a woman of no importance-第4部分

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teps　of　the　terrace　with　MRS。　ALLONBY。　　They　smile　at　each　other。＇

ACT　DROP。



SECOND　ACT




SCENE

Drawing…room　at　Hunstanton；　after　dinner；　lamps　lit。　　Door　L。C。　Door　R。C。

＇Ladies　seated　on　sofas。＇

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　What　a　comfort　it　is　to　have　got　rid　of　the　men　for　a　little！

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Yes；　men　persecute　us　dreadfully；　don't　they？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Persecute　us？　　I　wish　they　did。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　My　dear！

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　The　annoying　thing　is　that　the　wretches　can　be　perfectly　happy　without　us。　　That　is　why　I　think　it　is　every　woman's　duty　never　to　leave　them　alone　for　a　single　moment；　except　during　this　short　breathing　space　after　dinner；　without　which　I　believe　we　poor　women　would　be　absolutely　worn　to　shadows。

＇Enter　Servants　with　coffee。＇

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　Worn　to　shadows；　dear？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Yes；　Lady　Hunstanton。　　It　is　such　a　strain　keeping　men　up　to　the　mark。　　They　are　always　trying　to　escape　from　us。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　It　seems　to　me　that　it　is　we　who　are　always　trying　to　escape　from　them。　　Men　are　so　very；　very　heartless。　　They　know　their　power　and　use　it。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　＇Takes　coffee　from　Servant。＇　　What　stuff　and　nonsense　all　this　about　men　is！　　The　thing　to　do　is　to　keep　men　in　their　proper　place。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　But　what　is　their　proper　place；　Lady　Caroline？

LADY　CAROLINE。　　Looking　after　their　wives；　Mrs。　Allonby。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　＇Takes　coffee　from　Servant。＇　　Really？　　And　if　they're　not　married？

LADY　CAROLINE。　　If　they　are　not　married；　they　should　be　looking　after　a　wife。　　It's　perfectly　scandalous　the　amount　of　bachelors　who　are　going　about　society。　　There　should　be　a　law　passed　to　compel　them　all　to　marry　within　twelve　months。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　＇Refuses　coffee。＇　　But　if　they're　in　love　with　some　one　who；　perhaps；　is　tied　to　another？

LADY　CAROLINE。　　In　that　case；　Lady　Stutfield；　they　should　be　married　off　in　a　week　to　some　plain　respectable　girl；　in　order　to　teach　them　not　to　meddle　with　other　people's　property。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　I　don't　think　that　we　should　ever　be　spoken　of　as　other　people's　property。　　All　men　are　married　women's　property。　That　is　the　only　true　definition　of　what　married　women's　property　really　is。　　But　we　don't　belong　to　any　one。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Oh；　I　am　so　very；　very　glad　to　hear　you　say　so。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　But　do　you　really　think；　dear　Caroline；　that　legislation　would　improve　matters　in　any　way？　　I　am　told　that；　nowadays；　all　the　married　men　live　like　bachelors；　and　all　the　bachelors　like　married　men。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　I　certainly　never　know　one　from　the　other。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Oh；　I　think　one　can　always　know　at　once　whether　a　man　has　home　claims　upon　his　life　or　not。　　I　have　noticed　a　very；　very　sad　expression　in　the　eyes　of　so　many　married　men。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Ah；　all　that　I　have　noticed　is　that　they　are　horribly　tedious　when　they　are　good　husbands；　and　abominably　conceited　when　they　are　not。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　Well；　I　suppose　the　type　of　husband　has　completely　changed　since　my　young　days；　but　I'm　bound　to　state　that　poor　dear　Hunstanton　was　the　most　delightful　of　creatures；　and　as　good　as　gold。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Ah；　my　husband　is　a　sort　of　promissory　note；　I'm　tired　of　meeting　him。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　But　you　renew　him　from　time　to　time；　don't　you？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Oh　no；　Lady　Caroline。　　I　have　only　had　one　husband　as　yet。　　I　suppose　you　look　upon　me　as　quite　an　amateur。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　With　your　views　on　life　I　wonder　you　married　at　all。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　So　do　I。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　My　dear　child；　I　believe　you　are　really　very　happy　in　your　married　life；　but　that　you　like　to　hide　your　happiness　from　others。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　I　assure　you　I　was　horribly　deceived　in　Ernest。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　Oh；　I　hope　not；　dear。　　I　knew　his　mother　quite　well。　　She　was　a　Stratton；　Caroline；　one　of　Lord　Crowland's　daughters

LADY　CAROLINE。　　Victoria　Stratton？　　I　remember　her　perfectly。　　A　silly　fair…haired　woman　with　no　chin。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Ah；　Ernest　has　a　chin。　　He　has　a　very　strong　chin；　a　square　chin。　　Ernest's　chin　is　far　too　square。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　But　do　you　really　think　a　man's　chin　can　be　too　square？　　I　think　a　man　should　look　very；　very　strong；　and　that　his　chin　should　be　quite；　quite　square。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Then　you　should　certainly　know　Ernest；　Lady　Stutfield。　　It　is　only　fair　to　tell　you　beforehand　he　has　got　no　conversation　at　all。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　I　adore　silent　men。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Oh；　Ernest　isn't　silent。　　He　talks　the　whole　time。　But　he　has　got　no　conversation。　　What　he　talks　about　I　don't　know。　I　haven't　listened　to　him　for　years。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Have　you　never　forgiven　him　then？　　How　sad　that　seems！　　But　all　life　is　very；　very　sad；　is　it　not？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Life；　Lady　Stutfield；　is　simply　a　MAUVAIS　QUART　D'HEURE　made　up　of　exquisite　moments。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Yes；　there　are　moments；　certainly。　　But　was　it　something　very；　very　wrong　that　Mr。　Allonby　did？　　Did　he　become　angry　with　you；　and　say　anything　that　was　unkind　or　true？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Oh　dear；　no。　　Ernest　is　invariably　calm。　　That　is　one　of　the　reasons　he　always　gets　on　my　nerves。　　Nothing　is　so　aggravating　as　calmness。　　There　is　something　positively　brutal　about　the　good　temper　of　most　modern　men。　　I　wonder　we　women　stand　it　as　well　as　we　do。

LADY　　STUTFIELD。　　Yes；　men's　good　temper　shows　they　are　not　so　sensitive　as　we　are；　not　so　finely　strung。　　It　makes　a　great　barrier　often　between　husband　and　wife；　does　it　not？　　But　I　would　so　much　like　to　know　what　was　the　wrong　thing　Mr。　Allonby　did。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Well；　I　will　tell　you；　if　you　solemnly　promise　to　tell　everybody　else。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Thank　you；　thank　you。　　I　will　make　a　point　of　repeating　it。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　When　Ernest　and　I　were　engaged；　he　swore　to　me　positively　on　his　knees　that　he　had　never　loved　any　one　before　in　the　whole　course　of　his　life。　　I　was　very　young　at　the　time；　so　I　didn't　believe　him；　I　needn't　tell　you。　　Unfortunately；　however；　I　made　no　enquiries　of　any　kind　till　after　I　had　been　actually　married　four　or　five　months。　　I　found　out　then　that　what　he　had　told　me　was　perfectly　true。　　And　that　sort　of　thing　makes　a　man　so　absolutely　uninteresting。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　My　dear！

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Men　always　want　to　be　a　woman's　first　love。　　That　is　their　clumsy　vanity。　　We　women　have　a　more　subtle　instinct　about　things。　　What　we　like　is　to　be　a　man's　last　romance。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　I　see　what　you　mean。　　It's　very；　very　beautiful。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　My　dear　child；　you　don't　mean　to　tell　me　that　you　won't　forgive　your　husband　because　he　never　loved　any　one　else？　Did　you　ever　hear　such　a　thing；　Caroline？　　I　am　quite　surprised。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　Oh；　women　have　become　so　highly　educated；　Jane；　that　nothing　should　surprise　us　nowadays；　except　happy　marriages。　They　apparently　are　getting　remarkably　rare。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Oh；　they're　quite　out　of　date。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Except　amongst　the　middle　classes；　I　have　been　told。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　How　like　the　middle　classes！

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Yes　…　is　it　not？　…　very；　very　like　them。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　If　what　you　tell　us　about　the　middle　classes　is　true；　Lady　Stutfield；　it　redounds　greatly　to　their　credit。　　It　is　much　to　be　regretted　that　in　our　rank　of　life　the　wife　should　be　so　persistently　frivolous；　under　the　impression　apparently　that　it　is　the　proper　thing　to　be。　　It　is　to　that　I　attribute　the　unhappiness　of　so　many　marriages　we　all　know　of　in　society。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Do　you　know；　Lady　Caroline；　I　don't　think　the　frivolity　of　the　wife　has　ever　anything　to　do　with　it。　More　marriages　are　ruined　nowadays　by　the　common　sense　of　the　husband　than　by　anything　else。　　How　can　a　woman　be　expected　to　be　happy　with　a　man　who　insists　on　treating　her　as　if　she　were　a　perfectly　rational　being？

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　My　dear！

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　Man；　poor；　awkward；　reliable；　necessary　man　belongs　to　a　sex　that　has　been　rational　for　millions　and　millions　of　years。　He　can't　help　himself。　　It　is　in　his　race。　　The　History　of　Woman　is　very　different。　　We　have　always　been　picturesque　protests　against　the　mere　existence　of　common　sense。　　We　saw　its　dangers　from　the　first。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Yes；　the　common　sense　of　husbands　is　certainly　most；　most　trying。　　Do　tell　me　your　conception　of　the　Ideal　Husband。　　I　think　it　would　be　so　very；　very　helpful。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　The　Ideal　Husband？　　There　couldn't　be　such　a　thing。　The　institution　is　wrong。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　The　Ideal　Man；　then；　in　his　relations　to　US。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　He　would　probably　be　extremely　realistic。

MRS。　CAROLINE。　　The　Ideal　Man！　　Oh；　the　Ideal　Man　should　talk　to　us　as　if　we　were　goddesses；　and　treat　us　as　if　we　were　children。　　He　should　refuse　all　our　serious　requests；　and　gratify　every　one　of　our　whims。　　He　should　encourage　us　to　have　caprices；　and　forbid　us　to　have　missions。　　He　should　always　say　much　more　than　he　means；　and　always　mean　much　more　than　he　says。

LADY　HUNSTANTON。　　But　how　could　he　do　both；　dear？

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　He　should　never　run　down　other　pretty　women。　　That　would　show　he　had　no　taste；　or　make　one　suspect　that　he　had　too　much。　　No；　he　should　be　nice　about　them　all；　but　say　that　somehow　they　don't　attract　him。

LADY　STUTFIELD。　　Yes；　that　is　always　very；　very　pleasant　to　hear　about　other　women。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　If　we　ask　him　a　question　about　anything；　he　should　give　us　an　answer　all　about　ourselves。　　He　should　invariably　praise　us　for　whatever　qualities　he　knows　we　haven't　got。　　But　he　should　be　pitiless；　quite　pitiless；　in　reproaching　us　for　the　virtues　that　we　have　never　dreamed　of　possessing。　　He　should　never　believe　that　we　know　the　use　of　useful　things。　　That　would　be　unforgiveable。　But　he　should　shower　on　us　everything　we　don't　want。

LADY　CAROLINE。　　As　far　as　I　can　see；　he　is　to　do　nothing　but　pay　bills　and　compliments。

MRS。　ALLONBY。　　He　should　persistently　compromise　us　in　public；　and　treat　us　with　absolute　respect　when　we　are　alone。　　And　yet　he　should　be　always　ready　to　have　a　perfectly　terrible　scene；　whenever　we　want　one；　and　to　become　miserable；　absolutely　miserable；　at　a　moment's　notice；　and　to　overwhelm　us　with　just　reproaches　in　less　than　twenty　minutes；　and　to　be　positively　violent　at　the　end　of　half　an　h