MRS.  MARCHMONT

[Severely.l  Pray,  Mr.  Montford,  do  not  make
these  painful  scenes  of  jealousy  in  public  !

[  They  go  downstairs  with  the  other  guests ^  passing
Sir  Robert  Chiltern  and  Mrs.  Cheveley^  who  now
enter.']

SIR  ROBERT  CHILTERN

And  are  you  going  to  any  of  our  country  houses
before  you  leave  England,  Mrs.  Cheveley  ?

32


MRS.   CHEVELEY

Oh,  no  !  I  can't  stand  your  English  house-parties.
In  England  people  actually  try  to  be  brilliant  at
breakfast.  That  is  so  dreadful  of  them  !  Only  dull
people  are  brilliant  at  breakfast.  And  then  the
family  skeleton  is  always  reading  family  prayers.
My  stay  in  England  really  depends  on  you,  Sir
Robert.     [Szts  down  on  the  so/a.]

SIR   ROBERT  CHILTERN

[  Taking  a  seat  beside  her.]     Seriously  ?

MRS.   CHEVELEY

Quite  seriously.  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  a
great  political  and  financial  scheme,  about  this
Argentine  Canal  Company,  in  fact.
SIR  ROBERT  CHILTERN

What  a  tedious,  practical  subject  for  you  to  talk
about,  Mrs.  Cheveley  !

MRS.   CHEVELEY

Oh,  I  like  tedious,  practical  subjects.  What  I
don't  like  are  tedious,  practical  people.  There  is  a
wide  difference.  Besides,  you  are  interested,  I  know,
in  International  Canal  schemes.  You  were  Lord
Radley's  secretary,  weren't  you,  when  the  Govern-
ment bought  the  Suez  Canal  shares  ?

SIR  ROBERT  CHILTERN

Yes.     But  the  Suez  Canal  was  a  very  great  and
33  F


splendid  undertaking.  It  gave  us  our  direct  route
to  India.  It  had  imperial  value.  It  was  necessary
that  we  should  have  control.  This  Argentine  scheme
is  a  commonplace  Stock  Exchange  swindle.
MRS.   CHEVELEY

A  speculation,  Sir  Robert !  A  brilliant,  daring
speculation.
