BELINDA (gravely). Yes. I almost
think you ought to. I think it’s the correct
thing to do.
TREMAYNE (contentedly). Thank you very
much, Mrs. Tremayne.
BELINDA. You’ll come in quite formally
(pointing to R. with her sunshade) by
the front-door next time, won’t you, because—
because that seems the only chance of my getting to
know your name.
TREMAYNE. Oh, I beg your pardon. My name
is—er—er—Robinson.
(She is highly amused and looks round towards the
house, recalling to her mind DELIA.)
BELINDA (laughing). How very odd!
TREMAYNE (startled). Odd?
BELINDA. Yes; we have some one called Robinson
(nodding towards the house) staying in the
house. I wonder if she is any relation?
TREMAYNE (hastily). Oh no, no. No,
she couldn’t be. I have no relations called
Robinson—not to speak of.
BELINDA. You must tell me all about your relations
when you come and call, Mr. Robinson.
TREMAYNE. I think we can find something better
worth talking about than that.
BELINDA. Do you think so? (He says “Yes”
with his eyes, bows, and moves up C. The piano
is now forte. BELINDA accompanies him up a little,
then stops. He turns in entrance up C., and they
exchange glances. TREMAYNE exits to
R., behind yew hedge. BELINDA stays looking
after him, then moves down to back of table and picking
up the book of poems, gives that happy sigh of hers,
only even more so.) O-oh!
(Enter BETTY from porch.)
BETTY. If you please, ma’am, Miss Delia
says, are you coming in to tea?
BELINDA (looking straight in front of her, and
taking no notice of BETTY, in a happy, dreamy
voice). Betty, ... about callers ....
If Mr. Robinson calls—he’s the handsome
gentleman who hasn’t been here before (puts
book down)—you will say, “Not
at home.” And he will say, “Oh!”
And you will say, “I beg your pardon, sir, was
it Mr. Robinson?” And he will say, “Yes!”
And you will say, “Oh, I beg your pardon, sir—–”
(Almost as if she were BETTY, she begins to move
towards the house.) “This way—–”
(she would be smiling an invitation over her shoulder
to MR. ROBINSON, if he were there, and she
were BETTY)—“please!” (And
the abandoned woman goes in to tea.)
ACT II
It is morning in BELINDA’S hall, a
low-roofed, oak-beamed place, comfortably furnished
as a sitting-room. There is an inner and an outer
front-door, both of which are open. Up C.
is a door leading to a small room where hats and
coats are kept. A door on the L. leads
towards the living-rooms.
DEVENISH enters from up L. at back, passes
the windows of the inner room and crosses to the porch.
He rings the electric bell outside, then enters through
the swing doors R.C. BETTY enters R.
and moves up at back of settee R. to
DEVENISH by the swing doors. He is carrying
a large bunch of violets and adopts a very aesthetic
attitude.
