. Well, but what do you want? A
friendship, passionate and Platonic? Why, it takes all the tyranny
of a strong man like Swift to keep instinct within bounds. The
victory killed Stella and Vanessa.

Mrs. Tremaine.

Oh, we are more rational now! Then, there were two of them; that was
the difficulty there.

Denham.

Yes, there were two of them. Except in a desert island, there is
always a danger of that.

Mrs. Tremaine.

Why are men so inconstant?

Denham.

Why are women so charming--and unsatisfactory? We deceive ourselves,
and are deceived, just like you.

Mrs. Tremaine.

You amuse yourselves, and we pay.

Denham.

It is the will of God--of Nature, I should say. She is an artist;
but as for her morality--

Mrs. Tremaine.

One can't say much for that.

Denham.

Art is Nature's final aim. Love is the Art of Arts, and Art is long.

Mrs. Tremaine.

But could you not be a _little_ more constant, if you tried?

Denham.

Oh, _we_ can resist temptation, when we are not tempted--just like
women.

Mrs. Tremaine.

Your _capacity_ for temptation is wonderful.

Denham.

Yes. _We_ know our own frailty, _you_ never quite realise yours.

Mrs. Tremaine.

What has made you so cynical?

Denham.

The bitterness of life. Are your hands warm yet? (_Takes her
hands._)

Mrs. Tremaine.

Yes, I can go back now.

(_She goes back to the "throne." He poses her, and returns to the
easel._)

Denham.

(_painting again_) Marriage must certainly be modified. A woman
should have some honourable way of escape, when her husband gets
tired of her.

Mrs. Tremaine.

(_laughing_) How delicately you put it! But the wife? If you had to
bear all you so chivalrously inflict on us in "honourable" marriage,
I wonder how many marriages there would be?

Denham.

Instinct would be too strong for us still. But we should outscheme
Nature. We should invent. What has a woman ever invented since the
beginning of the world? Well, you can easily rail us out of
marriage. How will you live then?

Mrs. Tremaine.

As we are trying to live now.

Denham.

I believe woman's great ambition is to do all the work of the world,
and maintain man in idleness.

Mrs. Tremaine.

That would be awful! You would all be artists and minor poets then.

Denham.

You, I believe, prefer "the Free Union," as it is called, to
marriage?

Mrs. Tremaine.

If it were practicable.

Denham.

Ah yes! We can't live innocently and co