The 'Mind the Paint' Girl - BestLightNovel.com
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ROPER.
[_Rising and straightening himself out._] Ma-- Mrs. Upjohn-- Lily----
JIMMIE.
[_Scornfully._] Hullo, hullo, hullo, hul-lo----!
ROPER.
[_To JIMMIE._] P's.h.!.+ [_Impressively._] Ma-- Lily-- for years-- longer than it's agreeable to count-- I've been a patron of the drama-- particularly musical comedy, of which I've studied the development with especial interest.
JIMMIE.
[_Resting her elbows upon the back of the settee._] Yes, you've studied a lot of development, Lal, in your day.
ROPER.
[_Ignoring JIMMIE._] It's been a fad with me; I put it no higher than that. [_Producing his gloves._] But I've devoted time to it----
JIMMIE.
Any amount.
ROPER.
[_Drawing a glove on._] Often to the neglect of my ventures in the City. Here I am _now_, for instance.
JIMMIE.
That's obvious.
ROPER.
And-- I frankly admit it-- I've had more than one serious dispute with _Mrs._ Roper on the subject. [_JIMMIE softly whistles a few bars of "Rule, Britannia."_] Yesterday, by a coincidence-- [_feeling the outside of his breast-pocket_] letter from the wife-- full o'
complaints-- haven't been to Bexhill, to her and the kids, for weeks.
And to do Ellen Roper justice, she's not the woman to grumble without cause. [_Picking up his hat and cane which he has placed upon the centre table._] Dash it all, home ties _are_ home ties! [_Polis.h.i.+ng his hat with his sleeve._] And, taking one consideration with another-- and after this-- this occurrence-- it's my intention for the future-- my firm intention----
LILY.
[_Running to ROPER and throwing her arms around his neck._] Oh, Uncle Lal, not altogether! We're tired and cross this morning! Not altogether!
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Behind the centre table._] No, no, Uncle, you mustn't----!
LILY.
[_To ROPER._] Forgive us! [_Coaxingly._] Mother and Jimmie are cats----!
MRS. UPJOHN AND JIMMIE.
Oh----!
[_The door on the left opens, and GLADYS enters with a card on a salver._
GLADYS.
[_Advancing to LILY._] Are you _in_?
LILY.
In?
GLADYS.
[_Surveying LILY with mingled disdain and pity._] Oh you _do_ look washed out!
LILY.
[_Going to GLADYS._] Never you mind whether I look washed out or not.
Who is it?
[_LILY takes the card, reads some writing upon it, and stands twiddling the card in her fingers._
GLADYS.
They're in the dining-room.
LILY.
[_To GLADYS, after a pause._] W-wait outside-- on the landing.
GLADYS.
Oh, all right. _This_ won't get my silver cleaned.
[_GLADYS withdraws. LILY waits for the door to close and then walks about distractedly._
LILY.
Oh, why can't they leave me alone! What do they want with me now, both of them!
MRS. UPJOHN.
[_Moving towards LILY._] 'Oo----?
LILY.
Nicko's downstairs-- with Lord Farncombe.
