ch of impatience). Oh, quite. THAT'll be made
clear enough. I can see it all in the papers already: our half mad,
half drunk sister-in-law, making scenes with you in the street, with the
police called in, and prison and all the rest of it. The family will
be furious. (Sir Howard quails. She instantly follows up her advantage
with) Think of papa!

SIR HOWARD. I shall expect Lord Waynflete to look at the matter as a
reasonable man.

LADY CICELY. Do you think he's so greatly changed as that, Howard?

SIR HOWARD (falling back on the fatalism of the depersonalized public
man). My dear Cicely: there is no use discussing the matter. It cannot
be helped, however disagreeable it may be.

LADY CICELY. Of course not. That's what's so dreadful. Do you think
people will understand?

SIR HOWARD. I really cannot say. Whether they do or not, I cannot help
it.

LADY CICELY. If you were anybody but a judge, it wouldn't matter so
much. But a judge mustn't even be misunderstood. (Despairingly) Oh, it's
dreadful, Howard: it's terrible! What would poor Mary say if she were
alive now?

SIR HOWARD (with emotion). I don't think, Cicely, that my dear wife
would misunderstand me.

LADY CICELY. No: SHE'D know you mean well. And when you came home and
said, "Mary: I've just told all the world that your sister-in-law was a
police court criminal, and that I sent her to prison; and your nephew is
a brigand, and I'm sending HIM to prison." she'd have thought it must be
all right because you did it. But you don't think she would have LIKED
it, any more than papa and the rest of us, do you?

SIR HOWARD (appalled). But what am I to do? Do you ask me to compound a
felony?

LADY CICELY (sternly). Certainly not. I would not allow such a thing,
even if you were wicked enough to attempt it. No. What I say is, that
you ought not to tell the story yourself

SIR HOWARD. Why?

LADY CICELY. Because everybody would say you are such a clever lawyer
you could make a poor simple sailor like Captain Kearney believe
anything. The proper thing for you to do, Howard, is to let ME tell the
exact truth. Then you can simply say that you are bound to confirm me.
Nobody can blame you for that.

SIR HOWARD (looking suspiciously at her). Cicely: you are up to some
devilment.

LADY CICELY (promptly washing her hands of his interests). Oh, very
well. Tell the story yourself, in your own clever way. I only proposed
to tell the exact truth. You call that devilment