The Profligate 19
PRISCILLA.
Miss Stonehay is here, ma’am.
[_PRISCILLA retires._]
JANET PREECE.
Oh, Mrs. Renshaw!
LESLIE.
Don’t be alarmed, Janet. You don’t know that during the last three days
the face you have seen bending over you has often been poor Irene’s.
[_IRENE enters, and appears agitated._]
LESLIE.
Irene. You are trembling--there is some trouble?
IRENE.
[_Quietly to LESLIE._] Yes--I’ve come to tell you. Janet, I am glad to
see you almost well again. Don’t you believe me?
JANET PREECE.
[_Shrinking from her._] Yes--I--I am better.
IRENE.
Ah, don’t be frightened of me--not of _me_! Janet!
[_JANET looks at IRENE, then goes to her._]
IRENE.
[_Kissing JANET._] Thank you. [_Giving LESLIE a letter._] A letter,
Leslie.
LESLIE.
From your mother?
IRENE.
From my mother. Read it.
LESLIE.
[_As she reads._] Oh--oh! Irene, do you guess the drift of this?
IRENE.
Better than you do, Leslie. It is a humble apology from Mrs. Stonehay
for her unintentional rudeness upon misunderstanding the motive of Mrs.
Renshaw’s extreme kindness to poor Miss Preece.
LESLIE.
Yes, it is an apology.
IRENE.
Followed by an entreaty that Mrs. Renshaw will permit Mrs. Stonehay to
call at the Villa Colobiano immediately to make peace in person.
[_WILFRID and JANET go down into the garden._]
LESLIE.
You know the letter almost word for word.
IRENE.
I know my mother better day by day. Leslie, you don’t see what that
means?
LESLIE.
That your mother is sorry.
IRENE.
No--it means that she has just heard from Lord Dangars that he is an
old and intimate friend of your husband’s, and that they chanced to
come together again two days ago in Rome.
LESLIE.
I am grieved to pain you, Irene, but I am sure that my husband can’t
be aware of the true character of Lord Dangars.
IRENE.
Possibly not, but my mother sees that Lord Dangars may hear of her
conduct through Mr. Renshaw, and is therefore anxious to conciliate you
without delay.
LESLIE.
Oh! [_She tears MRS. STONEHAY’S letter into pieces._]
IRENE.
Oh, Leslie, the meanness of my life is crushing me! I can’t be faithful
to my mother, and yet I loathe myself for being a traitor to her. I
seem to bring a worldly taint even into your home, and yet your home is
so sweet and pure to me that I haven’t the courage to shut myself out
of it. How you must despise me!
[_WEAVER enters._]
LESLIE.
Weaver!
WEAVER.
I beg your pardon, ma’am; I wasn’t aware you were engaged.
LESLIE.
Why have you left your master in Rome? He is--well?
WEAVER.
Quite, ma’am. I haven’t left the master in Rome; we got back to
Florence this morning.
LESLIE.
He is in Florence!
WEAVER.
Master finished his business in Rome a little sooner than he expected,
and we made a rush, ma’am, for the night train. Getting in so very
early this morning, master thought it best to go to the _Hôtel de la
Paix_ for an hour or two.
LESLIE.
Thought it best to go to the _Hôtel de la Paix_! Oh, there must be some
reason!
WEAVER.
[_Handing a letter to LESLIE._] The reason is, ma’am, that master is
bringing a visitor home with him and didn’t think it right to take you
quite unprepared.
LESLIE.
A visitor?
WEAVER.
Yes, ma’am--Lord Dangars.
LESLIE.
Lord Dangars here! Oh! Dunstan, Dunstan!
IRENE.
[_To herself._] So soon--so soon; so short a respite!
[_WILFRID and JANET come up the steps from the garden._]
LESLIE.
[_To herself as she reads the letter._] Ah, I knew it! My poor Dun, to
be victimized by such a companionship. I quite understand, Weaver. Mr.
Renshaw will be here almost directly?
WEAVER.
He and his lordship were at breakfast when I left, ma’am; in less than
half-an-hour, I should say.
LESLIE.
Tell the servants. [_WEAVER goes out._]
IRENE.
Leslie, the thought that you are to be thrown into the society of this
man is unendurable to me.
LESLIE.
And yet you are speaking of the man you are going to marry.
IRENE.
Certainly, but by my marriage I hope to lose much of his society. But
you--oh, your husband is to blame, to blame!
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