No, no, no! Tact, tact, my dear Eileen, tact and diplomacy!... Let us calmly review the position. Cosway’s and Lady Patricia’s relations with Clare and your son, though highly culpable, appear to be blameless of the worst, and considerably more—er—ardent on the part of the married couple than of the single. So much is—er—unhappily evident. Now, do you still maintain that your son is—er—interested in Clare? MRS. O’FARREL. I am certain of it. DEAN. Incredible! Of course, I _know_—in spite of appearances—that Clare feels strongly for your son. MRS. O’FARREL. Fudge! DEAN. Now, my dear Eileen, pray don’t fall back on contradiction. What we have both got to do is to bring these young people together—— MRS. O’FARREL. Hush! D’you hear? (_She goes quickly to the back and looks out. A pause._) All four of them! Of course, they went up to the house to look for us.... What shall we do? DEAN. Ah! (_Goes to the railing at the back._) Allow me.... (_Calls._) Clare.... CLARE. (_Beneath._) Hullo!... MRS. O’FARREL. (_Excitedly._) But are you going to let them know—— DEAN. I beg you, Eileen, to sit down and control yourself. MRS. O’FARREL. Well, but I should like to know—— DEAN. Will you kindly entrust the conduct of the situation entirely to me. Take your cue from me, and above all, be tactful and dignified. (_He sits down with unction._) MRS. O’FARREL. I really believe you are thoroughly enjoying yourself. DEAN. Pray don’t be flippant, Eileen. This is a very serious matter. (_He crosses his legs and fixes his eyeglass as CLARE enters up the central ladder followed by LADY PATRICIA, BILL, and MICHAEL._) CLARE. We thought you had gone back to the house. DEAN. Indeed. LADY PATRICIA. I really believe they went to depreciate the guelder-roses as well! MRS. O’FARREL. We did nothing of the sort, Patricia, and let—— DEAN. Kindly allow me, Mrs. O’Farrel.... No, Lady Patricia, we have not been to examine the guelder-roses. We have been all the time here. LADY PATRICIA, BILL, MICHAEL, CLARE. Here!... DEAN. We have been all the time—_here_. MICHAEL. But—but I returned a short while ago, and you were certainly not here then. DEAN. Excuse me, sir—we were. CLARE. But we never saw you.... DEAN. That I can quite believe. We, however, saw you and Mr. Cosway quite distinctly. MRS. O’FARREL. Most distinctly! And I—— DEAN. Allow me, Mrs. O’Farrel.... BILL. But, I say—— DEAN. Sir? BILL. You can’t have been here a minute or two ago when Patri—— Cousin Patricia and I—— DEAN. Pardon me, sir—we were. BILL. But, I say, you must have hidden yourselves somewhere, because—— DEAN. Your mother and I were sitting in the summer-house. BILL, CLARE. Oh ...! LADY PATRICIA. Oh!... O—oh!... (_She gropes for a chair, she sits down heavily._) MICHAEL. What—what is the matter, dear? LADY PATRICIA. Nothing.... I—I am a little faint—— MICHAEL. The—the night is certainly oppressive....