Agnes.  Which hope they’ve now relinquished?

Lucas.  Apparently.

Agnes.  They’re prepared to accept a—­a compromise, I hear?

Lucas.  Ha!—­yes.

Agnes.  A compromise in my favour?

Lucas. [Hesitatingly.] They suggest—­

Agnes.  Yes, yes, I know. [Looking at him searchingly.] After all, your old career was—­a success.  You made your mark, as you were saying the other day.  You did make your mark. [He walks up and down restlessly, abstractedly, her eyes following him.] You were generally spoken of, accepted, as a Coming Man.  The Coming Man, often, wasn’t it?

Lucas. [With an impatient wave of the hand.] That doesn’t matter!

Agnes.  And now you are giving it up—­giving it all up.

[He sits on the settee, resting his elbow on his knee, pushing his hand through his hair.]

Lucas.  But—­but you believe I shall succeed equally well in this new career of mine?

Agnes. [Stonily.] There’s the risk, you must remember.

Lucas.  Obviously, there’s the risk.  Why do you say all this to me now?

Agnes.  Because now is the opportunity to—­to go back.

Lucas. [Scornfully.] Opportunity—?

Agnes.  An excellent one.  You’re so strong and well now.

Lucas.  Thanks to you.

Agnes. [Staring before her.] Well—­I did nurse you carefully, didn’t
I?

Lucas.  But I don’t understand you.  You are surely not proposing to—­to —­break with me?

Agnes.  No—­I—­I—­I was only thinking that you—­you might see something in this suggestion of a compromise.

[Lucas glances at st. Olpherts, whose back is turned to them.  St. Olpherts instinctively looks round, then goes and sits by the window.]

Lucas. [Looking at her searchingly.] Well, but—­you—?

Agnes. [With assumed indifference.] Oh, I—­

Lucas.  You?

Agnes.  Lucas, don’t—­don’t make me paramount. [He moves to the end of the settee, showing by a look that he desires her to sit by him.  After a moment’s hesitation she takes her place beside him.]

Lucas. [In an undertone.] I do make you paramount.  I do.  My dear girl, under any circumstances you would still be everything to me—­always. [She nods with a vacant look.] There would have to be this pretence of an establishment of mine—­that would have to be faced; the whited sepulchre, the mockery of dinners and receptions and so on.  But it would be to you I should fly for sympathy, encouragement, rest.

Agnes.  Even if you were ill again—­

Lucas.  Even then, if it were practicable—­if it could be—­if it—­

Agnes. [Looking him in the face.] Well—?