THE ARCHDEACON. It is very kind of you, but Mrs. Daubeny never touches solids now. Lives entirely on jellies. But she is wonderfully cheerful, wonderfully cheerful. She has nothing to complain of. [_Exit with_ LADY HUNSTANTON.] MRS. ALLONBY. [_Goes over to_ LORD ILLINGWORTH.] There is a beautiful moon to-night. LORD ILLINGWORTH. Let us go and look at it. To look at anything that is inconstant is charming nowadays. MRS. ALLONBY. You have your looking-glass. LORD ILLINGWORTH. It is unkind. It merely shows me my wrinkles. MRS. ALLONBY. Mine is better behaved. It never tells me the truth. LORD ILLINGWORTH. Then it is in love with you. [_Exeunt_ SIR JOHN, LADY STUTFIELD, MR. KELVIL _and_ LORD ALFRED.] GERALD. [_To_ LORD ILLINGWORTH] May I come too? LORD ILLINGWORTH. Do, my dear boy. [_Moves towards door with_ MRS. ALLONBY _and_ GERALD.] [LADY CAROLINE _enters_, _looks rapidly round and goes off in opposite direction to that taken by_ SIR JOHN _and_ LADY STUTFIELD.] MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Gerald! GERALD. What, mother! [_Exit_ LORD ILLINGWORTH _with_ MRS. ALLONBY.] MRS. ARBUTHNOT. It is getting late. Let us go home. GERALD. My dear mother. Do let us wait a little longer. Lord Illingworth is so delightful, and, by the way, mother, I have a great surprise for you. We are starting for India at the end of this month. MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Let us go home. GERALD. If you really want to, of course, mother, but I must bid good-bye to Lord Illingworth first. I’ll be back in five minutes. [_Exit_.] MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Let him leave me if he chooses, but not with him—not with him! I couldn’t bear it. [_Walks up and down_.] [_Enter_ HESTER.] HESTER. What a lovely night it is, Mrs. Arbuthnot. MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Is it? HESTER. Mrs. Arbuthnot, I wish you would let us be friends. You are so different from the other women here. When you came into the Drawing-room this evening, somehow you brought with you a sense of what is good and pure in life. I had been foolish. There are things that are right to say, but that may be said at the wrong time and to the wrong people. MRS. ARBUTHNOT. I heard what you said. I agree with it, Miss Worsley. HESTER. I didn’t know you had heard it. But I knew you would agree with me. A woman who has sinned should be punished, shouldn’t she? MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Yes. HESTER. She shouldn’t be allowed to come into the society of good men and women? MRS. ARBUTHNOT. She should not. HESTER. And the man should be punished in the same way? MRS. ARBUTHNOT. In the same way. And the children, if there are children, in the same way also? HESTER. Yes, it is right that the sins of the parents should be visited on the children. It is a just law. It is God’s law. MRS. ARBUTHNOT. It is one of God’s terrible laws. [_Moves away to fireplace_.] HESTER. You are distressed about your son leaving you, Mrs. Arbuthnot? MRS. ARBUTHNOT. Yes.