llest anxiety about them.

FELIAT. That way of going on might get them into great trouble.

THERESE. It won't, I assure you. Monsieur Feliat, believe me, you know
nothing about it.

LUCIENNE. We're clever enough to be able to take care of ourselves.

FELIAT. But there are certain things that take you by storm.

LUCIENNE. Not us. Flirting is an amusement, a distraction, a game.

THERESE. Shall we say a safety valve?

LUCIENNE. There's not a single one of us who doesn't understand the
importance of running straight. And, to do them justice, these boys have
no idea of tempting us to do anything else. What they want, what we all
really want, is a quite conventional, satisfactory marriage.

FELIAT. I most heartily approve; but in my days so much wisdom didn't
usually come from such fascinating little mouths.

THERESE. Now how can you blame us when you see that really we think
exactly as you do yourself?

FELIAT. In my days girls went neither to the Lycee nor to have
gymnastic lessons, and they were none the less straight.

LUCIENNE [_reflectively_] And yet they grew up into the women of to-day.
I get educated and try to keep myself healthy, with exercises and
things, because I want to develop morally and physically, and be fit to
marry a man a little bit out of the ordinary either in fortune or
brains.

THERESE. You see our whole lives depend upon the man we marry.

FELIAT. I seem to have heard that before.

LUCIENNE. Yes; so've I. But it's none the less true for that.

THERESE. Isn't it funny that we seem to be saying the most shocking
things when we're only repeating what our grandfathers and grandmothers
preached to their children?

LUCIENNE. They were quite right. Love doesn't make happiness by itself.
One has to consider the future. We do consider it; in fact we do nothing
else but consider it. We want to get the best position for ourselves in
the future that we possibly can. We're not giddy little fools, and we're
not selfish egotists. We want our children to grow up happy and capable
as we've done ourselves. We're really quite reasonable.

FELIAT [_hardly able to contain himself_] You are; indeed you are. It
makes one shudder. Excuse me, I'm going to supper.

LUCIENNE. Let's all go together.

FELIAT. Thanks, I can find my way.

LUCIENNE. It's down that passage to the right.

FELIAT. Yes, I shall find it, thank you.

_He goes out._

THERESE. You shocked the poor old boy.

LUCIENNE. I