BELINDA (jumping up and catching her firmly by the arms). You will do
nothing of the sort. You will take off that hat--(she lets go of the
arm and begins to take out the pin) which is a perfect duck, and I don't
know why I didn't say so before--(she puts the hat down on the table)
and let me take a good look at you (she does so), and kiss you (she does
so), and then we'll go to your room and unpack and have a lovely talk
about clothes. And then we'll have tea.
[BETTY comes in.]
BELINDA. And now here's Betty coming in to upset all our delightful
plans, just when we've made them.
DELIA. How are you, Betty? I've left school.
BETTY. Very nicely, thank you, miss. You've grown.
BELINDA (patting the top of DELIA'S head). I'm much taller than she
is.... Well, Betty, what is it?
BETTY. The two gentlemen, Mr. Baxter and Mr. Devenish, have both called
together, ma'am.
BELINDA (excited). Oh! How--how very simultaneous of them!
DELIA (eagerly). Oh, do let me see them!
BELINDA. Darling, you'll see plenty of them before you've finished. (To
BETTY) What have you done with them?
BETTY. They're waiting in the hall, ma'am, while I said I would see if
you were at home.
BELINDA. All right, Betty. Give me two minutes and then show them out
here.
BETTY. Yes, ma'am. [Exit.]
BELINDA. They can't do much harm to each other in two minutes.
DELIA (taking her hat). Well, I'll go and unpack. You really won't mind
my coming down afterwards?
BELINDA. Of course not. (A little awkwardly) Darling one, I wonder if
you'd mind--just at first--being introduced as my niece. You see, I
expect they're in a bad temper already, having come here together, and
we don't want to spoil their day entirely.
DELIA (smiling). I'll be your mother if you like.
BELINDA. Oh no, that wouldn't do, because then Mr. Baxter would feel
that he ought to ask your permission before paying his attentions to me.
He's just that sort of man. A niece is so safe--however good you are at
statistics, you can't really prove anything.
DELIA. All right, mummy.
BELINDA (enjoying herself). You'd like to be called by a different name,
wouldn't you? There's something so thrilling about taking a false name.
Such a lot of adventures begin like that. How would you like to be Miss
Robinson, darling? It's a nice easy one to remember. (Persuasively.) And
you shall put your hair up so as to feel more disguised. What fun we're
going to have!
DELIA. You baby! All right, then, I'm Miss Robinson, your favourite
niece. (She moves towards the house.)
BELINDA. How sweet of you! Oh, I'm coming with you to do your hair. You
don't think you're going to be allowed to do it yourself, when so much
depends on it, and husbands leave you because of it, and--[They do in
together.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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