hone. [She sits.] Oh, I am so sorry
we have to go. It seems such a shame, this beautiful night. And we have
enjoyed ourselves so much.

RIDGEON. I dont believe another half-hour would do Mr Dubedat a bit of
harm.

SIR PATRICK. Come now, Colly, come! come! none of that. You take your
man home, Mrs Dubedat; and get him to bed before eleven.

B. B. Yes, yes. Bed before eleven. Quite right, quite right. Sorry to
lose you, my dear lady; but Sir Patrick's orders are the laws of--er--of
Tyre and Sidon.

WALPOLE. Let me take you home in my motor.

SIR PATRICK. No. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Walpole. Your
motor will take Mr and Mrs Dubedat to the station, and quite far enough
too for an open carriage at night.

MRS DUBEDAT. Oh, I am sure the train is best.

RIDGEON. Well, Mrs Dubedat, we have had a most enjoyable evening.

WALPOLE. {Most enjoyable. B. B. {Delightful. Charming. Unforgettable.

MRS DUBEDAT [with a touch of shy anxiety] What did you think of Louis?
Or am I wrong to ask?

RIDGEON. Wrong! Why, we are all charmed with him.

WALPOLE. Delighted.

B. B. Most happy to have met him. A privilege, a real privilege.

SIR PATRICK [grunts]!

MRS DUBEDAT [quickly] Sir Patrick: are YOU uneasy about him?

SIR PATRICK [discreetly] I admire his drawings greatly, maam.

MRS DUBEDAT. Yes; but I meant--

RIDGEON. You shall go away quite happy. He's worth saving. He must and
shall be saved.

Mrs Dubedat rises and gasps with delight, relief, and gratitude. They
all rise except Sir Patrick and Schutzmacher, and come reassuringly to
her.

B. B. Certainly, CER-tainly.

WALPOLE. Theres no real difficulty, if only you know what to do.

MRS DUBEDAT. Oh, how can I ever thank you! From this night I can begin
to be happy at last. You dont know what I feel.

She sits down in tears. They crowd about her to console her.

B. B. My dear lady: come come! come come! [very persuasively] come come!

WALPOLE. Dont mind us. Have a good cry.

RIDGEON. No: dont cry. Your husband had better not know that weve been
talking about him.

MRS DUBEDAT [quickly pulling herself together] No, of course not. Please
dont mind me. What a glorious thing it must be to be a doctor! [They
laugh]. Dont laugh. You dont know what youve done for me. I never knew
until now how deadly afraid I was--how I had come to dread the worst. I
never dared let myself know. But now the relief has come: now I know.

Louis Dubedat comes from the hote