COLONEL. ‘Do you deny that it is yours, Amy?’ Amy has no answer to this. ‘Is it unreasonable, Steve, to ask you when my daughter, with whom you profess to be unacquainted, gave you that token of her esteem?’ STEVE, helpless, ‘Alice.’ COLONEL. ‘What has Alice to do with it?’ AMY, to the rescue, ‘Nothing, nothing, I swear.’ COLONEL. ‘Has there been something going on that I don’t understand? Are you in it, Alice, as well as they? Why has Steve been staring at you so?’ AMY, knowing so well that she alone can put this matter right, ‘Mother, don’t answer.’ STEVE. ‘If I could see Alice alone for a moment, Colonel--’ ALICE. ‘Yes.’ COLONEL. ‘No. Good heavens, what are you all concealing? Is Amy--my Amy--your elderly lady, Steve? Was that some tasteful little joke you were playing on your old friend, her father?’ STEVE. ‘Colonel, I--’ AMY, preparing for the great sacrifice, ‘I forbid him to speak.’ COLONEL. ‘_You_ forbid him.’ ALICE. ‘Robert, Robert, let me explain. Steve--’ AMY. ‘Mother, you must not, you dare not.’ Grandly, ‘Let all fall on me. It is not true, father, that Mr. Rollo and I were strangers when you introduced us.’ ALICE, wailing, ‘Amy, Amy.’ AMY, with a touch of the sublime, ‘It _is_ my glove, but it had a right to be here. He is my affianced husband.’ Perhaps, but it is an open question, Steve is the one who is most surprised to hear this. He seems to want to say something on the subject, but a look of entreaty from Alice silences him. COLONEL. ‘Alice, did you hear her?’ ALICE. ‘Surely you don’t mean, Robert, that you are not glad?’ COLONEL, incredulous, ‘Is that how _you_ take it?’ ALICE, heart-broken, ‘How I take it! I am overjoyed. Don’t you see how splendid it is; our old friend Steve.’ COLONEL, glaring at him, ‘Our old friend, Steve.’ As for Amy, that pale-faced lily, for the moment she stands disregarded. Never mind; Ginevra will yet do her justice. ALICE. ‘Oh, happy day!’ Brazenly she takes Steve’s two hands, ‘Robert, he is to be our son.’ COLONEL. ‘You are very clever, Alice, but do you really think I believe that this is no shock to you? Oh, woman, why has this deception not struck you to the ground?’ ALICE. ‘Deception? Amy, Steve, I do believe he thinks that this is as much a surprise to me as it is to him! Why, Robert, I have known about it ever since I saw Amy alone this afternoon. She told me at once. Then in came Steve, and he--’ COLONEL. ‘Is it as bad as that!’ ALICE. ‘As what, dear?’ COLONEL. ‘That my wife must lie to me.’ ALICE. ‘Oh, Robert.’ COLONEL. ‘I am groping only, but I can see now that you felt there was something wrong from the first. How did you find out?’ ALICE, imploringly, ‘Robert, they are engaged to be married; it was foolish of them not to tell you; but, oh, my dear, leave it at that.’ COLONEL. ‘Why did you ask Amy to follow us here?’ ALICE. ‘So that we could all be together when we broke it to you, dear.’