Charles. [Stroking her forehead and, looking at her doubtfully] You go to bed; I won’t be late coming up.

[He turn, and goes, blowing a kiss from the doorway.  When he is gone, Chloe gets up and stands in precisely the attitude in which she stood at the beginning of the Act, thinking, and thinking.  And the door is opened, and the face of the Maid peers round at her.]

Curtain

ACT III

SCENE I

     Hillcrist’sstudy next morning.

     Jill coming from Left, looks in at the open French window.

Jill. [Speaking to Rolf, invisible] Come in here.  There’s no one.

     [She goes in.  Rolf joins her, coming from the garden.]

Rolf.  Jill, I just wanted to say—­Need we?

     [Jill. nodes.]

Seeing you yesterday—­it did seem rotten.

Jill.  We didn’t begin it.

Rolf.  No; but you don’t understand.  If you’d made yourself, as father has——­

Jill.  I hope I should be sorry.

Rolf. [Reproachfully] That isn’t like you.  Really he can’t help thinking he’s a public benefactor.

Jill.  And we can’t help thinking he’s a pig.  Sorry!

Rolf.  If the survival of the fittest is right——­

Jill.  He may be fitter, but he’s not going to survive.

Rolf. [Distracted] It looks like it, though.

Jill.  Is that all you came to say?

Rolf.  Suppose we joined, couldn’t we stop it?

Jill.  I don’t feel like joining.

Rolf.  We did shake hands.

Jill.  One can’t fight and not grow bitter.

Rolf.  I don’t feel bitter.

Jill.  Wait; you’ll feel it soon enough.

Rolf.  Why? [Attentively] About Chloe?  I do think your mother’s manner to her is——­

Jill.  Well?

Rolf.  Snobbish. [Jill laughs.]
She may not be your class; and that’s just why it’s
snobbish.

Jill.  I think you’d better shut up.

Rolf.  What my father said was true; your mother’s rudeness to her that day she came here, has made both him and Charlie ever so much more bitter.

     [Jill whistles the Habanera from “Carmen.”]

     [Staring at her, rather angrily]

Is it a whistling matter?

Jill.  No.

Rolf.  I suppose you want me to go?

Jill.  Yes.

Rolf.  All right.  Aren’t we ever going to be friends again?

Jill. [Looking steadily at him] I don’t expect so.

Rolf.  That’s very-horrible.