St. Olpherts.  And this little victory of yours—­the possession of this man; you think this is the best that Earth can spare you? [She nods slowly and deliberately, with fixed eyes.] Dear me, how amusin’ you women are!  And in your dowdy days you had ambitions? [She looks at him suddenly.] They were of a queer, gunpowder-and-faggot sort—­but they were ambitions.

Agnes. [Starting up.] Oh—! [Putting her hands to her brows.] Oh—! [Facing him.] Yes, yes!  You’re right!  Once, long ago, I hoped that my hour would be very different from this.  Ambitions!  I have seen myself, standing, humbly-clad, looking down upon a dense, swaying crowd—­a scarlet flag for my background.  I have seen the responsive look upon thousands of white, eager, hungry faces, and I’ve heard the great hoarse shout of welcome as I have seized my flag and hurried down amongst the people—­to be given a place among their leaders!  I!  With the leaders, the leaders!  Yes, that is what I once hoped would be my hour! [Her voice sinking.] But this is my hour.

St. Olpherts.  Well, my dear, when it’s over, you’ll have the satisfaction of counting the departing footsteps of a ruined man.

Agnes.  Ruined—!

St. Olpherts.  Yes, there’s great compensation in that—­for women.

Agnes. [Sitting.] Why do you suggest he’ll be ruined through me? [Uneasily.] At any rate, he’d ended his old career before we met.

St. Olpherts.  Pardon me; it’s not now too late for him to resume that career.  The threads are not quite broken yet.

Agnes.  Oh, the scandal in London—­

St. Olpherts.  Would be dispelled by this sham reconciliation with his wife.

Agnes. [Looking at him.] Sham—?

St. Olpherts.  Why, of course.  All we desired to arrange was that for the future their household should be conducted strictly a la mode.

Agnes.  A la mode?

St. Olpherts. [Behind the settee, looking down upon her.] Mr. Cleeve in one quarter of the house, Mrs. Cleeve in another.

Agnes.  Oh, yes.

St. Olpherts.  A proper aspect to the world, combined with freedom on both sides.  It’s a more decorous system than the aggressive Free Union you once advocated; and it’s much in vogue at my end of town.

Agnes.  Your plan was a little more subtle than I gave you credit for.  This was to be your method of getting rid of me!

St. Olpherts.  No, no.  Don’t you understand?  With regard to yourself, we could have arrived at a compromise.

Agnes.  A compromise?

St. Olpherts.  It would have made us quite happy to see you placed upon a—­upon a somewhat different footing.

Agnes.  What kind of—­footing?

St. Olpherts.  The suburban villa, the little garden, a couple of discreet servants—­everything a la mode.