coward. I wont be a coward.
LORD SUMMERHAYS. Miss Szczepanowska: my son is very dear to me. I
implore you to wait until tomorrow morning.
LINA. There may be a storm tomorrow. And I'll go: storm or no
storm. I must risk my life tomorrow.
BENTLEY. I hope there will be a storm.
LINA. _[grasping his arm]_ You are trembling.
BENTLEY. Yes: it's terror, sheer terror. I can hardly see. I can
hardly stand. But I'll go with you.
LINA. _[slapping him on the back and knocking a ghastly white smile
into his face]_ You shall. I like you, my boy. We go tomorrow,
together.
BENTLEY. Yes: together: tomorrow.
TARLETON. Well, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Read
the old book.
MRS TARLETON. Is there anything else?
TARLETON. Well, I--er _[he addresses Lina, and stops]._ I--er _[he
addresses Lord Summerhays, and stops]._ I--er _[he gives it up]._
Well, I suppose--er--I suppose theres nothing more to be said.
HYPATIA. _[fervently]_ Thank goodness!