KELVIL. I am afraid, too, that Lord Illingworth regards woman simply as a toy. Now, I have never regarded woman as a toy. Woman is the intellectual helpmeet of man in public as in private life. Without her we should forget the true ideals. [_Sits down beside_ LADY STUTFIELD.] LADY STUTFIELD. I am so very, very glad to hear you say that. LADY CAROLINE. You a married man, Mr. Kettle? SIR JOHN. Kelvil, dear, Kelvil. KELVIL. I am married, Lady Caroline. LADY CAROLINE. Family? KELVIL. Yes. LADY CAROLINE. How many? KELVIL. Eight. [LADY STUTFIELD _turns her attention to_ LORD ALFRED.] LADY CAROLINE. Mrs. Kettle and the children are, I suppose, at the seaside? [SIR JOHN _shrugs his shoulders_.] KELVIL. My wife is at the seaside with the children, Lady Caroline. LADY CAROLINE. You will join them later on, no doubt? KELVIL. If my public engagements permit me. LADY CAROLINE. Your public life must be a great source of gratification to Mrs. Kettle. SIR JOHN. Kelvil, my love, Kelvil. LADY STUTFIELD. [_To_ LORD ALFRED.] How very, very charming those gold-tipped cigarettes of yours are, Lord Alfred. LORD ALFRED. They are awfully expensive. I can only afford them when I’m in debt. LADY STUTFIELD. It must be terribly, terribly distressing to be in debt. LORD ALFRED. One must have some occupation nowadays. If I hadn’t my debts I shouldn’t have anything to think about. All the chaps I know are in debt. LADY STUTFIELD. But don’t the people to whom you owe the money give you a great, great deal of annoyance? [_Enter Footman_.] LORD ALFRED. Oh, no, they write; I don’t. LADY STUTFIELD. How very, very strange. LADY HUNSTANTON. Ah, here is a letter, Caroline, from dear Mrs. Arbuthnot. She won’t dine. I am so sorry. But she will come in the evening. I am very pleased indeed. She is one of the sweetest of women. Writes a beautiful hand, too, so large, so firm. [_Hands letter to_ LADY CAROLINE.] LADY CAROLINE. [_Looking at it_.] A little lacking in femininity, Jane. Femininity is the quality I admire most in women. LADY HUNSTANTON. [_Taking back letter and leaving it on table_.] Oh! she is very feminine, Caroline, and so good too. You should hear what the Archdeacon says of her. He regards her as his right hand in the parish. [_Footman speaks to her_.] In the Yellow Drawing-room. Shall we all go in? Lady Stutfield, shall we go in to tea? LADY STUTFIELD. With pleasure, Lady Hunstanton. [_They rise and proceed to go off_. SIR JOHN offers to carry LADY STUTFIELD’S cloak.] LADY CAROLINE. John! If you would allow your nephew to look after Lady Stutfield’s cloak, you might help me with my workbasket. [_Enter_ LORD ILLINGWORTH _and_ MRS. ALLONBY.] SIR JOHN. Certainly, my love. [_Exeunt_.] MRS. ALLONBY. Curious thing, plain women are always jealous of their husbands, beautiful women never are!