SIR RANDLE.

I wonder whether these elaborate preliminaries----?

BERTRAM.

Oh, don't interrupt, father! I mean to _say_----!

DUNNING.

[_Imperturbably._] My next step was to place the book in the hands of a
lady whose liter'y judgment is a great deal sounder than mine _or_ Mr.
Sillitoe's--I allude to Mrs. D.--and her report was that, though
amusing in parts, she didn't see anything in it to set the Thames on
fire.

PHILIP.

[_Laughing in spite of himself._] Ha, ha, ha!

ROOPE.

Ha, ha! [_To_ PHILIP, _with mock sympathy._] Dear excellent friend!

BERTRAM.

[_To_ ROOPE.] Yes, all right, Mr. Roope----!

DUNNING.

[_Turning to the next leaf._] I and Mr. Sillitoe then had another
confab--er--consultation with Mr. Filson, and we pointed out to him
that it was up to his father and mother to challenge Titterton's
assertions and invite proof of their accuracy.

ROOPE.

[_Quietly._] Obviously!

DUNNING.

Mr. F., however, giving us to understand that he was acting solely on
his own, and that he wished the investigation kept from his family, we
proposed a different plan----

BERTRAM.

To which I reluctantly assented.

DUNNING.

To get hold of somebody in Titterton's office--one of his employees,
male or female----

LADY FILSON.

[_Shocked._] Oh! Oh, Bertie!

OTTOLINE.

[_Rising, with a gesture of disgust._] Ah----!

SIR RANDLE.

[_To_ BERTRAM.] Really! Really, Bertram----!

[_Seeing_ OTTOLINE _rise,_ PHILIP _also rises and comes
to her._

LADY FILSON.

That a son of mine should countenance----!

OTTOLINE.

[_Panting._] Oh, but this is--this is outrageous! [_To_ SIR RANDLE
_and_ LADY FILSON.] Dad--mother--why should we degrade ourselves by
listening any further? [_To_ PHILIP.] Philip----!

PHILIP.

[_Patting her shoulder soothingly._] Tsch, tsch, tsch----!

BERTRAM.

[_To_ LADY FILSON _and_ SIR RANDLE.] My dear mother--my dear
father--yo