Eliza smiles for the first time; expresses her feelings
by a wild pantomime in which an imitation of Higgins’s
exit is confused with her own triumph; and finally
goes down on her knees on the hearthrug to look for
the ring.
Mrs. Higgins’s drawing-room. She is at
her writing-table as before. The parlor-maid
comes in.
The parlor-maid [at the door] Mr.
Henry, mam, is downstairs with Colonel Pickering.
Mrs. Higgins. Well, show them up.
The parlor-maid. They’re
using the telephone, mam. Telephoning to the
police, I think.
Mrs. Higgins. What!
The parlor-maid [coming further in
and lowering her voice] Mr.
Henry’s in a state, mam. I thought I’d
better tell you.
Mrs. Higgins. If you had told me that
Mr. Henry was not in a state it would have been more
surprising. Tell them to come up when they’ve
finished with the police. I suppose he’s
lost something.
The parlor-maid. Yes, mam [going].
Mrs. Higgins. Go upstairs and tell
Miss Doolittle that Mr. Henry and the Colonel are
here. Ask her not to come down till I send for
her.
The parlor-maid. Yes, mam.
Higgins bursts in. He is, as the parlor-maid
has said, in a state.
Higgins. Look here, mother: here’s
a confounded thing!
Mrs. Higgins. Yes, dear. Good-morning.
[He checks his impatience and kisses her, whilst the
parlor-maid goes out]. What is it?
Higgins. Eliza’s bolted.
Mrs. Higgins [calmly continuing her writing]
You must have frightened her.
Higgins. Frightened her! nonsense!
She was left last night, as usual, to turn out the
lights and all that; and instead of going to bed she
changed her clothes and went right off: her bed
wasn’t slept in. She came in a cab for
her things before seven this morning; and that fool
Mrs. Pearce let her have them without telling me a
word about it. What am I to do?
Mrs. Higgins. Do without, I’m
afraid, Henry. The girl has a perfect right to
leave if she chooses.
Higgins [wandering distractedly across the room]
But I can’t find anything. I don’t
know what appointments I’ve got. I’m—
[Pickering comes in. Mrs. Higgins puts down her
pen and turns away from the writing-table].
Pickering [shaking hands] Good-morning, Mrs.
Higgins. Has Henry told you? [He sits down on
the ottoman].
Higgins. What does that ass of an inspector
say? Have you offered a reward?
Mrs. Higgins [rising in indignant amazement]
You don’t mean to say you have set the police
after Eliza?
Higgins. Of course. What are the police
for? What else could we do? [He sits in the Elizabethan
chair].
