l you, will you give me your good word that my
daughter shall not hear of it?

TWISDEN. So far as we are able to prevent it--certainly.

RICARDOS. Sare, I trust you.--It was Captain Dancy.

A long pause.

GRAVITER [Suddenly] Were you blackmailing him?

TWISDEN. [Holding up his hand] My partner means, did you press him for
this settlement?

RICARDOS. I did think it my duty to my daughter to ask that he make
compensation to her.

TWISDEN. With threats that you would tell his wife?

RICARDOS. [With a shrug] Captain Dancy was a man of honour. He said:
"Of course I will do this." I trusted him. And a month later I did
remind him, and he gave me this money for her. I do not know where he
got it--I do not know. Gentlemen, I have invested it all on her--every
penny-except this note, for which I had the purpose to buy her a
necklace. That is the sweared truth.

TWISDEN. I must keep this note. [He touches the hundred-pound note]
You will not speak of this to anyone. I may recognise that you were a
holder for value received--others might take a different view. Good-day,
sir. Graviter, see Mr Ricardos out, and take his address.

RICARDOS. [Pressing his hands over the breast of his frock coat--with a
sigh] Gentlemen, I beg you--remember what I said. [With a roll of his
eyes] My daughter--I am not happee. Good-day.

He turns and goes out slowly, Left Forward, followed by GRAVITER.

TWISDEN. [To himself] Young Dancy! [He pins the two notes together and
places them in an envelope, then stands motionless except for his eyes
and hands, which restlessly express the disturbance within him.]

GRAVITER returns, carefully shuts the door, and going up to him,
hands him RICARDOS' card.

[Looking at the card] Villa Benvenuto. This will have to be verified,
but I'm afraid it's true. That man was not acting.

GRAVITER. What's to be done about Dancy?

TWISDEN. Can you understand a gentleman--?

GRAVITER. I don't know, sir. The war loosened "form" all over the
place. I saw plenty of that myself. And some men have no moral sense.
From the first I've had doubts.

TWISDEN. We can't go on with the case.

GRAVITER. Phew!... [A moment's silence] Gosh! It's an awful
thing for his wife.

TWISDEN. Yes.

GRAVITER [Touching the envelope] Chance brought this here, sir. That
man won't talk--he's too scared.

TWISDEN. Gilman.

GRAVITER. Too respectable. If De Levis got