HORACE. I dare say you find it quite funny. It must be blessed to give away other people’s money. It was you gave it, mind, not I. MESSENGER. Then you cannot expect any blessing from it. HORACE. It strikes me I am getting the worst of it all round. How much longer is this foolery to go on? You’ll never bring me to your way of thinking. MESSENGER. So they all said in Mars. HORACE. You are in for a long visit. Now where will you put up? I can’t take you in myself, but how about our Moon? I make you a present of the Moon—and you can put a fence round it. MESSENGER. The Moon is not yours to give. HORACE. That is why I make you a present of it. I’m taking a leaf out of your book. You give away my money, so I give you somebody else’s Moon. That in practice appears to be your delightful Otherdom. MESSENGER. It is not. HORACE. Well, why are you trying to convert me? MESSENGER. Your conversion is a condition of my return. HORACE. (_Exultingly_) Self! Self! Who’s selfish now, Marsy? MESSENGER. I shall rejoice in saving you no less that the task is imposed upon me. HORACE. You are doomed to failure. Give it up—and please let me go home. I’m nearly always in bed by half-past eleven. MESSENGER. No. Your lesson is only just beginning. Have you forgotten Minnie? HORACE. Forgotten her? Rather not! Dear little girl! She is awfully gone on me. MESSENGER. Hush, hush! She is one whom it pains to see a fault in you. Love, the elementary Otherdom, possesses her. A divine gift of madness set in opposition to the cold logic of Self. She did love you—— HORACE. Did? She does, and don’t you make any mistake about it! MESSENGER. Listen a while. (_Waves his hand and the interior of house lights up and discovers MINNIE and DICEY chatting._) DICEY. This is our dance, I think. MINNIE. Isn’t it a lovely dance? I’m so glad we came, and it was all thanks to you. DICEY. Oh, you mustn’t thank me any more. I’m over-rewarded. But is Mr. Parker often like that? MINNIE. He is rather peculiar at times. HORACE. (_Indignant_) I—peculiar? DICEY. Peculiar? That seems a mild epithet to apply to him. MINNIE. I’m almost inclined to agree with you. DICEY. He is a selfish beast. HORACE. I—selfish? MINNIE. He refused to come to-night after he had promised—promised faithfully. DICEY. Pearls before swine. HORACE. I’ll swine him when I get hold of him! MINNIE. And he wouldn’t even fetch us a cab. DICEY. But he said he was just going out to get one? MINNIE. That was an awful fib because you were there and he was ashamed. DICEY. Ashamed? He might well be. He must be going off his head. HORACE. This doesn’t interest me in the least. MESSENGER. No? Hear a little more. DICEY. He gave me a fright, though—one terrible fright. MINNIE. Did he? How?