SYLVIA. We can't think--she's the most irritating girl I've met for years--and her mother's hateful, too. DANIEL. Why are they here? SYLVIA. Oh, Bobbie wanted them asked, and mother's much too sweet to deny us anything in reason. DANIEL. I shouldn't call Mrs. Crombie in reason--she's trying to pump me. SYLVIA. You are rather a mysterious person you know, uncle, I should like to know lots more about you. DANIEL. Everything about me is absolutely honourable and above board. SYLVIA. I don't know that it is. DANIEL. My dear Sylvia--you wound me, you grieve me--I feel deeply pained. I---- SYLVIA (_laughing_). It's no use trying to bluster out of it, uncle, you know as well as I do that it wasn't honourable of you to single me out for your money without letting the others know anything about it. DANIEL (_quickly_). You haven't told them, have you? (_Puts his feet down._) SYLVIA. No--I don't break _my_ word. DANIEL. And I don't break mine, so you needn't be so sniffy. SYLVIA. It is breaking it in a way to show favouritism. DANIEL. I only told you in the very strictest confidence because I had faith in you--trusted you.... SYLVIA. It was very sweet of you, uncle, but I don't think you should have. DANIEL. Well, after all, I... it's my money and surely I---- SYLVIA. You see, it's so terribly unfair to the others--of course they don't know, and I shall never breathe a word, but, uncle, I do wish you'd leave everything to one of them and not me--I shouldn't feel happy for a moment with the money--not for a single moment if I'd known all the time that I was going to get it. Rule me out of the list, there's a dear--I'm earning an awful lot now, you know, on the films and I really don't need any more--promise you'll do what I ask you? DANIEL. I don't think you're quite in your right mind, but, still--(_smiling_) I'll see. SYLVIA. There, I knew you'd see what I meant and be a lamb. Now tell me some of your adventures and things, and how you made the money. DANIEL (_uncomfortably_). Really, I don't think that.... SYLVIA. It must be so glorious out there--mining and prospecting and--by the way how does one prospect? DANIEL. How does one prospect? When one prospects one scoops up water from rivers and finds nuggets in one's hands--if one's lucky, of course. SYLVIA. You don't seem to know very much about it, uncle. DANIEL (_nettled_). On the contrary I know _all_ about it--but you wouldn't understand if I went into technical details. SYLVIA. I don't believe you would, either. DANIEL (_rises and goes_ L.). I think, Sylvia, that this lack of trust in your fellow-creatures is a very sinister trait in your character--you must remember that I am a much older man than you are and---- SYLVIA. I'm not a man at all. DANIEL (_turns_). Sometimes I wish you were, then I could tell you what I really think of you.