JANET. I liked the boats, but the figure was wrong. You should have had a boatman or a fisher-girl — instead of an elegantly dressed lady. Who was she, by-the-bye?
PAUL (with an effort). She was — a lady who happened to be there — so I put her in.
LADY JANET. I see. (turns to look at presents.)
MARGARET (brightly). There, Captain Armitage, you can take him away and curl his hair now.
ARMITAGE. Come along, young man! (HE MAKES A LAST ATTEMPT TO IMPRESS lady janet.) I am a great hand at haircurling, Lady Janet.
(he reflects, then exits hastily after paul.)
LADY JANET. What a lot of ugly presents you have got, Margaret!
MARGARET. They are sweet! But never mind the presents, auntie. Do you like my wedding gown?
LADY JANET. Delicious.
MARGARET. This is the train. (LOOKS FOR IT.) Why — what — ah, I can see, my maid has been in and carried it off. (EFFUSIVELY) Auntie, what do you think of HIM? Isn’t he heavenly?
LADY JANET (TANTALISINGLY). Hum!
MARGARET. Auntie!
LADY JANET. There, there, you goose — I like him.
(MARGARET KISSES HER HAND.)
Ah, you baby, you are only ten years old.
MARGARET. Eighteen.
LADY JANET. Ten. You were ten when your mother died, and your father has kept you at that — like a stopped clock.
MARGARET. Well, Paul likes me at ten.
LADY JANET. We all like you at ten, but —
MARGARET. And if I am more ignorant than most girls, Aunt Janet, it was father who brought me up so. It is his theory.
LADY JANET. Or is it only his laziness? Easy-going Fairbairn, we used to call him, and Look-on-the-bright-side Fairbairn and Hope-for-the-best Fairbairn. They were phrases always in his mouth.
MARGARET. Father is very clever; he is an optimist.
LADY JANET. All lazy men are.
(MARGARET IS OFFENDED, lady janet RISES AND PETS HER.)
Well, goodbye, dear little Margaret Fairbairn. In a few minutes there will be no Margaret Fairbairn in the world — a Mrs. Paul Digby will have taken her place.
MARGARET (TIMIDLY). But she will be the same person. It is only a new label.
LADY JANET (WITH FEELING). My child, it is much more than that.
MARGARET (ALMOST IN A WHISPER). Aunt Janet, last night I was so full of glee and I brought out my wedding gown and blew kisses to it, and I said, ‘O God, make me a good wife to Paul,’ and suddenly, while I was so happy, a cold chill fell upon my heart and I was afraid. (CLINGING TO HER) Aunt Janet, I was afraid.
LADY JANET. I know, my lamb, I know — every woman knows, and not a man among them, not a man. But I cannot help you — I can pray for you, pray that you are being united to a good man, but I cannot guide you. (RATHER BITTERLY) I am only an old maid.
MARGARET (kissing her). Dear!
LADY JANET (BRIGHTLY). Upon my soul, Margaret, I believe I have been jealous of you, filling your head with presentiments on your wedding day.
(ENTER MEIKLE.)
MEIKLE. Begging your pardon, my lady, but the young woman you brought with you —
LADY JANET. Bless me, I had forgotten her —
MARGARET. Your maid?
LADY JANET. No, only a woman — a lady — Is she a lady, Meikle?
MEIKLE. I couldn’t quite make up my mind, my lady.
LADY JANET. Nor could I. But she is English, she told me, and is lodging at one of the villages near here — I don’t know which. I found her by the side of the road, seemingly very faint, and I thought odd — as if she were almost off her head. She kept muttering to herself.
MARGARET. Oh, POOR thing!
LADY JANET. We soon brought her to, and she has recovered her wits, if she ever lost them — but as this was the nearest house I thought the best thing I could do was to bring her here, and ask Meikle to give her a glass of wine.
MARGARET. YES.
MEIKLE. I have done so, miss, and now she says she is able TO WALK home.
MARGARET. Meikle, the poor thing must not walk. Get someone to drive her home. Do you know her?
MEIKLE. Never set eyes on her before.
LADY JANET. She told me she was a Mrs. Ommaney.
MARGARET? A stranger and ill. Have I time to see her, Meikle?
MEIKLE (seeking to dissuade her). Only ten minutes, miss.
MARGARET. Then show her in here.
(EXIT MEIKLE PROTESTING.)
LADY JANET. Why should you take this trouble, Margaret — on your wedding day, too?
MARGARET. On my wedding day, auntie, I should so love to be kind to everyone.
LADY JANET. Well, I hope she will be more grateful to you than she was to me. She said I was quizzing her — and so I was!
(Enter MEIKLE.)
MEIKLE. Mrs. Ommaney.
(MEIKLE retires when MRS. OMMANEY enters. She is well dressed, rather too gaily, but seems a lady. Her face is pale. She enters quietly and with a lack of interest, but on seeing LADY JANET she bridles.)
MARGARET (to her). Mrs. Ommaney, my aunt has told me that you are ill. Do sit down.
MRS OMMANEY (SITTING AND SPEAKING QUIETLY). I am all right now, thank you. I took no food to-day. That is all.
LADY JANET. Why?
MRS OMMANEY (LISTLESSLY). Oh, I forgot — I had othei things to think of.
LADY JANET. What other things?
(MRS. OMMANEY bridles again.)
MARGARET. Aunt Janet!
LADY JANET. You were very strange in your manner when I found you.
MRS. ommaney (IN DISTRESS). Was I?
LADY JANET. You were muttering to yourself.
MRS OMMANEY (DEFIANTLY). No, I wasn’t. (anxiously)
What was I saying?
LADY JANET. That’s what I want to know.
(MRS. OMMANEY turns on her angrily.)
MARGARET (to LADY JANET). Don’t.
MRS OMMANEY (LOOKING lady janet OVER). You are my lady,’ I understand.
LADY JANET. Yes, but don’t let that terrify you.
MRS OMMANEY. It doesn’t. It is what people used to call me, LADY JANET. Why?
MARGARET (TO mrs ommaney). Don’t answer her.
MRS OMMANEY. Oh, she won’t sleep until she knows. Because my father, who is a Cornish fisherman, educated me beyond my station, with the result that I must needs fly to London. I got into a dressmaker’s shop there. My figure was admired, so I was the woman on whom the gowns were tried, to show them off to customers who were fools enough to think they would look as I looked in them. (LOOKING AT lady Janet’s CLOAK.) Yes, I have tried on that cloak. (EXAMINING IT WITH DELIBERATE IMPERTINENCE.) Yes.
LADY JANET (AMUSED AS WELL AS INDIGNANT). The minx!
MARGARET. Auntie, it serves you right. Mrs. Ommaney, I have ordered a carriage to take you back to your lodgings.
MRS. ommaney. I need no one’s charity.
LADY