KATE.  And chosen him?

DENNIS (shaking his head).  Oh, no!

KATE (surprised).  You think I have chosen you?

DENNIS (nodding).  M’m.

KATE (indignantly).  Really, Dennis!  Considering that I had practically arranged to run away with him twenty minutes ago!  You must think me very fickle.

DENNIS.  Not fickle.  Imaginative.

KATE.  What do you mean?  And why are you so certain that I am going to choose you?  And why in that case did you talk about taking a last look at me?  And what—?

DENNIS.  Of course, we’ve only got five minutes, but I think that if you asked your questions one at a time——­

KATE (smiling).  Well, you needn’t answer them all together.

DENNIS.  All right then, one at a time.  Why am I certain that you will choose me?  Because for the first time in your life you have just been alone with Mr. Cyril Norwood.  That’s what I meant by saying you were imaginative.  The Norwood you’ve been thinking yourself in love with doesn’t exist.  I’m certain that you’ve seen him for the first time in these last few minutes.  Why, the Archangel Gabriel would have made a hash of a five minutes like that; it would have been impossible for him to have said the right thing to you.  Norwood?  Good Lord, he didn’t stand a chance.  You were judging him all the time, weren’t you?

KATE (thoughtfully).  You’re very clever, Dennis.

DENNIS (cheerfully).  Four years’ study of the Turkish character.

KATE.  But how do you know I’m not judging you all the time?

DENNIS.  Of course you are.  But there’s all the difference in the world between judging a stranger like me, and judging the man you thought you were in love with.

KATE.  You are a stranger to me.

DENNIS.  I know.  That’s why I said good-bye to the girl who had been with me these last four years, the girl I had married.  Well, I’ve said good-bye to her.  You’re not my wife any longer, Kate; but if you don’t mind pretending that I’m not your husband, and just give me a chance of making love to you—­well, that’s all I want.

KATE.  You’re very generous, Dennis.

DENNIS.  No, I’m not.  I’m very much in love; and for a man very much in love I’m being rather less of a silly ass than usual.  Why should you love me?  You fell in love with my uniform at the beginning of the war.  I was ordered out, and you fell in love with the departing hero.  After that?  Well, I had four years—­alone—­in which to think about you, and you had four years—­with other men—­in which to forget me.  Is it any wonder that—?

(NORWOOD comes in.)

NORWOOD (roughly).  Well?

DENNIS.  You arrive just in time, Mr. Norwood.  I was talking too much. (to KATE) Mrs. Camberley, we are both at your disposal.  Will you choose between us, which one is to have the happiness of—­serving you?