The Colonel is endeavouring to soothe her when Stephen Rollo is shown in. He is very young--too young to be a villain, too round-faced; but he is all the villain we can provide for Amy. His entrance is less ostentatious than it might be if he knew of the role that has been assigned to him. He thinks indeed (sometimes with a sigh) that he is a very good young man; and the Colonel and Alice (without the sigh) think so too. After warm greetings: STEVE. ‘Alice, I daresay you wish me at Jericho; but it’s six months since I saw you, and I couldn’t wait till to-morrow.’ ALICE, giving him her cheek, ‘I believe there’s someone in this house glad to see me at last; and you may kiss me for that, Steve.’ STEVE, who has found the cheek wet, ‘You are not telling me they don’t adore her?’ COLONEL. ‘I can’t understand it.’ STEVE. ‘But by all the little gods of India, you know, everyone has always adored Alice.’ ALICE, plaintively, ‘That’s why I take it so ill, Steve.’ STEVE. ‘Can I do anything? See here, if the house is upside down and you would like to get rid of the Colonel for an hour or two, suppose he dines with me to-night? I’m dying to hear all the news of the Punjab since I left.’ COLONEL, with an eye on the nursery door, ‘No, Steve, I--the fact is--I have an engagement.’ ALICE, vindictively, ‘He means he can’t leave the baby.’ STEVE. ‘It has taken to _him_?’ COLONEL, swaggering, ‘Enormously.’ ALICE, whimpering, ‘They all have. He has stolen them from me. He has taken up his permanent residence in the nursery.’ COLONEL. ‘Pooh, fiddlededee. I shall probably come round to-night to see you after dinner, Steve, and bring memsahib with me. In the meantime--’ ALICE, whose mind is still misgiving her about Amy, ‘In the meantime I want to have a word with Steve alone, Robert.’ COLONEL. ‘Very good.’ Stealing towards the nursery, ‘Then I shall pop in here again. How is the tea business prospering in London, Steve? Glad you left India?’ STEVE. ‘I don’t have half the salary I had in India, but my health is better. How are rupees?’ COLONEL. ‘Stop it.’ He is making a doll of his handkerchief for the further subjugation of Molly. He sees his happy face in a looking-glass and is ashamed of it. ‘Alice, I wish it was you they loved.’ ALICE, with withering scorn, ‘Oh, go back to your baby.’ As soon as the Colonel has gone she turns anxiously to Steve. ‘Steve, tell me candidly what you think of my girl.’ STEVE. ‘But I have never set eyes on her.’ ALICE. ‘Oh, I was hoping you knew her well. She goes sometimes to the Deans and the Rawlings--all our old Indian friends--’ STEVE. ‘So do I, but we never happened to be there at the same time. They often speak of her though.’ ALICE. ‘What do they say?’ STEVE. ‘They are enthusiastic--an ideal, sweet girl.’ ALICE, relieved, ‘I’m so glad. Now you can go, Steve.’ STEVE. ‘It’s odd to think of the belle of the Punjab as a mother of a big girl.’ ALICE. ‘Don’t; or I shall begin to think it’s absurd myself.’