my vanity; and
Hesione insists on my keeping it up. She makes me wear these ridiculous
things [indicating his Arab costume] because she thinks me absurd in
evening dress.

RANDALL. Still, you do keep it up, old chap. Now, I assure you I have
not an atom of jealousy in my disposition.

HECTOR. The question would seem to be rather whether your brother has
any touch of that sort.

RANDALL. What! Hastings! Oh, don't trouble about Hastings. He has the
gift of being able to work sixteen hours a day at the dullest detail,
and actually likes it. That gets him to the top wherever he goes. As
long as Ariadne takes care that he is fed regularly, he is only too
thankful to anyone who will keep her in good humor for him.

HECTOR. And as she has all the Shotover fascination, there is plenty of
competition for the job, eh?

RANDALL [angrily]. She encourages them. Her conduct is perfectly
scandalous. I assure you, my dear fellow, I haven't an atom of jealousy
in my composition; but she makes herself the talk of every place she
goes to by her thoughtlessness. It's nothing more: she doesn't really
care for the men she keeps hanging about her; but how is the world to
know that? It's not fair to Hastings. It's not fair to me.

HECTOR. Her theory is that her conduct is so correct

RANDALL. Correct! She does nothing but make scenes from morning till
night. You be careful, old chap. She will get you into trouble: that is,
she would if she really cared for you.

HECTOR. Doesn't she?

RANDALL. Not a scrap. She may want your scalp to add to her collection;
but her true affection has been engaged years ago. You had really better
be careful.

HECTOR. Do you suffer much from this jealousy?

RANDALL. Jealousy! I jealous! My dear fellow, haven't I told you that
there is not an atom of--

HECTOR. Yes. And Lady Utterword told me she never made scenes. Well,
don't waste your jealousy on my moustache. Never waste jealousy on a
real man: it is the imaginary hero that supplants us all in the long
run. Besides, jealousy does not belong to your easy man-of-the-world
pose, which you carry so well in other respects.

RANDALL. Really, Hushabye, I think a man may be allowed to be a
gentleman without being accused of posing.

HECTOR. It is a pose like any other. In this house we know all the
poses: our game is to find out the man under the pose. The man under
your pose is apparently Ellie's favorite, Othello.

RANDALL. Some of your games in t